March 27, 2005
Back from London!
+JMJ
Feastday of Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno
First of all let me say HAPPY EASTER!
London was really great and I had such a wonderful time! I'm going to do a more detailed update soon, but I'll just go over the highlights:
*Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament
*Buckingham Palace ( we missed the Changing of the Guard 'cause we came on the wrong day....)
*National Portrait Gallery ( I got to see the Coronation Portrait, Ditchley Portrait, and the Darnerly Portrait; all of Elizabeth I. I really love studying about her life, I'm such a dork!)
*Piccadilly Circus (kinda like a smaller version of Times Square)
*National Gallery ( being an art history minor, I went NUTS in here. I also got a print of Sassoferrato's Virgin in Prayer .
*Seeing Robots in IMAX at the Science Museum
*Natural History Museum (although I still think the NYC one is better, and I'm not just saying that out of pride =)
*Seeing Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre (although we got totally ripped off on tickets, but more on that later....)
*Mass at Westminster Cathedral
*Meeting Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Mass today at the Cathedral was just amazing! I got there early enough for morning prayer and it was so uplifting. It was like being back in Nashville singing with all the Sisters! Right before Mass, I was looking through the program to see if I would recognize any songs. That's when I saw that a lot of the Mass was in Latin! I was really happy about that. Then the choir boys and men processed in and they sounded beautiful! The Cathedral was packed but I could still see a little bit. The Cardinal gave a really good homily, talking about the protection of life. He touched on Terri Schiavo, which made me really happy to hear. At the end of Mass I went over to where the Cardinal was greeting people and I was trying to shake his hand but kept getting pushed away. One of his ushers tapped him for me and said Your Eminence.... I shook his hand and thanked him for speaking about Terri.
For those of you that know me, I've been wanting to see the nuns of Tyburn Convent, since I've been over here. So after Mass, I asked on of the priests how to get there. He told me the bus and everything, but at that point I didn't think I'd have enough time to see them and get back for my train. I traveled pretty much all day because there were disruption on the lines and I got back to Stirling at around 8:30. Now that I know how to get to Tyburn, I am totally going to visit them at some point. I feel so nun-deprived! LOL. That's all for now, off to bed!
Feastday of Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno
First of all let me say HAPPY EASTER!
London was really great and I had such a wonderful time! I'm going to do a more detailed update soon, but I'll just go over the highlights:
*Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament
*Buckingham Palace ( we missed the Changing of the Guard 'cause we came on the wrong day....)
*National Portrait Gallery ( I got to see the Coronation Portrait, Ditchley Portrait, and the Darnerly Portrait; all of Elizabeth I. I really love studying about her life, I'm such a dork!)
*Piccadilly Circus (kinda like a smaller version of Times Square)
*National Gallery ( being an art history minor, I went NUTS in here. I also got a print of Sassoferrato's Virgin in Prayer .
*Seeing Robots in IMAX at the Science Museum
*Natural History Museum (although I still think the NYC one is better, and I'm not just saying that out of pride =)
*Seeing Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre (although we got totally ripped off on tickets, but more on that later....)
*Mass at Westminster Cathedral
*Meeting Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Mass today at the Cathedral was just amazing! I got there early enough for morning prayer and it was so uplifting. It was like being back in Nashville singing with all the Sisters! Right before Mass, I was looking through the program to see if I would recognize any songs. That's when I saw that a lot of the Mass was in Latin! I was really happy about that. Then the choir boys and men processed in and they sounded beautiful! The Cathedral was packed but I could still see a little bit. The Cardinal gave a really good homily, talking about the protection of life. He touched on Terri Schiavo, which made me really happy to hear. At the end of Mass I went over to where the Cardinal was greeting people and I was trying to shake his hand but kept getting pushed away. One of his ushers tapped him for me and said Your Eminence.... I shook his hand and thanked him for speaking about Terri.
For those of you that know me, I've been wanting to see the nuns of Tyburn Convent, since I've been over here. So after Mass, I asked on of the priests how to get there. He told me the bus and everything, but at that point I didn't think I'd have enough time to see them and get back for my train. I traveled pretty much all day because there were disruption on the lines and I got back to Stirling at around 8:30. Now that I know how to get to Tyburn, I am totally going to visit them at some point. I feel so nun-deprived! LOL. That's all for now, off to bed!
March 22, 2005
+JMJ
Well, I'm off to London for a few days, so I don't know how much access I'll have to email and such. I'll be back in Scotland on Easter Sunday, later in the evening. Just wanted to wish everyone a reflective Good Friday and a joyful Easter!
In case you were wondering what the Nashville Sisters are doing for Holy Week......
God Bless
Well, I'm off to London for a few days, so I don't know how much access I'll have to email and such. I'll be back in Scotland on Easter Sunday, later in the evening. Just wanted to wish everyone a reflective Good Friday and a joyful Easter!
In case you were wondering what the Nashville Sisters are doing for Holy Week......
God Bless
March 21, 2005
Pictures!!!
+JMJ
Just a quick note to say the new Nashville pictures are up! When I checked the site today, I seriously wasn't expecting them to be there. I was sooo happy =) What a wonderful thing for the new class of postulants in August, and all those to come!
Just a quick note to say the new Nashville pictures are up! When I checked the site today, I seriously wasn't expecting them to be there. I was sooo happy =) What a wonderful thing for the new class of postulants in August, and all those to come!
March 18, 2005
random insanity.....
+JMJ
I just came across this and HAD to post....
Poor Clares: Contemplatives in ACTION!
Many thanks to Amy Welborn of Open Book for the image!
I just came across this and HAD to post....
Poor Clares: Contemplatives in ACTION!
Many thanks to Amy Welborn of Open Book for the image!
Mail & Males.....
+JMJ
Feastday of St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Hey All! Yesterday I emailed Sr. Mary Emily of the Nashville Dominicans because I was wondering about the whole letter writing policy. Thought y'all might be interested too so here goes:
Hi Sr. Mary Emily! I was talking to a friend of mine about Nashville and the letter writing policies and I was just looking for some clarification. Are the sisters letters censored? Also, I know that you can write letters two times a month except for Advent and Lent,but does this mean only two letters a month, or just two times and you can write all the letters you want? Thanks for all your help, just wanted to clear that up!
In Christ,Emily
ps-Have you all moved into the new wing yet? I can't wait to see this months pictures on the website!
Dear Emily,
Greetings from Nashville! No, we have not moved yet, but will be very soon. It is exciting!! Usually the letters are not censored, but they could be. The sisters write letters two times a month to family but only write two friends a month. So you could be writing many family members but just one friend each time. Hope this helps. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
In Christ,Sister Mary Emily
So that's the story. I'm glad the letters aren't censored, I think I would feel all self-conscious if I knew that the Mother General was going to be reading them. Another interesting thing about Nashville is that you can't write to men. Yup, that's right chicas! You can write to male relatives and priests but no other men. I don't know the "official" reasoning behind this, but I know that some of the sisters gave up boyfriends and fiances and stuff before entering, so that might have something to do with it. So, there's your bit of nun-sense for the day!
p.s.-I really want them to update the Motherhouse Development site , I need my pictures!!
Feastday of St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Hey All! Yesterday I emailed Sr. Mary Emily of the Nashville Dominicans because I was wondering about the whole letter writing policy. Thought y'all might be interested too so here goes:
Hi Sr. Mary Emily! I was talking to a friend of mine about Nashville and the letter writing policies and I was just looking for some clarification. Are the sisters letters censored? Also, I know that you can write letters two times a month except for Advent and Lent,but does this mean only two letters a month, or just two times and you can write all the letters you want? Thanks for all your help, just wanted to clear that up!
In Christ,Emily
ps-Have you all moved into the new wing yet? I can't wait to see this months pictures on the website!
Dear Emily,
Greetings from Nashville! No, we have not moved yet, but will be very soon. It is exciting!! Usually the letters are not censored, but they could be. The sisters write letters two times a month to family but only write two friends a month. So you could be writing many family members but just one friend each time. Hope this helps. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
In Christ,Sister Mary Emily
So that's the story. I'm glad the letters aren't censored, I think I would feel all self-conscious if I knew that the Mother General was going to be reading them. Another interesting thing about Nashville is that you can't write to men. Yup, that's right chicas! You can write to male relatives and priests but no other men. I don't know the "official" reasoning behind this, but I know that some of the sisters gave up boyfriends and fiances and stuff before entering, so that might have something to do with it. So, there's your bit of nun-sense for the day!
p.s.-I really want them to update the Motherhouse Development site , I need my pictures!!
March 17, 2005
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
+JMJ
Feastday of St. Patrick
Happy St. Patrick's Day readers! Recently things have been going pretty good. All except for the fact that it's paper writing time. Here, unlike my home college, you just do one paper and one final exam for each one of your classes. So I have two papers due the 23rd of March and one on the 5th of April. What makes this all the more crazy is that I have a friend from home coming to visit me here on Saturday and my Mom arrives the 29th! I'm very excited for both of those visits though. My mom hasn't had a real vacation in ages and she totally deserves one! So, we're gonna run around like crazy people and I'm sure there will be many interesting entries born out of that =)
Spiritually I think I'm doing good as well. I've been trying to say the rosary everyday and it has really helped to kick start my prayer life. I've also been talking to more people about vocation stuff, which helps a lot. The vast majority of my friends don't know about my nun aspirations, so I can't talk to them. It helps to have people who are going through the same thing you are. In this vein, I got a LiveJournal. Don't worry, I'm still going to update here, but if you have a livejournal let me know and I'll add you.
Em's LJ
One of the girls I've been talking with is entering the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I had looked at this community before,but I hadn't really done anything about it. Talking with her really piqued my interest in the community so I emailed them. No response yet, but I'm hoping soon! One really cool aspect about them is that they have not 1, not 2 but 3 weeks of home visit in the summer! Now, I'm not going to enter just because of that,but it is a really neat aspect. Another exiting thing is that I'm going to be in London for Easter! I really want to go to Westminster Cathedral for Easter! I was just looking at the schedule, check this out
Monday to Friday
Masses: 7.00am; 8.00am; 10.30am (said in Latin); 12.30pm;
1.05pm; and 5.30pm.
Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 7.40am.
Evening Prayer (Latin Vespers* sung by the Lay Clerks in Lady Chapel): 5.00pm (*except Tuesday when it is sung in English).
Solemn Mass (sung by the Choir): 5.30pm.
Rosary will be prayed after the 5.30pm Mass.
AHHHH! A mass and evening prayer in LATIN! I have surely died and gone to Heaven! I can just imagine how beautiful it is going to be ::sighs::
Allrighty, I'm off to go squee over how totally awesome Easter is going to be!
Feastday of St. Patrick
Happy St. Patrick's Day readers! Recently things have been going pretty good. All except for the fact that it's paper writing time. Here, unlike my home college, you just do one paper and one final exam for each one of your classes. So I have two papers due the 23rd of March and one on the 5th of April. What makes this all the more crazy is that I have a friend from home coming to visit me here on Saturday and my Mom arrives the 29th! I'm very excited for both of those visits though. My mom hasn't had a real vacation in ages and she totally deserves one! So, we're gonna run around like crazy people and I'm sure there will be many interesting entries born out of that =)
Spiritually I think I'm doing good as well. I've been trying to say the rosary everyday and it has really helped to kick start my prayer life. I've also been talking to more people about vocation stuff, which helps a lot. The vast majority of my friends don't know about my nun aspirations, so I can't talk to them. It helps to have people who are going through the same thing you are. In this vein, I got a LiveJournal. Don't worry, I'm still going to update here, but if you have a livejournal let me know and I'll add you.
Em's LJ
One of the girls I've been talking with is entering the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I had looked at this community before,but I hadn't really done anything about it. Talking with her really piqued my interest in the community so I emailed them. No response yet, but I'm hoping soon! One really cool aspect about them is that they have not 1, not 2 but 3 weeks of home visit in the summer! Now, I'm not going to enter just because of that,but it is a really neat aspect. Another exiting thing is that I'm going to be in London for Easter! I really want to go to Westminster Cathedral for Easter! I was just looking at the schedule, check this out
Monday to Friday
Masses: 7.00am; 8.00am; 10.30am (said in Latin); 12.30pm;
1.05pm; and 5.30pm.
Morning Prayer (Lady Chapel): 7.40am.
Evening Prayer (Latin Vespers* sung by the Lay Clerks in Lady Chapel): 5.00pm (*except Tuesday when it is sung in English).
Solemn Mass (sung by the Choir): 5.30pm.
Rosary will be prayed after the 5.30pm Mass.
AHHHH! A mass and evening prayer in LATIN! I have surely died and gone to Heaven! I can just imagine how beautiful it is going to be ::sighs::
Allrighty, I'm off to go squee over how totally awesome Easter is going to be!
March 11, 2005
1 month in Scotland =)
+JMJ
Feastday of St. John Ogilvie (woohoo for Scottish saints!)
So on the 4th I made my one month mark in Scotland. It's so wierd to think that I've been here for that long....I think I've adjusted pretty good and the worst of culture shock is over. This past weekend I went with the International Society to St. Andrews. On the way there we stopped at Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. It was so beautiful! I would have loved to stick around and check things out but we had to get going. When we came into St. Andrews we first got a tour of the major sites and the town from a sweet older woman. We saw the ruins of the castle and the cathedral, and some parts of the university. Alas, no Prince William sightings! After the tour some friends and I went to grab some food and then made our way to the castle. It's mostly a ruin, but still really amazing, with great views of the sea. One of the coolest parts was the mine and countermine. The Catholics dug underneath the castle to take it by suprise, but the Protestants knew and were building a counter mine.
Check out the mine!
Then we explored some more and soon had to get back on the bus. All in all it was a great trip!
On another note, I'm making a reading list for myself. There are so many Catholic classics that I haven't read, I feel out of the loop! So here is the tentative list:
A Right to Be Merry -Mother Mary Francis
Story of A Soul -St. Therese of Lisieux
Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska
The Nun's Story -Kathryn Hulme
In This House of Brede -Rumer Godden
The Interior Castle -St. Teresa of Avila
Dialouge of St. Catherine of Siena (a must if I'm going be Dominican right?)
Letters to a Young Catholic -George Weigel
If anyone has any comments or suggestions for the list, please let me know! Also, if you have a blog and you want me to add you to the links, just drop me a comment. God bless!
Feastday of St. John Ogilvie (woohoo for Scottish saints!)
So on the 4th I made my one month mark in Scotland. It's so wierd to think that I've been here for that long....I think I've adjusted pretty good and the worst of culture shock is over. This past weekend I went with the International Society to St. Andrews. On the way there we stopped at Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. It was so beautiful! I would have loved to stick around and check things out but we had to get going. When we came into St. Andrews we first got a tour of the major sites and the town from a sweet older woman. We saw the ruins of the castle and the cathedral, and some parts of the university. Alas, no Prince William sightings! After the tour some friends and I went to grab some food and then made our way to the castle. It's mostly a ruin, but still really amazing, with great views of the sea. One of the coolest parts was the mine and countermine. The Catholics dug underneath the castle to take it by suprise, but the Protestants knew and were building a counter mine.
Check out the mine!
Then we explored some more and soon had to get back on the bus. All in all it was a great trip!
On another note, I'm making a reading list for myself. There are so many Catholic classics that I haven't read, I feel out of the loop! So here is the tentative list:
A Right to Be Merry -Mother Mary Francis
Story of A Soul -St. Therese of Lisieux
Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska
The Nun's Story -Kathryn Hulme
In This House of Brede -Rumer Godden
The Interior Castle -St. Teresa of Avila
Dialouge of St. Catherine of Siena (a must if I'm going be Dominican right?)
Letters to a Young Catholic -George Weigel
If anyone has any comments or suggestions for the list, please let me know! Also, if you have a blog and you want me to add you to the links, just drop me a comment. God bless!
