Blessed Pope John XXIII's Feast Day

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Pope John XXIII, was born on November 25, 1881 in Bergamo, Itali.  As a young priest, he served as a hospital orderly during World War I, a military chaplain, a papal diplomat in Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and in France during World War II.  He was the cardinal archbishop of Venice and finally the pope who convened Vatican Council II 48 years ago.  He died on June 3, 1963 and was beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul.

At the homily given at Pope John’s beatification, Pope John Paul shared these words in his homily:

Today we contemplate in the glory of the Lord another Pontiff, John XXIII, the Pope who impressed the world with the friendliness of his manner which radiated the remarkable goodness of his soul. Everyone remembers the image of Pope John's smiling face and two outstretched arms embracing the whole world. How many people were won over by his simplicity of heart, combined with a broad experience of people and things! The breath of newness he brought certainly did not concern doctrine, but rather the way to explain it; his style of speaking and acting was new, as was his friendly approach to ordinary people and to the powerful of the world. It was in this spirit that he called the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, thereby turning a new page in the Church's history: Christians heard themselves called to proclaim the Gospel with renewed courage and greater attentiveness to the "signs" of the times. The Council was a truly prophetic insight of this elderly Pontiff who, even amid many difficulties, opened a season of hope for Christians and for humanity.

8th Graders Visit Our Lady of Grace

On Thursday, October 7th, the Serra Club of Indianapolis planned a Vocation Exploration day for 8th Graders.  The young men went to the Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary and the young women came to Our Lady of Grace Monastery.

It was wonderful to have these young women with us.  They represented several schools in the Archdiocese and were accompanied by four chaperones.  They arrived at 10:00 a.m. and stayed until 2:00 p.m.  They joined us for prayer and a meal, a tour of the monastery and a talk on vocations.  I was so impressed with these young women.  It was fun to get to know them and learn more about the questions they have.  Each of them was so respectful and participated in the day fully.  It is a gift to know that these young women are a part of our faith and desire to take their faith seriously.

Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to discern God's call in their lives.  A big thanks to the Serra Club who continue to pray for vocations and offer opportunities for vocation exploration.

Saint in the making ...

Last weekend I had the opportunity and privilege of attending the baptism of my friend's little boy. The baptism took place during the 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Monica-St. George parish in Ohio.  Pax Gabriel was wearing a baptismal garment that has been in his family for five generations.  It was amazing to think that Pax Gabriel's Great-Great Grandfather had been baptized in this same white garment.  What a powerful example of passing on the faith. Although Pax was fairly upset before the actual baptism began, he seemed to get very interested as he was being held over the baptismal font.  As Fr. Tom was pouring the water over his head, Pax tried to grab the water and pour it over himself.  It seemed as if he was very eager to be baptized.  It made me smile.   What a wonderful gift Pax was receiving and participating in.  Through his baptism Pax is called to live a life of holiness.  This is his vocation and it is our vocation. Each day we have the opportunity to grow in becoming a saint.  This is our calling.  I wonder how many times I miss the opportunities that God gives me to grow. I'm going to pay more attention and wake up to all the opportunities to grow, to be the saint I'm called to be.

Celebrating the Feast of St. Hildegard

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen.  She was the Abbess of the Benedictine Abbey in Bingen, Germany.  A woman of great wisdom and understanding, St. Hildegard had a deep love for Christ and glorified him with her words and music.  She lived from 1098 - 1179.  Let us remember her today.  May we, like her, grow in our love of Christ and seek him with our whole lives.

Enjoy these words of hers:

“Be not lax in celebrating. Be not lazy in the festive service of God. Be ablaze with enthusiasm. Let us be an alive, burning offering before the altar of God.”

“There is the Music of Heaven in all things and we have forgotten how to hear it until we sing”.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

This past summer several of us had the opportunity to go the Monastic Institute held at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota. It is a wonderful conference that focuses on Benedictine life. The speakers were  very good and it was wonderful to meet Benedictines from all over the country.

Another highlight of our time there was enjoying the beautiful campus of St. John's.  They have a beautiful lake that is surrounded by woods.  On two of the days we were there, we had the chance to go canoeing.  The first day the water was calm but the next day was very choppy.  There were several times that Sr. Heather Jean and I almost tipped the boat.  When we were trying to head back to shore, we got stuck in the middle of lake because of the strong wind.  We just kept going in circles.  It took great team work to get back to shore.  Sr. Heather and I had to focus our eyes on the shore and work together to get back.  Figuring out how to use our oars in tandem we slowly headed back to shore.

I learned a lot that day.  How journeying with others makes all the difference.  How we need to focus our eyes on the goal and start toward it.  And, finally, how the oars we have make a big difference in how we proceed.  As I think of the oars of my life, I realize that the Gospel, the Rule of Benedict and the Benedictine values serve as oars that help me navigate the paths of life.

Friday, July 30th

Today is the last day of our annual chapter meetings. The week is a full one with business, input on various topics, reports and of course some fun time together as community.

Yesterday we had a morning session on vocations. Our speaker challenged us to think of our own call to this community and how unique it is to each person. She then went through a list of calls in the Old and New Testament - Moses-Jeremiah-Naomi-Mary, etc. Each was called, each felt that they were not worthy enough for this call from God.

But that is how we all feel from time to time - not worthy of what God is calling us to do.

I take from the meeting the saying - "Is anything too marvelous for God?"

God is the one who calls us - God knows the plan - we just need to listen and respond.

A Wonderful Week

Today we begin the Monastic Live-In, an opportunity for others to experience the daily living of monastic life with us.  We have three women joining us.  They will pray, eat, work and play with us.  They will also have the opportunity to hear some input about the Benedictine way of life as well as some time for reflection.  It is going to be a GREAT week!  They will be with us until Sunday.


Sunday, July 11, the Feast of St. Benedict, is always a very special day for us as we celebrate our founder. This year it is made extra-special as we will celebrate the Final Monastic Profession of Sr. Mary Ann Koetter.  Please keep her and all of our community in your prayers as we prepare for this IMPORTANT DAY!!