Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia

LAUDARE, BENEDICERE, PRAEDICARE “TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH”

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228

www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org

“As a result of Christ's salvific work, man exists on earth with the hope of eternal life and holiness.

And even though the victory over sin and

death achieved by Christ in his Cross and

Resurrection does not abolish temporal

suffering from human life, nor free from

suffering the whole historical dimension of

human existence, it nevertheless throws a

new light upon this dimension and upon

every suffering: the light of salvation.”

Pope John Paul II

Salvifici Doloris, 15

September 2014

Dear Friends,

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the triumph of Christ over suffering and death. We are invited to enter into Christ’s oblation by offering our joys and sufferings, in union with Him, to the Father. May we be strengthened in our pilgrimage of faith so that we may one day rejoice in the Lord’s gift of victory.

In Christ, The Dominican Sisters

of St. Cecilia

A Young Professed

Sister’s Reflection

Recommended Reading

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

Click above to order

In this book, C.S. Lewis examines the universal question: “If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does He allow his creatures to suffer pain?” Lewis’ keen insight on this crucial question offers hope to a world searching for an answer to the mystery of suffering.

“We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character. ...One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and re-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.”

Pg. 34-35 (HarperCollins, 2001)

“Saint Dominic nourishes his children with the light of understanding at the repast of the Cross…

Saint Dominic wants his children to partake of this repast in the light of understanding, seeking only the

glory and praise of my Name and the salvation of souls.” (Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena, 158)

Though one of Saint Dominic’s most notable traits was his joy, he was not a

stranger to suffering. Indeed his joy often burst forth most intensely in the

very midst of hardship. Through his frequent meditation on Scripture, he

understood the dynamism of the Paschal Mystery, “that the Christ should

suffer so as to enter into his glory” (Luke 24:26). He also knew that conformity

to Christ would involve his participation in the Cross, both its pain and its

victory, and he sought opportunities to imitate his Master. His fare was sparse,

and he slept so little that he never bothered to claim a bed for his use. He

sought out the company of his persecutors in hope of winning them to Christ,

and he earnestly begged the Lord for the grace of martyrdom.

This spirit of voluntary penance in Dominic I greatly admire, but even more,

I admire his embrace of the trials that came to him unexpectedly: his

exuberant singing of the Ave Maris Stella as the heretic led him barefoot along

thorny paths, his humble but confident trust in providence when there was no

food to be had for the brethren, and his sweet resignation to his final illness.

As is evident from the above passage from the Dialogue in which God the

Father is speaking to St. Catherine of Siena, Dominic strove to instill in his

spiritual sons and daughters this love for Christ and his Cross. In imitation of

him, St. Thomas Aquinas could say, “The Cross is my sure salvation. The Cross

of the Lord is with me. The Cross I adore always. The Cross is my refuge.” And

the Dominican mystic Blessed Henry Suso could exclaim, “There is nothing

more painful than suffering, and nothing more joyful than to have suffered.

Suffering is a short pain and a long joy.”

Although we have not all attained Dominic’s conformity to Christ Crucified,

we can allow his example to stir within our hearts holy desire

and can lean on the strength of his promised prayers

as we pick up our Cross daily

and follow joyfully after Christ.

“The identity of each saint is indicated by his or her attributes. … Saint Thomas

Aquinas, representing doctrinal wisdom, is about to begin writing, directly

inspired by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Saint Hyacinth of Krakow,

representing Marian devotion, is pointing at a statue of the Virgin. Saint Peter

of Verona, tortured with daggers and cutlasses, represents courage. Saint

Catherine of Siena, wearing a crown of thorns and bearing the stigmata, is the

image of pure devotion. Saint Dominic, carrying a Marian lily, represents zeal

in pastoral work. His name, domini canis, ‘the Lord's dog,’ explains the

presence of the black-and-white dog at his feet. Saint Vincent Ferrer's zeal in

preaching is evident as he points towards Heaven to remind us of the Last

Judgment, while the little child is an allusion to one of the miraculous cures he

effected. The elderly Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the theologian of the

sacrament of penitence, is the symbol of vigilance and rectitude. Finally, Saint

Antoninus, archbishop of Florence, symbolizes just intelligence and charity. His

scales are tipped towards the paper bearing the words Deo Gratias (legible only

on the engraving), which are thus heavier than the fruit offered to the saint by a

peasant in the hoping of winning his good favor.” Visit the Louvre website for a full description of the artwork by Adeline Collange,

Christ on the Cross Adored by Eight Saints of the Dominican Order by the Flemish painter Abraham van Diepenbeeck (1596-1675), Louvre, Paris.

Holiness Highlights

(click above for devotions to the Seven Sorrows of Mary)

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

Feast Day: September 15

Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of

my filial affection. Into Thy heart, pierced by so many swords, do Thou

welcome my poor soul. Receive it as the companion of Thy sorrows at the foot of

the Cross, on which Jesus died for the redemption of the world. With Thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I will gladly suffer

all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please Our Lord to send me. I offer them all to

Thee in memory of Thy sorrows, so that every thought of my mind, and every

beat of my heart may be an act of compassion and of love for Thee. And do Thou, sweet Mother, have pity on

me, reconcile me to Thy divine Son Jesus, keep me in His grace and assist me in my last agony, so that I may be able to meet Thee in Heaven and sing

Thy glories. Amen. (from The Raccolta #232)

Left: At the end of the retreat, the postulants were enrolled in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, receiving St. Thomas Aquinas as a special patron of purity.

Right: Novitiate sisters made 15-decade rosaries for the postulants in anticipation of their reception to the habit.

Retreats & Reception of the Habit

On July 27, 2014, the new novices received their Dominican habits and religious names from Mother Ann Marie.

All the members of the community greeted them after the ceremony.

July 18-24, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., of the Diocese of Aberdeen, Scotland, delivered retreat conferences on the mysteries of the life of Christ. August 1-7, Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P., of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great gave the second community retreat as a general guide through the spiritual life.

Perpetual Profession of Vows

On, July 25, 2014, the Feast of St. James, five of our sisters made perpetual profession of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville, Tennessee. Bishop Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., preached the homily and reminded the Sisters that by their vows they were echoing the venture of faith made by Sts. James and John.

As part of the ceremony, the sisters signed their vows on the altar, prostrated themselves in supplication of heavenly aid during the litany of saints, and received the embrace of peace from all the perpetually professed members of the community.

On July 28, 2014, eleven sisters made first profession of vows in the Cathedral. This ceremony included the blessing and reception of their black veils as a sign of their consecration to God. Bishop David Choby presided at the Mass, and Father Kevin McGoldrick, chaplain of Aquinas College, preached the homily.

First Profession of Vows

Mother Ann Marie greets the newly professed Sisters after they have processed out of the Cathedral.