Today, June 24, is the first anniversary of the dedication of Saint Dominic's Monastery new monastery in Linden, Virginia.
What an amazing year!
This summer four young women will enter the Monastery as postulants. As
envisioned, the Monastery is acting as a magnet attracting young women to
devote their lives to God. The life follows the traditional form of Second Order Dominican nuns with the night Office, the grill, silence, sacrifice and prayer. The nuns rarely leave the cloister and are completely focussed on Christ.
I would like to encourage everyone to send Sister Mary Paul (the prioress) and the nuns at Saint Dominic's Monastery an anniversary card and, if possible, to include an anniversary gift - a check to support the formation of their new members.
Cards can be mailed to:
Sister Mary Paul, O.P.
Saint Dominic's Monastery
2636 Monastery Road
Linden, VA 22642
My friends Fathers Gabriel and Jordan as well as the laywoman Julie tell me the life of the monastery is going extremely well and the need for assistance is also great. So, I think the life of these Dominican nuns is VERY worth a sacrificial gift. Don't you?
Congratulations to the Nuns on their first anniversary in their new home and their commitment to an authentic life and ministry of worship, prayer, and witness to the centrality of God in human life.
I looked through the pictures and they have achieved an "austere attractiveness" in the monastery that is very appealing. I am sure they will be very excited when the can complete the proposed, permanent chapel and be out of the temporary one with the drop ceiling... I know I look forward to when we can replace our drop ceiling with a more attractive and acoustically useful vaulted ceiling! At least they have "choir" seating, which we do not yet have.
It remains a great encouragement, even to me as an Orthodox monk, to see signs of sanity and balance returning to Roman Catholic monastic life. So, thank you for posting this!