But what about ourselves? What fruit has this year reaped? It has become a time of renewal, of reexamining our life, and of trying to be ever more faithful to our call as Dominican Nuns. Some concrete steps already taken include using more Latin at our Liturgy, and keeping the curtains at our Choir windows closed during our singing of the Divine Office, in order to better preserve our prayerfulness and recollection. But the biggest change so far is in the way we look! For on December 18, 2007, the feast of Our Lady’s Expectation in the old liturgical calendar, a feast especially dear to our foundress, Mother Mary Hyacinth, we went from a modified veil back to a traditional one. It was a day of joy and excitement, and of learning how to tie and tug things here and there!
Ah, the Ratzinger Effect in action.
Where were you ladies when I was looking around for monasteries, huh? I was thinking Dominican cloistered too, but none of them seemed likely to "re-examine" the effects of Novusordoism in the R. Life.
You just needed to look here (and to be willing to get up at 3:45 for an hour of Latin):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln1uMWZqo8k
(Some of us were cloistered enough to miss out on the Spirit of Merton.)
Wow! Happy day!!
ReplyDeleteBr. Stephen,
ReplyDeleteYes, the Prairie du Sac nuns have long been a source of v. pleasant nungazing. But it was not long into my search that I realised it would be impossible for me to enter a community that had rejected the traditional Mass. All else is mere trappings, including "more Latin in our Liturgy" and traditional habits. Novusordoism, as I have said a hundred times, is not Catholicism.
But these little signs are certainly indications that things are swinging back to normal and there seems to be great hope, at least in the contemplative orders as well as a few active ones, that the Faith will be restored along with the true liturgy. Truth is stronger than lies and when one is seeking the truth, it's impossible not to find it eventually, and I have every confidence that there are lots of nuns out there in nunland who are deliberately seeking that truth.
I cite for example, the Franciscans of the Immaculate who have recently moved to adopt the traditional liturgical rites of the western Church.
Things are getting better. Too bad it was too late for me.
It's too bad, btw, that you don't have comments on your blog, which looks like a nice place. Are you in Rome?
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm very much in Wisconsin, where the wind chill was -6 yesterday morning.
ReplyDeleteI certainly understand your feelings about the old rite but, as you said, things are getting better out there and I can attest that the eight juniors at Valley of Our Lady are delightfully retrograde.
Thanks for the compliment on the blog. I have comments disabled because cloistered monks probably shouldn't be arguing with people in comboxes and I just can't keep myself from touching the stove.
I have been cheering on your crusade against those who have had their consciousness raised above their intelligence for many years. Deus vult! (See why I have comments disabled?)