December 8th — afternoon (Probably threeish) I will make my life profession at St. Bartholomew's Church in NYC. More details will be vouchsafed.
It's especially fitting that this ceremony will take place at St. Bart's: when I moved to New York from Jacksonville, Florida, St. Bart's was the parish I joined. It was where I pushed my comfort zone off the map by volunteering in their homeless shelter, where I finally said "Yes, I'll do Cursillo", which led to my volunteering at the breakfast feeding program. It was where Sr. Mary Lois, OHC, was life professed in a public ceremony I attended... and realized (duh) for the first time, that women actually choose this life, it's not foisted on them as an also-ran. (You know what I mean... you can't be a doctor so you'll be a nurse, you can't be a priest, so you'll be a nun.) As a post WWII baby, that mentality still sticks with me, even though I have been one of the ones to break the mold.
I still volunteer at St. Bart's on Thursdays, and they were gracious enough to extend the offer. It's a beautiful place, a big place, so everyone who wants to come, can fit.
Second of all: My friend pat sent this cute cartoon:
Recently we had someone staying with us who is exploring whether (or not) she might have a vocation, and whether (or not) this is the community to test that call. I never thought I had a vocation. But I definitely felt led to this community. One of my first dreams after moving in was of hearing a commotion in our back garden... my ex-husband had rented a backhoe and was trying to dig through the building to "rescue " me.
Since then I've had a number of dreams, and he and I have had a number of discussions about the future... whether there would be a future described as "ours" or if mine would be here. God has made it clear on so many levels that this is it.
So... against all odds, that's what I'm doing on the 8th of December. If you're free that afternoon, you're invited.
5 comments:
Congratulations Sister. All the best, Luke.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Jim Elliot
Congratulations! Of course, there will be pictures, right????
Blessings,
Judy
Congratulations! My thoughts will be with you. I remember being in NYC in December for my sisters life profession. Cold. Very cold for a Texas girl. Hope the day is as lovely and wonderful as you are.
Wahoo! I have loved reading your blog and being able to "listen in" on your discernment process. Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations on getting the date and location set. It will be interesting to see if your dreams get weirder as you approach the date...
I am so happy for you and will be there for sure. I can't help but think back on that infamous cup of coffee in Starbuck's. You really did all the hard work to make this decision. I hope you you now enjoy the peace of it all. Love you...and love Pat's cartoon!
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