Winter Newsletter...finally

We had some challenges this time, but here it is!

Enjoy reading and as always if you are interested in receiving the print version, let us know!

Lenten Reflection Alert!

Our chaplain, Fr. Marcos Ramos, OP, has a Lenten reflection up on the southern Dominican province website. It's very good so we hope you will check it out, here.

Yes, it's been a while since we've posted...things have been really busy, but we hope to post more soon!

Mary: Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick

Mary is called "health of the sick" and in one way or another we are all sick. We have all been "infected" by sin in our lives, and we have become confused about what is truly good, beautiful, and desirable. During this Lenten season let us ask Mary to help us, to encourage us as we try to discern what God is asking of us. God wants most of all for us to be happy, but as any parent (including Mary) knows, children do not usually understand what will make them truly happy. We tend to see everything from a limited perspective, and we grab at transitory things that can never really satisfy. May we turn to Jesus through Mary in our prayers, asking for the understanding we need to accept God's good gifts and to follow His paths so that we may be "reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him in the next."  Mary, health of the sick, pray for us. 

Lent!

Is it Lent already? It is. Actually, some of us are kind of excited about it. Because it's not just a time to give things up; it's a time to get closer to God. It's a time to remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, so a lot of the things we really get hung up about aren't that big a deal. It's a time to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel, which when you think about it, is a wonderfully happy and exciting thing to do. 

In the coming weeks we hope, with God's help (and an assist from the Blessed Mother) to bring you some meditations on Mary. Some of us have been doing a lot of thinking about Mary thanks to the class we are still taking from our chaplain, Fr. Marcos Ramos, OP. As we are led into contemplation of Mary and her role in our salvation history, we hope to pass on to you the fruits of our contemplation. So please keep checking back, and pray for us during this Lenten season. You'll be in our prayers as well. 

Sr. Bernadette Marie's Solemn Profession

It's a little long in coming, but we do have a few scenes from Sr. Bernadette Marie's solemn profession, which took place on January 30! It was a beautiful Mass, celebrated by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland (our bishop of Tyler, TX) and concelebrated by a host of other priests, including Sr. Bernadette Marie's older brother, Fr. Joe Torres, OMI. 

Sr. Bernadette Marie in chapel during the Mass

After the Mass, Sr. Bernadette Marie exchanged the kiss of peace with the community. Here she is hugging Sr. Marie Augustine

Mass was followed by a delicious meal in our refectory, then a visit with Sister's family and many of the clergy in the Gate Parlor.