Journal | Brooklyn Visitation Monastery

Our Journey Toward God

Posted on September 29, 2012 by the Sisters

Our New Postulant

At the Postulancy Ceremony of Sister Mary Louise on the anniversary of our Foundation Day, September 24^th, our Mother Mary Pauline spoke of perseverance before gently placing the postulant’s veil upon Sister’s head. Many emotions, not the least of which was joy, rushed through my mind and seemed reflected in the face of our new dear Sister. The journey that God maps out for each of us is unique and surely is one that puts us “to the test” in our faith, our hope, and our love of Christ. Our journey toward God begins in our heart…the more we hand our hearts over to Him, the more he changes our life into what he designed it to be. Amen to that! Sister Mary Louise has made an offering to Our Lord this day, a gift of her life, pleasing in His sight as His own design would have it.

As I observed Sr. Mary Louise bend her head slightly to allow the veil to be placed, the first act of humility before the whole community (knowing it was the same veil that I too wore during my postulancy…), I could not help but pray immediately for continued perseverance for her and for God’s grace to fill her soul. May she be blessed in this community by drawing strength from God. He calls us to love and serve God and each other…and He waits for our “yes” like Our Lady. After all, Our Blessed Mother Mary is the perfect example of perseverance and our role model here at the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.

Our monastery wall in the choir says “Nothing can disturb a soul who wants what God wants”. May this be a daily reminder to Sr. Mary Louise as she humbly resolves a “yes” within her heart each and every day. Nothing can disturb a soul who wants what God wants…His will for us is an invitation to joy and is extended to all those who discern God’s calling and wish to please Him. God be praised!

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Clothing Ourselves in Jesus

Posted on August 28, 2012 by the Sisters

Our Newest Novice!

On the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, our Postulant, Sr. Synthia, began her Novitiate to follow Jesus in the spirit and charism of our Holy Founders. During the Ceremony, she received our Holy Habit, Veil and Constitutions ~ all of which will help support her on the path of becoming more like Jesus, under the gentle guidance of St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sister Ana Maria, our newly first-professed sister, commented that receiving the white Veil, “which is such a special and beautiful part of our Holy Habit,” meant so much to her. And she recalled that at that moment she prayed earnestly to Jesus and Mary to help her “Live Jesus” and her vocation more deeply and profoundly. And our Holy Habit and Veil can help us to do just that! Clothing ourselves in our Veil every day can remind us to clothe ourselves with the “mind of Christ … the helmet of salvation” ~ asking Our Lady to help direct all of our thoughts to Jesus in order that they may be transformed into His thoughts. Our Habit can become the “breastplate of integrity” with which we ask Our Lord to free our hearts from all that is not of Him and to grant us His love, gentleness, and stillness of heart. As we put on our Visitation Medal, we can kiss it and ask our Blessed Mother to help us bring Jesus to everyone with whom we will ‘visit’ with our acts of charity during the day. Thus, under our Blessed Mother’s tender care and the assistance of our Holy Founders, all of our daily actions can become supernaturalized …… and, with our gazes continually turning towards our Beloved, can remind us of our ultimate destiny: our heavenly homeland.

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When Infinite Love Claims Our Hearts

Posted on August 1, 2012 by the Sisters

A Joyful Gift to the Lord

On July 26th, the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, our Sister Ana Maria professed her First Vows within the celebration of the Holy Mass. As the Celebrant reminded us, through these three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience ~ and her life as a contemplative, cloistered nun ~ Sister Ana Maria will be everywhere without ever leaving the Monastery. Staying in Brooklyn, she will be helping the entire world through her prayers and sacrifices; reaching out to the suffering, the poor, the lonely, and the sick. In living her holy vows, she gives everything to God, Who has given everything to her, and she commits herself to walking the royal road of the Evangelical Counsels ~ and to living the Visitandine charism of profound humility before God and great gentleness toward our neighbor. During the Profession Ceremony, Sr. Ana Maria received the black veil of a Professed Sister, showing that she is totally given to Christ Our Lord and dedicated to the service of the Church; she received the Cross of our Order as a seal on her heart so that she may be crucified to the world with Jesus, her Spouse; she received our Holy Constitutions, which will nourish her spirit and heart; and she received her new name, Sister Ana Maria. Infinite Love has given Himself to Sister Ana Maria; and in professing her Vows, she has responded to Him, humbly and with gratitude, and has allowed Him to make a unique, total, and exclusive claim on her heart. Rejoice with us as we rejoice with our Triune God, our Blessed Mother, our holy founders, Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal, and all the Heavenly Hosts in this gift of her life to Our Lord!

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Mirroring the Trinity: A Gift of Self

Posted on May 16, 2012 by the Sisters

Our Newest Solemnly Professed Sister

On May 13th, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and Mother’s Day, Sister Gail Trinité professed her Solemn vows in the hands of our Superior in our Sacred Heart Chapel. We would like to share a reflection from Sr. Synthia, our Postulant, as she witnessed Sister Gail Trinité’s gift of her whole self to God and to His Church:

“At the solemn profession of Sister Gail Trinité, the Priest Homilist said, ‘Every time we’re humble, that is the martyrdom of love.’ From the space of my little pew, I saw a martyrdom of love. And I see it every day in Sister Gail Trinité’s actions with others. I am only a Postulant here, so I am learning from those around me every single day, and I have so much to learn! Daily I watch Sister Gail Trinité respond with a resounding yes that mirrors Our Lady’s yes. The Solemn vows that Sister Gail spoke repeatedly included ‘Yes, I am so resolved’ in giving herself, her life, over to God in loving, humble, gentle service. Nowhere in the vows was it spoken of as easy. Nowhere in the vows was it spoken of exactly what she would do for God and neighbor, unending service to God and to others in docility to the Holy Spirit, to live for God alone, persevering in prayer, humble work, and willing penance…in faithful obedience to her Superiors and loving devotion to all her Sisters. Yes, I am so resolved. As I watched her proclaim her rock-solid faith to Our Lord, I was drawn to her humility, that she would next lay prostrate, humbling herself before God and before everyone present. It brought to mind the Pieta…Christ laying in His Blessed Mother’s arms…letting God’s Will become all. Sister Gail Trinité laid down her life…letting God’s Will become all. The late Father John A. Hardon, S.J. wrote of the Pieta and said ‘Mary, bending herself humbly over that Sacred Heart, freshly wounded, that provides a divine contact of overflowing love for God and for man. Mary receives the strength to say her Magnificat again, an act which puts the crown of perfection on her virtues.’ I pray that Sister Gail Trinité will forever receive her strength from God and forever give her ‘Yes, I am so resolved’ to Him, that His glory may shine in the crown of her own perfection of virtues. She prayed for all of the Sisters while under the pall…even there, face down and prostrate on the floor, she was taking care of others first.”

Posted in Easter, Monastery Events, Monastery News | 4 Comments

Hearing His Voice

Posted on April 26, 2012 by the Sisters

When We Hear the Voice of Our Beloved

How often do we search for God with the same perseverance as St. Mary Magdalene? She accompanied the Blessed Virgin throughout the Passion of Our Lord and was a witness to all the sorrowful events of that day. She was at the Foot of His Cross during His Crucifixion and Death. And when she visited the Tomb early on that first Easter morning, she stayed there, weeping, not permitting herself to rest or be diverted from finding His Body. She was so caught up in this desire that even the sight of angels could not distract her from seeking the One Whom her heart desired. Instead, amidst her anguish and pain, she turned to someone she believed to be the gardener and begged him to help her.

And when He pronounced her name, she recognized him as Jesus. Immediately, her sorrow turned to joy, her pain to delight, her grief to jubilation ~ and she cast herself at His Feet. At that moment, with her cheeks still wet with tears, did she remember the last time she wept at His Feet? Did she recall that banquet in which she humbly walked through the crowd that scorned her to approach Jesus ~ at which point she paid Him homage, bathed His Feet with her tears and wiped them dry with her hair?

Did she remember that last gathering, after Lazarus was raised from the dead, when she poured a vase of fragrant oil over Jesus, anointing Him for His burial? She withheld nothing from this act of love and devotion, emptying the entire vase of its precious contents. That beautiful gesture symbolized her own self-donation: in her repentance and conversion, she emptied herself completely for love of Him. And now, Jesus rewards her persistence and faithfulness, calling her tenderly and shining His Face upon her.

The Risen Jesus calls us by name, as well, to give us joy and consolation in our lives. He calls us in the situations presented to us, in the people He places on our paths, and, of course, in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. And He calls us to be like St. Mary Magdalene: willingly emptying ourselves for love of Him so that He can fill us with Himself. Speaking to Sr. Benigna Consolata, one of the mystics of our Order (1885-1916), Jesus said, “The measure of thy mortification will be the measure of thy capacity for receiving graces. … When I find a heart that receives My graces, I inundate her with them. My Benigna, with mortification thou whilt give me empty vases, which I will fill with oil; the more thou wilt give me, the more I will fill them.”

He is truly alive ~ and His Resurrected Life is not merely a philosophy or set of teachings about how to live. It is a Life that enlightens, that heals, that transforms us. Let us, like St. Mary Magdalene, persist in seeking our Lord despite any difficulties or setbacks. Let us work at becoming empty vases that Jesus can fill with His fragrant oil of grace, of joy, of adoration. And let us visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament with love-filled hearts and praise on our lips.

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A Lenten Journey

Posted on March 13, 2012 by the Sisters

Forgive them, Father...

In his Lenten sermons of 1622, our wise Founder and Doctor of the Church, St. Francis de Sales, reminds us that God created us in His image and likeness. Therefore, he tells us, we ought to love and honor God’s image in everyone, even our enemies, as God has commanded us. He goes on further by stating, “For really nothing is lovable in us which is of us, since not only does it not enhance this divine image and likeness, but it actually disfigures, defiles, and stains it so that we are scarcely recognizable.” And yesterday’s first Mass Reading (from 2 Kgs 5:1-15) gives us a classic example of how “stained” we can be. Upon receiving a letter from the king of Aram, which expresses clearly the reason Naaman has come to his country, the king of Israel completely misinterprets the letter. Even in the face of the facts ~ Naaman’s arrival with a peaceful retinue ~ the king fabricates his own tale of what’s occurring, ascribing malicious motives to the king of Aram. The text asserts that Naaman is a valiant man who is disfigured exteriorly from his Leprosy, hence, his trip to Israel to be cured. Yet the harsh and false judgment of Israel’s king manifests his own interior disfigurement.

Alas, such is the human condition: we can be so quick to attribute negative or spiteful motives to the behaviors of people with whom we live or work, forgetting that they carry the precious image of God within them. We have all had that happen to us, and we know how painful that can be. After all, how often has anybody ever been correct when they’ve imputed harsh intentions to our actions?

In these last few weeks of Lent, let us work on being more gentle in our thoughts towards one another. Let us ascribe the best interpretation we can on the deeds of those with whom we work and live. And while God has given us the intellect to judge actions, we can never judge a person’s motivations. So if we see an action that is purely evil in and of itself, let us turn to God and utter our Savior’s words on the Cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

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A Most Blessed Feast Day!!!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by the Sisters

St. Francis de Sales Giving Our Constitutions to St. Jane de Chantal and Our First Sisters

On the Feast of our holy Founder, St. Francis de Sales, we give thanks to God for the tremendous gift He has given us in our beloved Father and Doctor of the Church. Through his great wisdom, humility, and charity, he guides us along the path of our monastic calling to great intimacy with God. We remember you, our friends and family, in our prayers and offerings as we pray:

O glorious St. Francis de Sales, model of the interior life and full of zeal for the salvation of souls, obtain for us the grace to use all our faculties, not only for our own salvation, but also for that of our neighbor, that continually spreading abroad the sweet odor of Jesus Christ by our prayers, words, and works, we may obtain with you the blessedness promised to the merciful, and that we may one day have a share in the glory which you enjoy in Paradise with the angels and the saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Christmas in the Cloister

Posted on December 26, 2011 by the Sisters

Glory to Our Newborn King!

The Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary wish you a most Blessed and Joy-Filled Christmas Season! We continue to hold all of you, and the needs of our world, in our prayers and offerings ~ especially during our Christmas Novena, which we pray nightly at our Creche.

During this most Blessed Season, our Infant King has given us the gift of a new Postulant, whom we received into our Community on the Solemnity of the Mother of God, January 1, 2012. God be praised!

Our Newest Postulant!

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Seasonal Reminders

Posted on November 29, 2011 by the Sisters

God's Colorful Artistry

As Autumn descends upon us, those of us in the Midwest and East enjoy watching God’s glorious symphony of color. The leaves on our deciduous trees have burst into vivid shades of yellow, orange, and red before turning brown and cascading to the ground. As branch after branch sheds its leaves, oftentimes there will be one single leaf still clinging, refusing to let go, even as it flutters in the crisp breeze. These beautiful seasons can be a reminder that our spiritual lives, too, can have ‘seasons’. Each day, for that matter, can bring with it an entire year of ‘seasons’, through which God can fashion ~ or rather, refashion ~ us. Like these trees, full of green leaves in the Spring and Summer, the minute we are confronted with what feels like a sudden change of temperature around us, a bright yellow passion can quickly stem from within, turning into a brilliant orange and then fiery red. And as St. Francis de Sales tells us, if we do not quickly look at Jesus in these moments and ask Him for help, our passions can burst into a monumental firework display. But if we turn to Him promptly and focus our attention on Him, and not on our thoughts or feelings, His calming Love will flow into our hearts, and He will help us respond in love or remain silent, even while the “inferior part of our soul” flares within us. Only over time ~ with habitual effort, grace, and perseverance ~ will each passion, each leaf, detach from the branch of our self-love and fall to the ground. This divesting of self-love can leave us feeling exposed and vulnerable; but if we wait in the silence and stillness of winter, even if that winter lasts but a few hours, we will eventually feel the tender rays of the Sun again and, with it, a rebirth arising until one day, we will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit, still green, proclaiming that The Lord is upright. (Ps 92)

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St. Francis de Sales ~ a Radical Saint!!!

Posted on September 27, 2011 by the Sisters

Our Holy Founder, St Francis de Sales

When thinking about the saints who lived our Catholic faith most radically, many people immediately think of St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, or St. Anthony of Egypt ~ saints known for their great asceticism. But St. Francis de Sales, he is much more known as the saint of meekness, gentleness, and humility.

St. Francis de Sales lived a life of great asceticism and poverty, but his emphasis was primarily on the interior rather than the exterior. He focused mainly on a TOTAL renunciation of self, in loving trust and surrender to God’s Will and Good Pleasure. This interior asceticism, over time, strips away from a soul its own will, desires, and, of course, self-seeking. However, this self-abandonment is to be done in a gentle, humble, and meek way in keeping with His motto, “Ask for nothing, refuse nothing, desire nothing.” To St. Francis de Sales, a Visitandine is the “Will of God in her.” Rest assured that this utter surrender to God is not a form of Quietism or Passivism. Our will and intention are, indeed, engaged ~ on God, Others, and His expressive Will.

Above all, St. Francis de Sales wants us to be contemplatives, women of deep prayer. His writings explain clearly that we are to live our horarium faithfully and plan our day’s work. But, when God intervenes throughout the course of our day ~ through our superiors, the unforeseen events that occur, and the annoyances that inevitably crop up while living and working in community ~ we lift our eyes, hearts, minds, and wills to God and say, as Our Lady did, “Fiat; your Will be done.” As easy as it sounds, it is very difficult, and it takes most of us our entire lives to yield our wills and fully embrace God’s Will, especially His Permissive Will.

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