Archive for July, 2010
Pope Benedict Visits A Convent of Cloistered Dominican Nuns
(July 28th, 2010)
Recently Benedict XVI visited cloistered nuns at the Dominican convent of Santa Maria del Rosario in Italy where he said recited the Liturgy of the Hours. During his address to the community, the Holy Father reminded them that “by this collective prayer that finds its culmination in the daily participation in the Mass, your dedication to the Lord in silence and obscurity is fertile and rich in fruits.” Afterward the Pope told them that their life of prayer and work is very important for the Church. View video.
Cloistered, Contemplative, Called By God: An Inside Look at Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration
(July 20th, 2010)
A simple glimpse into the daily life of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. This video provides a portal into the hidden life of the “enclosed garden” of the cloistered life filled with prayer and penance, solitude and silence. The nuns spend the day in interior recollection striving to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking within their soul.
A joyful, informative and inspirational inside look at lives totally dedicated to Christ Jesus, their Beloved Spouse. View video.
A Life of Holiness: Carmelite Monks of Wyoming
(July 15th, 2010)
This video is an explanation of the contemplative life of monks made by the Carmelite Monks located in Wyoming. The monks live a life of prayer, solitude, penance, and strict separation from the world. Their lives are completely dedicated to interceding for the Church and the world. St. Thérèse proclaimed the Carmelite vocation as being “love in the heart of the Church.” As the heart circulates blood throughout the whole body, so the Carmelite is called to circulate grace throughout the Church. View video.
Pro Orantibus Day (For Those Who Pray) — Nov. 21
(July 10th, 2010)
Pro Orantibus Day Recalls Cloistered Communities as the “Heart” of the Church
Chicago, IL — Catholics throughout the world are encouraged to honor the cloistered and monastic life on Pro Orantibus Day, which is Monday, Nov. 21, 2011.
“The primary purpose of Pro Orantibus Day (“For Those Who Pray”) is to thank God for the tremendous gift of the cloistered and monastic vocation in the Church’s life,” noted Fr. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem., National Director of the Institute on Religious Life. “Since the lives of these women and men religious dedicated to prayer and sacrifice is often hidden, this annual celebration reminds us of the need to support their unique mission within the Body of Christ,” he added.
In 1997 Bl. Pope John Paul II asked that this ecclesial event be observed worldwide on November 21, the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Presentation in the Temple. It is a special day to thank those in the cloistered and monastic life for serving as “a leaven of renewal and of the presence of the spirit of Christ in the world.” It is also intended to remind others of the need to provide spiritual and material support “for those who pray.”
Pope Benedict XVI has spoken often of the tremendous value of the cloistered, contemplative life. Speaking to a group of cloistered Dominican nuns in Rome, the Holy Father referred to such religious as “the heart” which provides blood to the rest of the Body of Christ. He noted that in their work and prayer, together with Christ, they are the “heart” of the Church and in their desire for God’s love they approach the ultimate goal.
The nationwide effort to publicize Pro Orantibus Day is coordinated by the Institute on Religious Life, a national organization based in Chicago.
For instruction and aids to celebrate the day please see our FREE resources.
For Me to Live is Christ: Dominican Nuns of Our Lady of the Rosary Summit, New Jersey
(July 7th, 2010)
A short musical video consisting of heavenly song and still images provides a peek into the Dominican cloistered life. By their hidden lives of prayer and contemplation, these nuns of the Order of Preachers loudly proclaim that they indeed are “Free for God Alone”! View video.
Oldest Building in Western World Is Former Cistercian Monastery
(July 1st, 2010)
Did you know that the alleged oldest building in the Western Hemisphere dates from 1133 A.D., and is located in Miami? The Spanish Monastery Cloisters were first erected in Segovia, Spain as a Cistercian monastery. Centuries later, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased and brought them to America in pieces. The carefully numbered stones were quarantined for years until they were finally reassembled on the present site in 1954.
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