Archive for October, 2011
Life of English Cloistered Nuns Captured on Video
A former fashion and beauty photographer has released a 90-minute documentary on the life of Benedictine contemplatives.
“Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo” brings viewers within the cloisters of the order’s nine monasteries, starting with the motherhouse in England, and ranging through Oceania and South America.
The order was established in 1903 near Marble Arch, London. It is thus at the site where dozens of English martyrs were killed during the Protestant Reformation.
Michael Luke Davies created the work. He and Mother Xavier McMonagle, the mother-general of the Tyburn Nuns, presented the documentary last Thursday.
“I was moved to tears many times by the beauty of what I was filming,” Davies said. “For me, it exceeded my expectations of what I could film. It was an incredible experience I shall never forget for the rest of my life. The things I have seen and the moments I have shared with these beautiful religious people I will keep with me forever.”
The Tyburn Nuns, Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre are an order of cloistered contemplative Benedictine nuns. The aim of the congregation is to glorify the Most Blessed Trinity, finding practical expression in daily Mass, the choral celebration of the Divine Office, perpetual adoration, and in daily prayer for the Holy Father, the Church, the country and for the entire human family.
Read entire story on Zenit.org
To request copies of the “Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo,” contact Mother Hildegarde by sending an email to admin@tyburnconvent.org.uk, or order online through the website of the Tyburn Nuns.
Two Jubilees and Funeral Mark the Year for Poor Clares of Rockford, IL
For the Poor Clare Colettine Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, IL, this year has been one of experiencing the words of St. Clare: “Great is the grace of our vocation.” The community witnessed the arrival of a postulant, the celebration of a Silver (25 years) and a Golden (50 years) Jubilarian, and the death of another sister.
The entrance of a postulant, which this year occurred on June 12, vividly reminds each sister of the beginning of her own Poor Clare journey. Then, when a sister makes her solemn profession, part of her formula of vows is, “during the whole time of my life.”
A nun celebrating her Jubilee years rejoices to proclaim her thanksgiving for the call of Jesus, a thanksgiving which echoes in the hearts of each and every sister. This year, one sister celebrated her golden jubilee of 50 years, on May 11, and another her silver, of 25 years, on June 19.
Finally, the gaze turns toward the final journey, a journey which this year, on March 16, included military honors for one sister, a veteran who served in the U.S. Army before entering. The promise of “during the whole time of my life” blossomed for her into eternal life!
Read more on the website of the Poor Clares Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery.