.. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 

"Peace be with you.... As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 

"Receive the Holy Spirit."

John 20:19b, 21b-22

Happy Pentecost!
Grace and peace, love and joy to you on this great feast of the Holy Spirit!

As far back as I can remember, I've had a special affinity for the Holy Spirit. My prayer has often been directed to the Spirit. I pray for the Spirit's guidance and wisdom, for strength and right-judgement. I pray that others may be open to the Spirit. And I have a strong sense of when the Spirit is active in my life.

This weekend has been one of those weekends during which I have been keenly aware of the work of the Spirit. Yesterday one of our Brothers professed his first vows in the Society of Mary (the Marianists Brothers and Priests). Celebrating someone's vowed commitment is always a joy-filled occasion. Yet, this entire weekend has been permeated with a certain spirit both tangible and difficult to describe.

As I consider why this might be true, several things come to mind...

First, because our newest temporary professed brother is originally from a city not far from here and he graduated from the University of Dayton not that long ago, the celebrations this weekend have been filled with the laughter and conversations of many of his friends and family. I had the greatest conversation last night with some of his younger cousins at the Novitiate... dozens of fairly recent UD grads were present, adding to the vibrancy of the celebration.

Second, the homily given by the Director of Novices was very well balanced between humor and sincerity. He told wonderful stories about our brother and also made a beautiful connection between the profession of vows and the Feast of Pentecost. It was simply beautiful.

Personally speaking, it was very good to be surrounded by so many people who are important in my life. Anytime the Marianist Family gathers it is a moment of great grace for me. I was constantly reminded this weekend of how truly blessed my life is that I share it with the Marianist Family.

The Mass was held at Queen of Apostles Chapel on the property of Mount Saint John - down the hill from the Novitiate. The Chapel is build in a completely circular fashion with fantastic acoustics. There were more than 200 people gathered in that Chapel - all of them fully participating in the Mass with their enthusiastic responses and full-voiced singing. That combined with the fact of the brass quartet, cello, violin, and flute... AWESOME. How could a person not be aware of the Spirit's presence there?

I cannot let this blog go by without mentioning the wonderful spirit of the Brother who professed. He is truly a Marianist Brother in every sense of the word. I consider it a great blessing to know him, to have worked with him when he was a student at UD and to have been a small part of his discernment journey. The Marianist Family is richer for his presence.

Finally, it cannot be ignored that this celebration of vows was on Pentecost weekend. I realize that the Holy Spirit is always present and active in our lives and in our world. However, I also believe that there is a special grace associate with the Spirit on this particular feast. It was evident in every way this weekend.

Yesterday, during the sign of peace, one of our Sisters says to me, "You're next," referring to my final vows on August 3. This is a perfect weekend to begin praying that the Spirit might bless and guide the final stages of this part of my journey.

Blessings of great peace and joy to all who read this!
Sr. N

Habemus Papam! - Habemus monialis!

We have a Pope! - We have a nun!

What a day today has been! 3-13-13... It has been a very moving day, actually.

This morning, while my students were working on proposals for their group semester project, I was typing an e-mail. I noticed that an e-mail came in. Being the curious person I am, I made sure the draft was saved and went to my inbox. I had received an e-mail from our Superior General, Sr. Franca, in Rome. The subject line? "Good news." I knew what it was immediately.

It is difficult for me to describe the emotions I felt as I read that I have been accepted for Perpetual Vows as a Daughter of Mary Immaculate. The Sisters have said yes to my humble request to remain a Marianist Sister for the rest of my life. Wow. Just typing that is exciting and makes me smile. I think the best way to describe how I felt was joy. Plain and simple. No more hypothetically speaking... no more "if I am approved..." That's fantastic. :)

Then, while meeting with 2 coworkers in the library, another co-worker who had CNN.com open on her laptop turns to tell us, "White smoke... we have a Pope." Thankfully, I didn't have a class during the last period of the day. So I spent the next hour staring at my computer screen with yet another co-worker waiting for the announcement. In fact, I'm not sure many people at school who were not actually in class got any work done during the last period of the day. In our office, everyone's live feed kept freezing (rebuffering? rebuffeting?). It was exciting and nerve wracking. The hour seemed to pass very slowly.

Then... there was a shadow... a movement behind the white curtains on the balcony. Here it comes. The news feed all of us were watching, NBCnews.com, was odd. The translator said, "We have a Pope." Then there was silence. After the silence, he heard that his name would be "Francesco." Who was it? What's the name? What did they say? Then, we saw his picture and his name. An Argentinian none of us had ever heard of. He had not been in any of the lists of Papabili I had seen. After his comments, prayer and blessing, I Googled him (of course!). I wanted to know something about our new Pope.

I didn't do any in depth reading, but what I did read was edifying.

Our Sr. Laura said it well on her recent Facebook update: As Cardinal, Bergoglio became known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle has contributed to his reputation for humility. He lives in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop's residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation, and he reportedly cooks his own meals.

This was backed up by everything I read. He was an Archbishop "of the people." Someone who traveled to the parishes to get to know the people he served. He was pastoral and concerned about the poor of his country. Our Sisters in Argentina have met him and have been in meetings with him. Their sentiments are positive. To sum it up, "Bergoglio is known for a simple lifestyle and for dedication to social justice."

This disposition was evident in his comments from the balcony. His prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. His request for the prayers of all of us... his comments about the journey all of us travel together... and his appeals to unity. Lastly, I read (again on Facebook) that he took a city bus tonight back to the hotel (not really sure that's true, but it fits what I've read).

Therefore, it makes sense that he would take the name of Francis after St. Francis of Assisi. Francis who loved poverty. Francis once said, "Poverty is the way to salvation, the nurse of humility, and the root of perfection. Its fruits are hidden, but they multiply themselves in infinite ways." Francis was also a man of peace and humility. And the one to whom God gave the mission of rebuilding the Church.

There is more that I can say. However, there are others who have said it better...
I got a phone call this afternoon from a friend in Rome who happened to be at St. Peter's for the announcement. I invite you to check out his blog: Bro. Bob's blog.

I leave you with Pope Francis' final words from the balcony, "Good night and sleep well."
Blessings to all who read this!
Sr. N