Life at Visitation Monastery

No one ever really knows what lies ahead - but, at this point, I have been accepted to Visitation Monastery's Monastic Immersion Experience, for a six month stay with them. I don't know exactly when I will begin or end my stay there. I do know that it will not be a permanent stay. After that - another adventure - but one that still remains a little cloudy and uncertain for me.

I asked them once: what do I not know about you that makes you what you are?

I have asked myself why I am so desiring to make this stay with the Visitation sisters. There is something in their life that draws me powerfully: the way they live that "peaceful presence," in the neighborhood; their gentle Salesian spirituality; the quiet and peace of their house; the rhythm of monastic prayer that undergirds each day. There is something for me there that I have long desired without even knowing it.

Two young women stopped by one
afternoon. They grew up in the
neighborhood - and they wanted to
show off their babies to the sisters.

They used to come play at the monastery
when they were children - whenever
the windsock was flying from the front porch.

  If I were younger, I'd apply for admission there and commit the rest of my life to carrying on what they have begun there - but it's younger women that are needed for that. It's a wonderful way to live the gospel. It makes me feel young just to be there and to be part of each day's activities. The pulse of life there is so strong, so vital, so full of the presence of God in the lives of ordinary people in the neighborhood. And there are so many wonderful people who share in their work. 

An Evening at Jane House - Leadership Training

I spent a wonderful evening at a training session at Jane House where folks from the neighborhood are learning ways to combine leadership skills with that beautiful Salesian spirituality. People are being empowered to bring gospel values and behavior to the streets and homes of N. Minneapolis

The evening begins with a shared meal prepared by some of the participants.

And then there is prayer and sharing from life experiences - and application of the teaching of St. Frances de Sales to the practical realities of life in N. Minneapolis.

I want to learn from them - the sisters and their neighbors - how to live that way - wherever I am.