Thoughts on Why I should be a Dominican?

1. The Dominican way of life, the mixed life, is, St Thomas says, the way of life most similar to the life of Jesus and the Apostles.

2. The role of the Dominican Order is to save the Church in times of crisis and heresy. Such an Order is never more needed than now.

3. Being a Dominican Teaching Nun is putting a fence at the top of the cliff down which so many of our children fall. That is far better than picking people up at the bottom.

4. The religious life has always been the saving of the Church. Look at the Benedictines saving Europe by being pepper-potted among the ruins of the Empire. Now it’s our turn to be distributed through a crumbling civilization.

5. To save my own soul. As a Pope said, “Show me a Friar Preacher who has kept his rule perfectly and I will canonize him straight away”.

6. To save the souls of others by teaching a praying.

7. To extend the reign of Christ.

Talk for Parents’ Evening 23 October 2009.

My dear Parents,

Thank you for coming tonight. I want to talk a little about the ideas behind the subject-choices we are offering next year.



First, next year is a very important year in education in New Zealand. There will be a new education curriculum coming into force in 2010. Karen Sewell, Secretary of Education writes enthusiastically that it is “an outcomes-focused curriculum”. Now when I tell you that Karen Sewell is a lesbian and that she ruined Green Bay High in West Auckland by throwing out uniforms, morals and sensible teachers, you will be rightly suspicious of her enthusiasm for the new curriculum. We had one of her teachers come to us at St Dominic’s in Henderson, and this teacher said to me, “I do enjoy it here at St Dominic’s. You believe children can be bad!”

You would be right to suspect Karen Sewel as Secretary of Education and the Government that appointed her and the Government that is leaving her in office. What she is promoting is a type of education where it matters less what the child learns and more whether the child acquires the values the State wants it to have. For example the State wants our children to believe that nothing can be known in an objective way; that knowledge cannot be passed from those who know to those who do not know, and that the children have to make up knowledge from their experience.

This new curriculum has no prescription for what the children should know. It makes children dependent on groups to know anything and it makes children dependent on groups to continue to know anything. Thus what children know can never really be tested. (Where would we have been if Archbishop Lefebve had been educated like this?)
You can see why we can’t afford to enter the State system, through integration, attractive though the bribes are.



You can also see that our school is in danger because legally, in order to keep our registration we have to prove that we are reaching the same standard as the state schools. We must bear in mind that the government is aiming at a monopoly of curriculum and to force on all children a view of humanity that is not the Catholic view. We have to look at what we can pose against these major threats.

First we have the SSPX, both supervising and teaching in the school.
Then we have the Dominican nuns with educational roots that go back to 1206 and a good relationship with the Fanjeaux teaching Dominicans.
For the most part we are not getting our Sisters trained in State Teachers’ Colleges and we are watching over their education carefully so that we are really offering a Dominican education. What our constitutions call, “an education of characteristic Dominican quality”.



The principles of Dominican education:
1. Education is hierarchical and at the top of the hierarchy comes Catholic Doctrine and philosophy. This is why we are not willing to keep or retain in our school girls who are not practising the Faith or who ridicule the Faith in class or in the playground.
2. Other subjects follow behind Catholic Doctrine and they must be seen as part of the order of a Christian world, which we are trying to re-establish.
3. The education we offer is essentially feminine – not inferior to boys’ Education- but adapted to the feminine nature and vocation. Thus our school is more of a liberal arts school, because such subjects prepare women for their special vocation. Don’t get the idea that we don’t want girls to do higher study, but we would rather they do it here in our extramural programme than among the troubles and temptations of the University.

Now, why do we teach the subjects we do have, following in hierarchical order behind Catholic Doctrine and Philosophy?
Catholic Doctrine I have already mentioned. We are here to save souls and it is necessary that the girls have a good knowledge of their Faith. We are blessed, also, to have Fr Laisney teaching the senior girls a subject called “Apologetics” which contains a good deal of doctrine and philosophy.



But, following close behind Catholic Doctrine, we need to have Literature. In reading good literature we can see that in the world there is a coherent society which must be Christian if people are to be happy and to save their souls. The younger girls can see, for example, in reading Robert Bolt’s play “The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew” that it is necessary to restore Christian order in a society that has been broken down. Interestingly the hero, Sir Oblong Fitzoblong, begins by rebuilding the Church. By the time they reach Seventh Form the same girls are finding that a character like Steerforth, in “David Copperfield” is truly destructive because he is totally spoilt and selfish. They can also see that King Lear’s mismanagement of his Kingdom is a real betrayal of his duty and that this betrayal leads to trouble in the Kingdom. Of course Grammar and Spelling are important. We hope to teach them not only from the excellent grammar books we use but also by alerting the children to what good writers do in the carefully chosen texts they study.



Latin we teach even at a high level in our school, and we will continue to keep teaching it. Latin has influenced every other language in Europe and it is also the language of the Church by which she has been able to express exactly her theology and to offer her unchanging liturgy. Latin (and Greek when we have it) carries a treasure of culture and civilization and religion without which the children will grow up not knowing their own heritage. If the children want it we will offer AS level Latin; and we ask all to continue Ecclesiastical Latin twice a week after they have done their IGCSE. This ecclesiastical Latin gives them a knowledge of the Church’s vocabulary and of the great works of the early Fathers of the Church. Latin is also a great former of the mind – thinking skills.

Modern Languages come behind Latin. They give us access to the literature of other countries and also to the culture of other countries. In this age when French is the language of tradition we can hardly do without French.



We teach History and Classics because they help the children to understand the fabric of society and to realize that the more a nation is Christian in its structures, culture and power the more happiness and moderate prosperity will reign for all. Thus the children can verify the points taught in Catholic Doctrine class, just as they saw them in literature. They also learn about classical literature, art, architecture and people of the classical period.



Art History teaches them to appreciate beauty as a reflection of God’s beauty. It helps the children to distinguish between true art and false art and alerts them to the false philosophies behind inauthentic art.

We also teach Biology, which teaches the children that creatures made by God make up a Divine Order, about which the ultimate answers come not from Science but from Revelation.

Mathematics being an orderly subject teaches reasoning and helps modern youth who prefer to use tricks rather than their intelligence. They need to develop a logical mind and to give the answers and the steps that helped them to get there.

We teach Music, and will teach more of it as our resources develop. Music helps the children to understand the highest truths of the Faith through another means and, also, the harmony of all creation.

We also teach Geography to Form 4 level when the children sit their IGCSE. It teaches the children to appreciate God’s glory and order and also the dwelling place He has made for man.



A few words about Discipline and Atmosphere of the School.
I have first to say that we are very pleased with this year’s girls. They are a joy to be with and to teach. What we look for is good will, active co-operation and trust in the teacher. We expect that with your co-operation and ours this state of affairs will continue.We look for honesty among the children and the ability to take an increasing amount of responsibility for their education and their religious formation as they grow older. We suggest that you show a great and consistent interest in your children’s studies. There may be a few subjects where they get past your level of expertise but you can always follow Catholic Doctrine, English, History.

I’m against excessive homework myself, but children do need time to reflect on what they have learned in class, to assimilate it and thus to grow in maturity. They need, for homework,
• A regular after- school schedule.
• A quiet place to study.
• They also need their weekends organised in such a way that they get time
to do their weekend homework, and to rest and do healthy activities.
• Consistent attendance at school is also important. I realize that the pupil can be really sick at times, but there are some pupils who seem to stay home for little rests. It’s frustrating for the teachers who attend consistently themselves, always to be having to catch-up pupils whom we suspect of taking days off for little reason.



Before I finish, I would just like to mention that we are taking an initiative for next year that may interest you when your daughters reach Form 7. From next year we are setting up an extramural department for girls who want to study extramurally and yet have some support by staying on this campus. They will have a place to work, to plug in their computer, and tea and coffee making facilities. Some of the sisters, having done extra mural studies themselves, will be available to advise them.

I think that all of us, Priests, Nuns, Laystaff and Parents, working together can achieve great things in this little school. We need to because we’re not going to get any help from the New Zealand Curriculum and the aims of the New Zealand Government are quite different from ours. Let each of us take up our share of the task and work for the renewal of Society and Holy Church.

Mother’s Regrettable Jokes

Mother Micaela’s public speaking is, alas, dotted with jokes, when she sees the audience’s eyes take on a glassy look, from too much educational talk. Here are a few from her talk to parents:

About Classics/History – One Egyptian to another.
“You know that huge statue in the desert? It’s lost its nose.”
Second Egyptian, “Lost its nose! Then how does is smell?”
First Egyptian, “Smell! It Sphinx.”

About Music: The favourite musical instrument in England before the Norman Conquest was the Anglo-Saxophone.

Q. What would you like to be?
A A School Teacher.
Q. Are you crazy?
A . I wasn’t aware it was a qualification.

SCHOOL GARDENING / ORCHARD PROJECT

The girls have been doing a gardening module instead of P.E this term. It follows on from the gardening done by volunteers last term and our grounds are certainly looking lovely as a result of the girls efforts.



First each girl has seeds to grow. Pottles, seeds and potting mix were supplied by Sister M. Catherine and the girls brook over the window-sills watching their seedlings. One lesson they have learned is that different kinds of seeds take different lengths of time to germinate. Then Sister Catherine got in touch with an organic nursery which gave us fruit trees and instructions on how to grow them organically. It was a hard job to clear spaces on the bank for the trees but the girls did it willingly. Other people have also helped us including Mr Reg Wilton and Mr Francis Foster who put in an irrigation system. Other help has come in the form of plants and bulbs and it all adds to the Sister’s above-ground vege garden supplied by Mrs Ridgway. Unfortunately our soil here is pure sand but Sister Catherine is in touch with a racing stable ….. and kind Mr McAuliffe brings the stuff down.







Sister Rose also has got us in touch with a “trees for paper” scheme. Every time we fill three woolbales with paper rubbish we get a native tree. We expect to be buried in the bush before a few years are out!

Making Your Meditation

1. Prepare the night before by reading over the passage on which you wish to meditate. When you have read it over you could make notes, either mentally or in writing, of the points that seem to be particularly applicable to yourself and your relationship with God.



2. In the morning start your meditation kneeling up. Ask God to help and enlighten you during your meditation. Read over your passage again. Then start with one of the points you picked out last night and think of what you might say to God about it.

3. Either go on kneeling or sit up, but get reasonably comfortable, though stay upright and decorous.



4. Begin to make a few formulated prayers to God, leaving spaces between them when your thoughts can rise to God words or God can speak to you inspiring you with new insights and convictions.

5. Go on taking points and treating them as above. Do not think that you have to be ceaselessly active. The periods of wordless communication with God should grow until they take over your meditation.

6. Be particularly alert for, and encourage in yourself, moments of inspiration from God which will help you to new perspectives, new Christian insights, greater charity.



7. Towards the end of your meditation start thinking about a resolution you could make to carry the insights of the meditation into the day. It’s a good idea to keep this resolution simple.

8. Kneel down and thank God for your meditation. Ask Our Lord and Our Lady’s help with your resolution.

Vocations

When we come to talk about vocations there are several questions that need to be answered. These are:
• What is a vocation?
• How do I know if I have a vocation?
• Should I try my vocation?
• When will I have security in my vocation?



A vocation is a call from God to follow a particular way of life and to save one’s soul by following that path. The problem of which vocation to follow usually becomes acute when it is a question of a religious vocation, a call to follow Christ more closely in the priesthood or religious life. Here we will talk about vocations to the religious life.



So we need to ask, How do I know if I have a religious vocation? The answer to this question needs to be split into, fitness, inclination and willingness. To take fitness first: The person considering a vocation must look at her own fitness for such a life. Is she physically fit enough for convent life, which is reasonably strenuous? Is she mentally fit enough with no history of mental illness? Not being able to match up to these basic criteria could well indicate that the person is meant for a different path of life.





Then, there is moral fitness. The way to find out is to be completely honest with the superior of the Convent in which one is interested. Generally Contemplative orders are stricter about difficulties of temperament or items from the past than active orders are. The reason is not hard to see: in a fully enclosed contemplative order a woman is stuck with her own temperament and her own past for the rest of her life, whereas in an active order there is a legitimate outlet from the self.







We move on to inclination. Do I, being physically, mentally, and morally fit for convent life, find in myself an inclination towards following the way of life of a nun? Of course, feelings are not everything, but if there is something that really puts you off convent life, and this feeling cannot be overcome by better knowledge of the convent, then it is probably not for you. On the other hand one could be under a really serious obligation to investigate religious life rather than just leave the question because of an initial and perhaps frivolous distaste.





The last point in recognizing that one has a religious vocation is willingness. It is a simple question to ask oneself. “Have I the willingness, relying on the grace of God, to live for with Christ in a relationship of love, for the good of Holy Church, for the rest of my life”. One can weigh up the great promises of our Lord to those who follow Him more closely, but in the end it does come down to a leap of Faith.





So, we come to the point, should I try my vocation? The answer is that one should. No amount of thinking or wondering can equal the experience of spending a few days in a convent. Things will certainly come clear after that and points the convent my not have told you about, like a silent refectory, will become obvious.



There is another point about this trying of the vocation which is important. Putting it briefly, I would say that one owes it to the Church to try one’s vocation. Here is the Church deteriorating on every side. Here is tradition trying to hold firm. What is the answer? The answer is the same as it has always been in the Church: set up religious orders which will preserve the truth, teach it to others and gradually create outposts of Catholicism and civilization with the capacity to rebuild Christendom. We can look at the time after the Barbarian Invasions when the Benedictine monasteries re-civilised Europe. The religious orders can do the same in this distressing modern era. Religious life is not a flight from the world but an engagement to rebuild the world. If there is a possibility that you are meant to be on the front line of this fight, how can you hang back? At least find out what your place in the fight is.



The final question I would like to deal with is the matter of “security” in one’s vocation. Young women ask, “When will I know for sure?” When will I be secure in my vocation? One answer is that half of your vocation depends on a frail human being damaged by original sin, so you will never have total securing at that end. On the other hand as you depend on God over the years a bond forms between yourself and the ever-dependable so that you become more and more secure, with prayer, as the years go on. The initial trusting is harder but the process builds on itself and on grace so that you can have a sweet security even from your novitiate days.

A NEW MEMBER ADDED TO THE COMMUNITY!

On the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, April 30th, in addition to the magnificent and breath-taking ceremony of Sister Mary Madeleine's Perpetual Profession, there was also added a new member to the community. Miss Martin, the first American in the convent, received the holy habit of St. Dominic and was given the name of Sister Marie Dominique, after our Holy Father Saint Dominic. Preceding the ceremony, a Triduum Retreat was preached by Fr. Cranshaw (from New Zealand) and Fr. Burfitt (from the U.S.), and was very beneficial to the sisters.

The ceremonies on the Feast of Saint Catherine began with the reception of the Dominican habit. The habit of the order is highly reverenced because of its heavenly origins. The Blessed Virgin herself revealed the scapular to her children in the Order and henceforth, Dominicans have always worn this distinctive garb. The holy scapular of our Order is the most distinguished part of our Dominican habit, "the maternal pledge from Heaven of the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary towards us, under whose wings thou shalt find a shadow from the heat and a bulwark and defense in death from all dangers both of body and soul."

"Blessed are those," exclaims Theodoric of Apoldia, "who are found worthy to wear this habit, the symbol of grace unspeakable, woven by the hands of the true valiant woman for the members of her household! Let us ever cherish with veneration this royal and virginal garment and never soil its spotless whiteness." From the fact of the scapular being our Lady's gift to her children, the custom prevails in the Order of always invoking her on assuming it in the morning with the verse: Monstra te esse Matrem, etc.



At the beginning of the ceremony, the postulant must answer the question of the Church: "What dost thou seek?" Kneeling before the altar of God, and His representatives on earth – the priests, she gently responds: "God's mercy and yours, Father." She then confirms that she desires to receive the holy habit and to enter this congregation of Dominicans, and so is given the habit by the Prioress. Once the future-novice has donned the religious habit, she returns to the Church to the harmonies of the Salve Regina, where then she willingly surrenders her hair to the scissors of the celebrant, a sign of her abandonment of the world's distractions and desires. Once veiled, the new novice returns to the Priests and receives her Crucifix and Rosary. The highlight of the ceremony is at the end – the Crowning and Naming. While the choir chants the chords of Jesu, Corona Virginum, the priest offers the novice two crowns – one of roses and the other of thorns, saying:

"Behold dear daughter, two crowns, one beautiful, the other of thorns. Choose the one with which you wish to be crowned."

When the novice has chosen the crown of thorns - in imitation of her Dominican patroness, St. Catherine of Siena, who was given this same choice by our Lord Himself – the priest then pronounces the beautiful words:

"Receive dear sister the crown of thorns in memory of the crown of Our Lord, and through this know that it is not fitting that those members be delicate, who are under the thorn crowned head, which is Christ, and if you wear the crown of thorns of tribulation in this life you will be rewarded by your Spouse with a crown of glory for evermore in the life to come."



Once crowned, the novice is then given her new name in the Order. What a joy to have the patronage of a great saint, and in this novice's case – the greatest of Dominican saints – our founder himself. After the ceremonies, with much delight, a small reception was held for the sisters. Since then, the newest novice has joined her fellow sisters in the task of preparing her soul for her Betrothed. A great pleasure, she is now able to assist in the Salve Procession after Compline by carrying one of the two candles at the head of the procession. The Novices regularly perform this office, and as the procession makes its way back from the altar of our Lady to the main altar singing the Antiphon O Lumen in honour of our Holy Father St. Dominic, the two novices bearing candles, stand on either side of the altar while the other sisters process in. This image, so close to the tabernacle, brings to mind the words of the Dominican, Mary of Jesus. She used to call the novices the Seraphim of the choir, because they stood nearest the Blessed Sacrament, and so, as she was accustomed to tell them, ought to be the most fervent.



The Novice hears the words of the psalmist: "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear…and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty. For He is the Lord thy God, and Him thou shall adore." (Ps 44) The time of Novitiate is principally to separate herself from the world, so that her heart might be Christ's alone. "…My spouse, is a garden enclosed." (Cant. 4:12) Please pray for the newest novice, and all the sisters', holy perseverance.



To conclude, we will quote the description of the outward appearance of a true Dominican, as given by the Venerable Julia Cicarelli of Camerino (1532-1621):

"The custody of the eyes shows the attention we ought to pay to our own defects; the head inclined signifies submission of will; the arms crossed the desire of suffering for God; kneeling the remembrance of our falls and weaknesses; woolen garments the patience and meekness of the lamb; the white habit purity of heart; the black mantle death to the world; the hair cut off the retrenchment of worldly thoughts; the shoes made of the skins of dead beasts the remembrance of death. When the interior is conformable to the exterior, then 'this is indeed the house of God.'"

(All quotes taken from The Spirit of the Dominican Order Illustrated from the Lives of its Saints)

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT SAINT DOMINIC’S

APRIL
9th-14th ..............Easter Break
30th.....................Feast of St Catherine of Siena
...........................Final Profession and Reception of the habit
30th-May 18th.......Holidays
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MAY
11th-15th..............Bethlehem Intensive Course
...........................Pilgrimage to Paraparaumu
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JUNE
16th-20th..............Mid year exams
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JULY
6th-10th................Mid-term break
22nd......................Feast of St Mary Magdalene
............................803rd Anniversary of the Dominican Sisters
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AUGUST
3rd........................Raffle closes
4th........................Feast of St Dominic
.............................Annual teachers vs students netball match
.............................Raffle is drawn
15th.......................Feast of the Assumption
22nd- Sept 13th.......School holidays
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SEPTEMBER
29th.......................Mother’s Feast day
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OCTOBER
7th.........................Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
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NOVEMBER
.............................Cambridege examinations
16th-20th................End of year exams
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DECEMBER
4th.........................Last day of school
8th.........................Feast of the Immaculate Conception
.............................Our seventh anniversary
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THE BETHLEHEM STUDYING SISTERS

This year our Bethlehem studies started with an intensive course up in Tauranga at the end of January. We had a very stressful beginning as the accommodation which was promised us fell through at the last minute. As always, Mother was quick off the mark and managed to organise an alternative lodging at the Marist community in Te Puna. The Fathers there were overwhelmingly lovely and allowed us to stay in the Parish hall, while Father Laisney stayed in the Priory. They also gave us the use of their Church. We had a little crisis on the first day when Father was without any traditional Mass vestments. It was quite funny when he walked out of the sacristy wearing what can be considered “conservative” novus ordo vestments but still very odd. Father did not suit them at all and we had to control ourselves from laughing.

Fathers Cranshaw and Jackson managed to secure lodging in Omakaroa, about 15 minutes away from where we were. A lovely retired couple have a very nice little cottage at the back of their property and kindly allowed the priests to stay there for the duration of our course. Usually we stay in the bach next door which is owned by a relation of our novice but it was unavailable at this time. We have spent many a happy day there walking along the beach, going on a barge and going out on boats to a little island on previous occasions when we had to go up last year for intensive courses.

Kayaking at Omokaroa




Sister Mary Madeleine and Sister Marie Therese left Wanganui on an early Monday morning on January 26th to drive all the way up to Tauranga while Sister Rose had to stay for her Grandfather’s funeral and so flew up later that day using her leftover airpoints. Sister Catherine flew in on the Wednesday from South Africa, and arrived in class just at the right time (we were in the middle of “introducing” ourselves for the millionth time).

The intensive course itself was not too bad and we did learn a lot of interesting things about the Maori people and land wars etc. We were told that later on this year, as part of the Diploma, we will have to spend a few nights on a Marae. At the moment this will be included in our next intensive course here in Wanganui in May. We are busy learning a little of the Maori language as we will be expected to give a little speech in Maori. We are all also going on our second and last practicum. Sister Catherine, Sister Therese and Fr Laisney will be teaching at St Dominic’s, Sister Madeleine, Sister Rose and Fr Jackson will be on section at Collegiate and Fr Cranshaw has opted to go to Auckland Grammar. It will be a very interesting and a very busy time for all.



What we really look forward to is the end of year. Sister Madeleine and Sister Rose will graduate – God willing - in May with their Bachelor degrees, and then again in November with the rest of our little group when we finish our Diploma in Teaching. After that it is 2 years of provisional registration before we can be considered as fully-registered Teachers in New Zealand.

OUR NEW HOME ECONOMICS CLASS

With the mothers of tomorrow in our hands we are keen to equip them with a little of the homely arts, which have see a sad decline from yesteryear. To begin, the essential tools had to be mustered and the endless line of old dilapidated hand cranked sewing machines were crossed off the list and assigned to their long awaited graves! Well once again it wasn’t really that bad but new machines were needed so the ever resourceful Mrs Ryan whipped up the parish into a thoroughly enjoyed progressive dinner and as the say in France ‘Voila’ : we ticked of the tall order (for a bunch of nuns)of 4 machines and an over locker thanks to the proceeds.

So far our little seamstresses have learnt the basics of cross- stitch and so decorated the front of their pincushions. Next we are still venturing the paths of a matching set of aprons when we discovered the inability of a few to sew STRAIGHT lines and so with the age old maxim of ‘practice makes perfect’ we set to the practising side of it! However, with lots of fun and many a call of “SISTERRRRRRRRR” we are getting on well!

THE SONG OF A NUN

Music is an integral part of our lives as nuns – first and foremost because we are brides of Christ and then for some it overflows in a very useful way into our lives as school teachers! Because our first duty is that of praise and honour to Him who is sublime beauty, fittingly the most beautiful way to pray is through the song of the church, the Divine Office and the Liturgy which makes living the sentiments felt in the church; from the plaintive cry of the Lenten sorrow to the glorious jubilations of the Resurrection that strain the earthly fibres of our hearts. Well, that’s on a good day for alas at 5-20 in the morning it is more of a plea for strength to face the onslaught of another day - that’s the weary view of Friday morning: mostly we praise our good King with a happy heart and so the song of a Nun!



Choir Practice
This year has seen the debut of our little polyphonic choir. We sang on the third Sunday of January. At the Offertory we began chorally with the ‘Inviolata’ to our Mother followed by the stronger unison of the ‘O Lumen’ to our Holy Father St Dominic. Then came the finale at Communion -‘Ave Verum’ by Josquin du Pres, a heavenly motet of an angelic soprano melody complimented by the aspiring band of altos who lift our hearts and our thoughts to join with the angels of heaven! We are delighted at the rare talent of our new crew of postulants which the Lord has called to our ensemble, namely Lucia and Cheryl. Deo Gratias!

THE NOVITIATE

The New Year, with all its blessings, has also brought a very pleasant change to the Novitiate. The novices and postulants are now pleased to have their array of classes and lectures being mostly overseen by Mother Micaela, who was able to particularly focus her schedule so as to be able to be in the Novitiate more regularly. The novices, having already filled their souls with the writings of Abbot Marmion, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, and Dom Chautard, have now proceeded to set sail on and to navigate through the sea that will guide and govern the rest of their lives, leading them to Christ - the Rule and Constitutions. The Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions of the congregation are very important for the novices to study and reflect on, as they are the guides by which the religious fulfils her vows and tends more and more to perfection, as she is obliged to once she makes her vows. This fundamental class is accompanied by an also essential study of the Catechism of the Vows. This catechism clearly furnishes the novices with the exact knowledge of the nature and principal obligations of their state. These essential classes are accompanied by a philosophy and apologetics course - taught by Father Francois Laisney, a lecture on spirituality with the noted author Tanquerey, and also a study of Latin. This rich program will soon have additions from the Holy Cross Seminary, with classes beginning in the near future. The Sisters are very much looking forward to commencing the studies of Moral and Ascetical Theology, Liturgy, Acts of the Magisterium, and Scripture. The Sisters feel quite blessed to be able to study these central subjects, so necessary in order to be able to defend the Truth - the cause for which they exist. The Dominicans have an obligation to study Truth all their lives, so as to be able to better pass it on to others. "Contemplari et contemplata tradere." This study begins at the very outset of the Sisters' religious life, a study which they will continue joyfully and eagerly for the rest of their days.

ARRIVING AT THE CONVENT

Before coming to the convent, I would very occasionally poke up (from under the ashes of a million last-minute preparations) a few sparks of curiosity about what it would be like to actually be at the convent, and in New Zealand. I can’t remember much of what I came up with, but as it turns out, the most surprising bits of convent life have been the ones I assumed would be a certain way, so that it didn’t occur to me to wonder about them.


The little plane by which postulants arrive with in Wanganui.


Glimpses of the countryside from the plane.


First views of Wanganui

To start with the trivial, I wondered a good bit how I would do as a teacher, but the last thing that it would have occurred to me to worry about was language difference! And yet, more than once in the last few weeks I have gotten stuck over things like “refill” instead of “looseleaf,” “twink” instead of “whiteout” and “rubber” for “eraser.” And, though any teacher could have told me this (and probably has) I have yet to learn the basic rule: don’t give the students more work than you can mark!




School Mass

Cheryl and I are both here from the United States, and although she has been in France a good deal and I am from Argentina, there are always differences in a new culture. Mealtimes are closer to American than Argentinean ones, though the names are different, but the biggest food difference has been fish as prepared by the Filipino postulants—and in this our culture shock, like our inexperience with handling fish bones, was shared by most of the Sisters, of all nationalities! The fish was delicious, though, and the cooks have been asked to prepare it again—though not too often, because it takes so long to eat! And Sundays and feasts have proved that the convent is entirely populated by talented cooks.



As for Dominican culture, of course I spent the first week in hopeless confusion over profound, middle and head inclinations, turning to the outside in processions, genuflecting or not, and so forth. The traffic laws, though unusual, are easy to remember—the senior goes first except when praying, in which case the junior goes first (and eating counts as praying, isn’t that lovely? Dinner is practically an Office in itself. So I don’t have to be embarrassed about dedicating a whole paragraph to it.)



The processions are the most beautiful novelty about the Dominican Office. Every night after Compline we have a procession to Our Lady’s altar during the Salve Regina, and on the way back we sing the “O Lumen,” a song to St. Dominic. Every Saturday this procession includes the Litany of Our Lady, sung to a very beautiful tune, and once a month there is also a procession back to St. Dominic’s altar (I should mention that these altars are little shelves on the wall, for the moment—the convent isn’t that big!)



The Salve Procession



Besides teaching, as Dominicans we have to do a lot of studying. As we learned in our class with Mother, St. Cajetan said that a Dominican who does not study several hours a day is living in mortal sin! As very busy teaching Dominicans, we probably have to make up some of this by counting our meditation and Office—after all, what better way of studying is there than talking to the Truth? But we do have Apologetics with Fr. Laisney first thing on school mornings, class with Mother, Catechism on Tuesdays (we are studying St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians), Thursday Summa class, and Saturday Spirituality. Not to mention reading during every meal! Just since our arrival at the end of January we have heard: a series of talks on St. Therese’s spirituality, a book on Catholic Philosophy, talks on the Divine Comedy and Moby Dick by Dr. White, an interview by Bishop Williamson (not the late lamented one but an older American one), and the life of Mother Mary of the Cross, an Australian foundress.

And then, of course, the best thing about actually arriving is getting to meet all the Sisters! They gave each of us postulants a gorgeous welcome and we had a talking meal, outside or in the staff-room. And it took a while for the strange wonderfulness of living under the same roof with the Blessed Sacrament to wear off—it is still wonderful, but not so startling. I guess that is why we bow and genuflect when we go into the chapel, to remind us. I don’t have room now to tell about teaching, but it is fun, though absolutely exhausting! So that will wait till next time.


The Community

FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

In preparation for the lovely ceremony of the taking of the habit of our canonical novice, Sister Mary Margaret, the third Kiwi in the community (dare I say soon to be outnumbered by Australians and Americans– at present we have 3 Kiwis, 3 Aussies, 1 Filipino, 1 South African and 3 Americans) we had our annual retreat preached by Fr Joseph Pfeiffer. It was a very spiritual yet funny retreat on the Gifts of the Holy Ghost, the seven vices and the last 7 words of Our Lord based on talks given by Bishop Fulton Sheen. Father also incorporated the topic of womanhood which I am sure we all found very useful. We had 3 conferences a day and Father was available after most conferences for consultation and there was always a line up to see him - it was well worth the wait.


The community with Father Pfeiffer after the ceremony.

With the ceremony approaching we had many practices with the altar boys to perfect it and yet the cutting of the hair was still almost forgotten – even after we went to great lengths to find a beautiful silver platter. Otherwise, the ceremony went smoothly with Father being very careful to cut Sister’s hair, (no shedding of blood this time), the longest plait yet in the community. It will be sent to the family who were unable to attend. The Sisters always enjoy the evening when they have the fun of perfecting the priest’s hair cutting skills.


Father Pfeiffer cutting Sister's hair.


After the cutting of the hair the Sister is dressed in the veil. She then returns to the altar steps to choose between the crown of roses and the crown of thorns....






After the beautiful Solemn High Mass we had a pizza lunch with the parishioners on our convent grounds under a lovely gazebo donated by a kind couple and set up by the Sisters that morning. A volleyball net was also put up and the children challenged the Sisters to a match, well a few matches thinking they would win. We were given the little ones to give them more of an advantage and we will not state the outcome here!!






Sister cutting the cake.

Sister has now entered on her spiritual journey with Mother Micaela and her hidden talents of cooking, writing rhymes and drawing have come to light.

Life has been so busy...

A combined school photo of St Dominic's and St Augustine's

Life has been so busy at St Dominic’s School and Convent I scarcely know where to begin or how to condense the information into a short article. Well, no better time to start than the present. I will begin with a pleasurable trip to the Chocolate Factory, which involved the Form 1 & 2 girls and boys, Fr Kurtz, Sister Rose and a kind parent who provided transport for the boys. This little trip was paid by the school since both classes raised the highest amount in each school at our recent Skate-a-thon fundraiser. After Mass and a hearty breakfast, the girls jumped into the convent car with Sister Rose at the wheel, while the boys leapt into a big red transit van with a determined Fr Kurtz at the front. Leaving from the Church at 8.15am it took us about 2 hours to reach the Chocolate Factory.



A jolly lady greeted us at the Factory, gave us what resembled shower caps to wear, then asked us to rub our hands together with some anti-septic spray – everything was done in a highly professional manner. We were given very interesting details – from how to make easter eggs and chocolates with soft centers, to how they package each individual chocolate. It was most enjoyable.



The best part was the end when we were able to TASTE-TEST some of the products and explore their shop. I was particularly excited to find some “sticky specials” for $1. This included a bag of soft centre honey chocolates, which normally would have been $5 for a bag.





Lunch consisted of Pizza and little fizzy drinks, kindly supplied by Fr Kurtz and then we were off to a Car Museum, which was very fascinating. Well worth the journey.





The next day after the little school trip, was all hands on deck to get ready for our end of year prize giving. There were singing practices, props to be made, lines to learn, prizes to arrange etc.


Learning lines...


Making props...


Prayers said outside after a big clean-up!

The effort paid off. The girls sang beautifully under the direction of our Music teacher, Mrs Borberg and the girls had even organized a little song of their own, in French I might add, which was accompanied by one of our students, Mirae Kim. Next was a little Greek myth “Perseus & Medusa” which was dramatized by our French teacher Mr Hays, who unfortunately could not be with us on the night as he was in hospital. The formal part of the evening consisted in a humorous speech by our Mother Superior and engaging speeches by Fr Laisney and our Valedictorian Maria Petersen.


Maria Petersen

Towards the end, our teachers who were in academic dress and the Sisters in their cappas ascended the stage for the actual handing out of prizes. It was most pleasing to see girls who had put in a good year's work go up and receive their reward. Towards the end, everyone was on the edge of their seats wondering who would be Dux. This year it was two girls – Maria Devine and Julia Kelly, whose final scores were so close we couldn’t bear to give it to one without the other. There was thunderous applause as both girls came up to receive their prizes.

We also had a special guest from Massey University who was there to award high achiever scholarships to two of our pupils – Julia Kelly and Adelaide Png. He made the comment that we should be proud of the fact that Massey had given two big scholarships to such a small school.

In fact the school has done very well this year – Virginie Mathey achieved top of the world in French and Julia Kelly won a Film Contest, for which she was awarded an IMAC computer for the school.


Julia presenting the new computer.

At the very end, the students presented a little gift to the Sisters – a beautiful sign which is now out the front so that whoever passes by will see the “Veritas” logo and below “St Dominic’s Convent and Girls’ School.


Our new sign

The next day, Mother and Sister Madeleine were off to Australia to do a little mission in Tynong after Society Priests had asked them to come over to promote the religious life and to foster vocations and to look at “possible” sites for a second foundation, however, we will have to see what God wills for our community. I am sure they will write more on their trip later.


...various presentation evenings.


Meanwhile, Sister Catherine was left to look after the remaining Sisters and postulants. On the 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception and a big day for our convent – our 6th birthday, we had a very active day.



It began with Office and Mass, which included a Franciscan Profession and then after a short practice we sang some special songs at the 10am Sung Mass. The Sisters have recently formed a little polyphony choir and this was our little début. A little nervous, we sang “O Gloriosa Virginum” and the “Sicut Cervus”. With what little time we had left in the morning, the Sisters decorated the staffroom to celebrate our birthday and we had a lovely lunch together.



The next week we were off to New Plymouth to visit a “free” zoo and a beautiful park. It was a most enjoyable day, however, since I am running out of room I will let the pictures tell the story.


...at the zoo


The sisters prayed Sext and had morning tea at the lake.


Admiring the beautiful flower gardens...


... last look at the mountain before we head back home.

At present we are living a more contemplative life in preparation for Christmas. After a busy school year, it is wonderful to be able to spend some extra time in meditation and have the time to do extra spiritual reading. We also have Latin lessons, lectures from Mother and daily chant practices in preparation for the sung offices and the beautiful “O Antiphons”.



Our little novice is busy constructing the crib for this year’s nativity scene and by the looks of things, it will be a marvel – I wish you all a happy and very holy Christmas.

Sister Teresa Joseph's visit to St Dominic's Convent, Wanganui

St Dominic's College: photos from inter-house competitions