Like a Quarterback Sack...

It's been just over 24 hours since Sister was slammed with a stomach flu. This mighty virus hit all but 3 sisters at the monastery - fast and hard. I thought I was safe here in Richmond, but since I am blogging from my bed in the convent, so much for that theory. (I am sitting up successfully, though, so the worst is over.) I will be resting over the next few days so look for a new blog on Monday.
Blessings, love and GOOD HEALTH to you all...
- Sister Vicki

Beyond the shadow of "Doubt"...

Sliding in under the wire of 2008, “Doubt,” a film based on John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize – winning play, offered holiday film goers a dramatic option for the days after the Christmas feast. Not exactly a yuletide joy or escapist adventure, “Doubt” provides a close encounter with the harsh reality of clerical sexual abuse. I went to see the film with several of my sisters. These occasional group-viewings help me to process what I’ve taken in. (I remember my Novice Director making an exception to the traditional boundaries of enclosure and taking us to see “The Passion of the Christ.” No one should see that film alone.)

“Doubt” is a powerful film. Though I cannot share too many details, as many of you have yet to see it, the title is the essence of the story. The depiction of Catholic life the Bronx in early 1960’s is remarkable. The Sisters of Charity are depicted as women of faith who fully accept the responsibility to teach as their ministry. The contrast between the life in the convent and in the rectory speaks volumes. In an age where "Father" always had the last word, the Superior, played perfectly by Meryl Streep, dares to take on the silence that might harbor evil. The women religious in this film do everything within their power to protect their charges. The parish priest, played brilliantly by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is a volcano waiting to erupt in the face of Sister Benedict’s accusations. Sister has no proof, only the strength of her conviction that something is wrong. The verbal battle that ensues takes its toll on both parties in different ways.

Clearly, “Doubt” is not a vocation ad for the priesthood. Nor is it meant to be. Shanley has endeavored to speak aloud a truth that was too long concealed. His story points to a systemic problem that the Church is still struggling to correct. For anyone who has been the victim of abuse by those representing Church, this film may resurrect private pain, but bring the relief that comes when light is shed in darkness. For those priests who have been falsely accused of sexual abuse, “Doubt” will confirm the subjectivity and destructive effects of an accusation. For those Catholics wounded by the sickness within our Church, the telling of this fictional story may bring healing.

In our post-crisis Church, we must each take responsibility for being the Church. We must support the efforts of the local Church to seek out and sustain vocations that are grounded in grace and wholeness. We must pray for those who have failed GOD’s children and see to it that future generations are safe in our schools and parishes. The power of “Doubt” is its willingness to go where we would rather not. But, for the American Church, especially, the truth will set us free.

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

Ordinary Time...

One of the fun things about writing this blog is having an opportunity to address all things liturgical. (Liturgy is one of my passions. I am the Assistant Liturgist in our monastic community which means that I get to write the Prayer of the Faithful, plan Office hymns after Christmas and Easter and even plan the Sunday celebration from time to time. More importantly, I get to learn from the master. Our prioress is also our liturgist and she is renowned within our small Benedictine world for her gifts in this area.)

Today begins the 1st Week of Ordinary Time. The word, “ordinary” comes from “ordinal” meaning, “numbered.” In our contemporary usage, “ordinary” means: average, dull, without decoration, or having no special meaning. These contemporary meanings do not properly reflect the liturgical season. Ordinary Time is ordered or numbered. It lasts either 33 or 34 weeks. Ordinary Time begins after the Christmas season ends and lasts until Lent. Then, the season continues between the Easter season and Advent. If you look at the liturgical calendar, this season represents two slices of the pie.

So, how do we get the word out that these weeks are anything but “ordinary”? Certainly, there will good preaching on this very subject. And, GOD’s little ones in religious education classes will be learning to understand the calendar. Perhaps, as adults alive in the faith, it would be helpful in this new season to contemplate time, in general – time as GOD’s gift.

In the book of Genesis, we’re given two beautiful accounts of the creation of the world. GOD brings everything into being in six days time, and models for us the sacredness of Sabbath rest. Our Jewish brothers and sisters believe that there have been 5769 years since the creation. The ancient Romans used the sun and the moon to govern their days. Pope Gregory VIII gave Christendom the current calendar which uses the approximate birth of Christ as the point of demarcation.

Since the dawn of human history, we have endeavored to number our days. This quantitative analysis has helped us to see the hand of GOD in history and to mark moments of great joy and sorrow. How wonderful to look back on the previous year and count my blessings. How wonderful to think of the months ahead punctuated by special days and feasts of the Lord. Time is GOD’s gift to us. And, like every gift, it must be received in freedom.

When we allow time to become the enemy and the determinant of our good deeds, we lose possession of the gift. When we buy into the cultural mandate that “time is money,” the gift is beyond our grasp. Yes, the “world” does not understand this kind of thinking, but the Church, in her wisdom, grounds us in the Liturgical Year. Our days are ordered according to the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. No other calendar is more important in the life of the faithful. During Ordinary Time we’re encouraged to contemplate the active ministry of the Savior. We hear the words of Jesus in parable and preaching. We revisit the miracles of healing – bodily and spiritual. We share in the adventures of twelve brave men and the women of faith who accompanied Jesus throughout his three-year mission. There is truly nothing ordinary here. And, as the graces of these weeks are felt and received, we will continue to awaken to the Christ-life within us – the force of love than makes every human day extra-ordinary, a unique moment in the life of grace. So, as the wreaths come down and the green vestments go on, let us be grateful for the gift of time – the days, months and years we’ve each been given to come to know the love of GOD for us in Christ. We have only this moment – our next breath – in which to give GOD praise.

Blessings and love to you all,
- Sister Vicki

Sister loves ELVIS...

Yes, you heard me correctly. It’s time to own this weird, little facet of my personality. When I was 10 years old, I hear a TV commercial advertising an album of Elvis’ greatest hits. I love the sound of him and the rhythm. I asked my Mom, if I saved my allowance, would she write a check for the mail order. She did…and cursed that day for several years thereafter.

Ten-year-olds are in that industrious stage psychologists refer to as “latency.” One characteristic of this time of life is the desire to collect things. Some kids have a box of things under their beds – strange little treasures. Some, boys especially, get into baseball cards or comic books. I fell for Elvis. I listened to the albums in the basement and tried to learn the moves. I had nearly 21 records eventually, and saw 31 of his 33 movies. I was relentless in pursuit of all things "Elvis." When my grandparents took me to Ireland and England IN THE SUMMER OF 1976, I used ALL the American Express Travelers Cheques to buy “bootleg” Elvis memorabilia – which you just couldn’t get in America. My Mom was NOT happy. I, on the other hand, was delirious. One of the albums actually included a swatch of his jumpsuit! (It was just a worthless piece of material, but the possibility of authenticity made it too tempting.) I was just two years into this obsession when Elvis Presley died – August 16, 1977. I was devastated. My Dad, who always just accepted my weirdness, brought home every paper from New York City that day. He knew the depth of my groupie-grief.

Fast-forward about 20 years to Collegeville, MN. I am studying for an advanced degree at one of the finest Benedictine seminaries in America. A package arrives from my brother-in-law, Mark, by Federal Express. (Mark’s brother, + GOD rest his soul, actually knew Elvis when they were teens living in Memphis.) I opened the box and I was 12 years old again. It contained a yellow dinner jacket worn by Elvis in the 1968 movie, “Speedway.” It was given to Mark’s brother and then came into Mark’s hands. Inside was a patch sown in the lining by the studio. It was the real deal. I wore the jacket. I danced in the jacket. OK, I even smelled the jacket. (We believe in relics, right?) And, there were witnesses – my prioress among them. Then, I mailed it to the auction house in NYC, as my brother-in-law had instructed.

Today is the OTHER king’s birthday. He would have been 74 today. Sister Charlotte got me a life-size Elvis to hang up. (Actually, she put him in my favorite chair at home before I woke up. I carried my prayer books downstairs, as usual, and when I got to my chair, I let out a girly scream because it looked so much like a real man. So much for holy silence! We were both hysterical once I realized what was going on.) Now, Elvis is in my doorway at school. Our students don’t know much about him (with the exception of a few songs from the Disney film, “Lilo and Stitch,” and the opening theme of a TV show about gambling.) Our girls don’t know that Elvis came to Richmond, VA in the summer of 1956. (Our Sister Charlotte Lee was THERE! The old Mosque Theater was packed with squealing, fainting teens. And, I wasn’t even a glimmer in my mother’s eyes.)

Like Marilyn Monroe or John Lennon, we can never know the whole story or the sufferings that accompany celebrity in America. We can only bless GOD for the gifts they shared and wish them peace in the Kingdom – where EVERY wound is healed and we are made whole again. Did you know that Elvis’ only Grammy awards were for gospel music? Yup. Now, he sings forever before the true King of kings. Next time you hear an Elvis song, say a prayer for him. And, if you ever meet an Elvis-geek like me, have mercy and ask them to show you a few moves. They’ll do it. Trust me…

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

The Year of Blogging Dangerously...

It's been just over a year since I started this vocation blog. It began just before Sister Veronica and I left for Rome. When we returned I gave the site a little face lift and created an automatic forward to the prioress. Whenever I post, Sister Cecilia gets an instant link via e-mail. (So far, I haven't written anything we've had to retract. Whew!) This morning I felt the winds of change blowing again and played with the colors and layout for a third time. If I need a change, perhaps you all need one as well.

Writing a blog is an adventure. There are many people who "know" me now - people I have never met. I have had phone conversations with strangers who are struggling in their faith journey. These have been precious encounters with grace. They are no longer strangers, but friends. I have heard some heartbreaking stories and seen the hand of GOD carving out a path of protection. I have prayed for and with them. And, I have been blessed by their gracious words and the honesty of their searching. I will be meeting a new "friend" next week for coffee and some soul-stretching conversation. While I am not a trained spiritual director or therapist, I come with a listening heart. The paths that have crossed mine are most certainly GOD's gift to me.

Although I began this blog as an effort to stay in touch with women who are in discernment with our community, it has become something more. It is a place of meeting...a journal for my wonderings...a ministry of sorts. I am grateful to all of you who faithfully "visit" me here. I feel we often walk together - bound in some mysterious way by the Word who continues to speak peace and risen love into our world. I remain a monastic on the journey...and invite you to share the graces of this new year in the life of our monastic community.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Epiphany...

It’s still Christmas. Yesterday morning, Sister Cecilia asked the Sunday assembly to leave their holiday lights on. Christmas, as a liturgical season, doesn’t end until next Sunday – the Baptism of the LORD. So, with my prioress, I urge you to keep the spirit of Christmas in your heart – keep wishing one another a “merry Christmas.” Don’t worry if folks don’t get it. It’s the wish from your heart that carries the blessing.


Today, I’m thinking on the Epiphany. American Catholics celebrated this feast yesterday, but the rest of the Catholic world will celebrate tomorrow, January 6th. In many countries it’s called, tres reyes, or “three kings.” This feast is multi-layered and a never-ending source for our contemplation. Three foreign visitors bring gifts to the Christ child – the long-awaited “king” who has entered the world to redeem us. The Christ comes for all peoples everywhere. The star that guides their way indicates some primordial plan for our salvation. The heavens obey the cycles of time and space yet, therein, lay a plan for that night so long ago.


The word “epiphany” has several meanings. Miriam-Webster says:
epiph·a·ny
Pronunciation:
\i-ˈpi-fə-nē\
1capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ2: an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being3 a (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2): an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3): an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b: a revealing scene or moment


The first definition refers specifically to the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem, but an “epiphany” can be any revelation of the divine to the human. Our Eastern brothers and sisters emphasize the Baptism of the LORD in the river Jordan as the ultimate revelation of Jesus as Son of God. Both feasts cast a glorious light. Both astound the on-lookers and confirm the faith of those who have followed the breadcrumbs scattered in the long history of the Chosen People.


Epiphanies can be personal, too. The GOD who came a homeless baby, who humbly knelt in the waters of the Jordan – this same GOD – comes to each of us. Those indescribable moments of grace and illumination, the unexplained knowing that we are undeniably loved, these small, personal epiphanies are the stuff of our faith. The ordinary journey is punctuated with more than we can count. If we could be always attuned to the grace that surrounds our days…what would we see? Whose voice would we hear? He still comes in the flesh of our sisters and brothers, in the winter sunset of purple and blue and at the last breath of one whom we love. For these Christmas mysteries and for all the epiphanies in our lives, we must give thanks. “I play for my drum for Him, ba-rum-pa-pum-pum, I play my best for Him, ba-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum.”

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

online casino

Happy New Year!

I returned from my Midwestern trek on December 30th - just in time for our community retreat day of prayer for peace. It was a wonderful trip. Having lived in the Midwest for three years, I anticipated a warm welcome and some hearty fare. I was right on both counts.

I traveled with Mary Clark, who will enter this monastery on February 8th. It is customary to "meet the family" at some point in the discernment process as things get mutually serious. We spent two and a half days in the car and two and a half days with her kin. The travel was uneventful - praise GOD. The visit was worth every mile of road.

I stayed near Mary's sister's home in Henderson, KY. Pat is a gracious hostess and a wonderful mother. I'm still seeing the faces of her children - Tracy and Miriam - and wondering if they'll be too grown up to want to hang around with Sister Vicki if ever I'm passing through. (And, Aunt Mary, of course.)

Mary surprised us all with an outing to a wonderful German restaurant in historic downtown Evansville, IN. It's just 20 minutes over the state line. I haven't had real German food like that since Helmer's in Hoboken, NJ.

Our second day was spent across another state line. We spent all of the Feast of the Holy Family in Mount Carmel, IL. It takes about an hour to get to "Me-Maw's" house. Mrs. Mary Diebler invited us all to Sunday Eucharist at the parish our Mary grew up in. Then, she took the whole family to the K of C Hall for Sunday dinner. After an afternoon of visiting (people in the Midwest still know how to visit), we ordered a pizza for supper and then said our goodbyes.

It was an important day for all of us, I think. Hopefully, Mary's family has a better sense of who we are.this visit will hold everyone until there can be another such reunion. Mary's life is about to shift. But, with GOD's grace, and the prayers of all who love her, she will stay the course. I will remember this family visit for a very long time The Diebler family has blessed me...with their faith, their hope and their love.

It's good to be back. Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

online casino