Raised in Kane...

Small towns are like people – no two are the same. Kane, Pennsylvania – Sister Denise’s hometown – has been home to generations of faithful Catholics who treasure the land and one another. Yesterday, the good people of St. Callistus parish celebrated a memorial Eucharist for Sister Denise. The church was packed with friends and family who were gathered to pray with the Mosier family and extend their sympathy. It was a tender moment for all who loved Denise – a chance to thank God for the gift of her life and for the faith that assures us that she, too, is risen.

Kane is town with priorities. Family, faith, hard work…this is the stuff of life in a farm town. Each home is tended with care. Flower pots hang and gardens sprout with vegetables and berries. The church is the epicenter of the community. Corner taverns offer the local brew – Straub’s Beer from nearby St. Marys. Spending just 24 hours in Kane clarifies things. Though the complexities of life abound, some things are very simple. People come first. God is always God. And, work is holy. It is easy to see how such a place, such a people formed our sister, Denise. It was hard to leave Kane yesterday. Our goodbyes felt weighted with the knowledge that things will never be the same. When we lose a sister in death, it feels like we lose her family, too. The intensity of relationship formed for love of her will fade into a new future – for them and for us. The Mosier family will always have a place in the community heart – even if we never meet again. Today, I miss them already. In their company Denise was so present. Maybe, we brought her to them, as well. This love we have for Denise still binds our hearts – a mystery, a gift. May God bless them in the days and months to come.

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

Our "road to Emmaus"...

In the last few weeks I’ve found myself in a strange position. I have begun so many sentences with the words: “There was a car accident…” The disclosing of a tragedy to someone is a difficult thing. The look of a dawning realization or the sound of a gasp has become the expected response. Yet, in the telling, the story doesn’t get any easier. It reminds me of the disciples who run into Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They don’t recognize him at first and are shocked that he doesn’t seem to know about the “terrible things” that have happened in Jerusalem. (Given the media attention around our sisters’ accident, I guess I think the whole world knows.) Just this morning a man came to the convent in Richmond to repair our A/C. He asked me, “Are the sisters at church this morning?” Soon, he realized that our sisters were THE sisters in the newspaper and on television for the past few weeks.

One of the things I love about the Emmaus narrative is how Jesus doesn’t rush to identify himself. He meets his friends were they are - lets them tell their story of pain and disappointment. Telling the story – though painful – does help us to shape every suffering into the Paschal Mystery. It has been crystal clear, though, from the beginning that the risen One has been walking with us. Christ has been with us in the many Benedictines who have joined their prayer with ours. He has been with us in the friends who’ve brought food to the monastery or sent donations in Sister Denise’s memory. Christ has been with us in the hundreds who came to the funeral or wrote cards of sympathy. Most especially, the risen One has been with us in the Liturgy of the Hours. Here, we have been held and comforted, challenged and transformed. We have never been alone on this road – not for one moment. In our dying and rising God’s power and glory are made known.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

"I Will Raise You Up"...

The Dogma of the Assumption is relatively new – 1950. Yet, the faithful embraced this notion long before it became an ecclesial reality. It is often the people of God who make known to the Church a new reality. Today, as we celebrate her final journey – body and soul – into heaven, it is helpful to glean our tradition for insights into the mystery of her being.

In Chapter 8 of LUMEN GENTIUM, (solemnly promulgated by his holiness, Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964,) the role of Mary is considered both in her relationship to our salvation and to the Church. Her “yes” to God’s plan of is a definitive moment – an unparalleled model of perfect discipleship. Prepared to mother the Savior from her own conception, Mary becomes a model for the Church as it shall be – perfect and without sin. Even in her dying, God uses her to reassure us – to give us a glimpse of the resurrection that awaits all who believe. “Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin, (12*) on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, (13*) and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords (297) and the conqueror of sin and death. (l4*) (LG 8, II, 59.)” Mother and Son together at last…what joy there must have been!

It’s been just two weeks since we carried Sister Denise’s precious body to the grave. This solemn feast feels like a gift. It is a reminder that the human body is dear to the Lord who made our flesh His home. Death divides the body and soul. Like an eagle the soul soars home, but on the “last day,” the body will be raised with it. That is our faith. That is the promise made to us in this feast of Mary. We must follow Mary in her example of faith. We must strive for the depth of her love and fidelity. And for our striving and struggling we shall win the prize of perfect wholeness. May she who has gone before us watch over her children now, “and at the hour of our death.”

Happy Feast....

- Sister Vicki

Trauma ICU...

St. Paul writes, “There are different gifts but the same spirit (1 Cor. 12:4)." I have spent several of the last 13 days in the Trauma ICU at Fairfax Hospital. The women and men who work there were given a special gift by God – a gift most do not receive. It is their task – their burden – to care for our loved ones in critical circumstances, and often, to sustain life itself. 24/7 ICU nurses watch and tend our sisters. In spacious, glass-enclosed rooms, they monitor vital signs and administer medications. Everything in the room has a function. Everything has been placed there to support or to heal. It is the ICU nurse who is on the front lines of the battle for life. I have been in awe of these good women and men. They are doing for our sisters what we cannot do. They are ever-watchful, respectful of our presence and attuned to the needs and dignity of each patient. They never seem to forget that these “patients” are our sisters - that every person in ICU is loved by someone.

Yesterday, Sister Anne Marie took a huge tin of her chocolate chip cookies to the nurse’s station. Their delight in that small act of gratitude was so genuine. Today, I praise the God of many gifts who has blessed our nurses with the courage, skill and knowledge to walk the line between life and death – the tender place where God decides what is best for each one who suffers. May God bless them and all who use their gifts to comfort and heal.
Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki

Our "good shepherd"...

On the day of the accident, some time after we learned of Sister Denise’s death, a familiar face walked into the Waiting Room at Fairfax Hospital. Bishop Loverde had received a phone call from the hospital chaplain, Fr. Charles Merkel. He came to be with us – to bless us in the hour of our anguish. Bishop stayed with us for nearly an hour. He listened patiently as we told the story. Then, with Sister Cecilia, Bishop entered the Trauma ICU to anoint and pray for our sisters.

Several days later Bishop came to be with us again as we buried our sister, Denise. Bishop came knowing that there would be a sea of mourners and media trucks camped out across the street. He came because we needed him and I will never forget that gift. At the end of the funeral Mass, Sister Veronica and I, as pall bearers, wheeled Sister Denise’s casket out of the Chapel. As we passed by him, Bishop Loverde blessed her body over and over again with the sign of the cross. In that moment Christ was truly present to me in our good shepherd. In his blessing I felt peace.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

Words fail...

It’s been one week since the accident. I’m sorry I’ve been away so long. I have had no words to express what these days have been like for us. What I say now I say as one sister among many. First, I want to thank everyone who has offered prayers for our sisters and for our community. We feel them – they are holding us up. Never has the power of prayer been clearer to me. So many people have reached out to help us through these awful days: Benedictines from PA, MD, NJ, AL, MN, KS, Oblates, friends and family. In this pain we have discovered the depth of love around us. Words fail…both in sorrow and in gratitude.

We buried Sister Denise on Friday. Several hundred mourners gathered with us to sing God’s praise for the gift of her life. Our Gathering Space was transformed into Africa – tables laden with art, photos and fabric told the story of our sister’s life and ministry. Even in our grief there was real joy for the sister whom we love is forever in God’s embrace.

Sister Charlotte and Sister Connie Ruth remain in critical condition. We are waiting in hope by their beds for signs of improvement and healing. Your continued prayers are a gift to us.
I find myself wondering if we will ever get back to “normal.” It would seem that time itself has been divided – “before” the accident and “after.” The only “normal” is our prayer. When I am with my sisters praying those ancient words I feel peace. The psalms are so rich with feeling. They speak alternately of profound sorrow, deep joy, righteous anger and genuine thanksgiving. No matter which one we pray, it touches a feeling inside me for I have felt all these things in the past seven days.

There is so much we cannot know now. The days and months ahead will bring new challenges and new graces. I do know that I have never been prouder to be a Benedictine Sister of Virginia. We have been of one mind and heart throughout this tragedy. We have clung to each other and to our loving God. We have clearly articulated the Gospel mandate of forgiveness and given witness to the grace that comes when we walk in His footsteps. The love we have for one another in Christ is truly stronger than death. It is a love without limit or exceptions. It is ours to give to God’s people through the Church and to the young man behind the wheel of the car that killed our sister. Forgiveness, mercy and compassion…Sister Denise would have laid down her life for less.

Blessings and love to you all...

- Sister Vicki

"I'll meet you halfway"...

In today’s gospel we hear that after the death of Lazarus, when Martha heard that Jesus was coming “she went out to meet him.” That initiative in the midst of her grief was the foundation of a miracle. Martha left the comfort of her home – the privacy of her pain – and went to the One who would understand her loss. “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died.” Whoa! That’s either a profound expression of faith or a major guilt trip! Maybe, it was a little of both. Yet even in the grip of a powerful sorrow, Martha went out to meet him.

As a child in the 70’s, I remember a song on a "Partridge Family" album that I just loved: “I’ll Meet You Halfway.” Cheesy? Yes. But that refrain came to the surface this morning as Sister Anne Marie read the gospel at Morning Prayer. “I’ll meet you halfway. That’s better that no way.” Martha gives us good example. The Lord Jesus is always coming close – always walking in our direction. We can just stay where we are – stuck in the feeling of the day – or we can put one foot in front of the other and meet Him in the middle. He is certain to be there…smiling… as the gap between us closes.

Blessings and love to you all…
- Sister Vicki