September 2023 Newsletter
Dominican Monastery of Mary the Queen Newsletter
Dear Friends,
We celebrated the first anniversary of our dedication on August 15. Before we moved, we had an Open House that brought many friends and neighbors to view our new monastery building. We had the Mass of Dedication of the Chapel and monastery on August 15 of last year. On that occasion our grounds, buildings and we ourselves, were consecrated anew to God’s holy service, and our enclosure was officially established.
Last December we had a visit from our Master General, Fr. Timoner (whose first name, by happy coincidence, is ‘Gerard’). He was in the United States visiting the Friars of our Province, so he stopped by to meet with some of the Nuns too. He was delighted with our beautiful new surroundings and gave us timely advice on the living out of our Dominican contemplative life.
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki celebrated Mass with us on July 11, 2023 and also confirmed the election of our Prioress, Sister Anna Marie Pierre, for another three years. We then shared a delicious dinner together in celebration of this happy event.
What do we do all day?
Ours is a life of prayer: the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours take up the majority of our day. We gather for the Divine Office at 6:00 each morning, which is followed by Mass at 6:45. After Mass, we have approximately two hours for personal prayer, reading and study before our individual responsibilities. At 11:45 we gather again in chapel for Midday Prayer, followed by dinner.
In the afternoon we continue our duties which include choir practice, chapter and community meetings. At 4:30 the main bell is rung for the daily Rosary and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Vespers (Evening Prayer of the Church). After a light supper and community recreation, we conclude our day with Compline (Night Prayer of the Church).
Transition to Country Living
Country living is a very different experience than life in the city. We have not yet completely settled into this new way of life. It now necessitates trips to Springfield for medical and business undertakings. When we lived In Springfield, as guests of the Dominican Sisters without our present responsibilities, life seemed, back then, much simpler. Our quarters were very small and meals were served to us from the Sisters’ kitchen. Doctors and dentists were much closer.
Here we have a large beautiful property which means regular maintenance must be undertaken both within and without. However, we are grateful to God for bringing us this far and are learning from our “eight years of wilderness experience” to be more trusting of God and his goodness to us.
We have since begun growing some of our own vegetables and seasonings by using raised beds. Although we started planting late this summer, God has blessed our efforts with an abundance of what we needed.
We enjoyed using our produce for cooking meals that nourished both body and soul. Our neighbors too, most of whom are farmers, are very friendly and have shared many of their hard earned crops with us. We are very grateful to God for them and are most happy when they share with us on Sundays the celebration of the Eucharist.
We are also working on other monastic duties such as creating our own Liturgy of the Hours which is a huge undertaking and setting up our library in preparation for the computerization of the many books.
The Scenic Beauty of Central Illinois
We are blessed with the natural beauty of our surroundings which feed our contemplative living. There is a Lake on our property which houses fish and other marine life. There is a wooded area with paths for walking.
Birds and other small animals abound, including deer and herons. Along two sides of our property are the field staples of corn and soy beans. We enjoy watching them grow and develop into plants ready for harvest.
Our Newest Arrivals
Recently we were gifted with two darling little Yellow Lab puppies. At 8 weeks old, they are cute and lovable, full of energy and inquisitiveness. Their names are “Jay” and “Dee,” in honor of Bl. Jordan and Bl. Diana, early followers of St. Dominic. In time they will learn the meaning of ‘no;’ that shoes and hoses are not for chewing; and that Sisters are not to be jumped on. We are counting on them to scare away moles and raccoons and other unwanted critters in our vegetable garden.
Our Learning Curve
You may remember that our Community has Sisters coming from several different monasteries. One such group was our Sisters from Syracuse, NY who, as part of their means of support, supplied Spiritual Bouquet cards to all who requested them. These cards were purchased in bulk by the Nuns, from a commercial printer and at a very discounted price. Now, having depleted the supply on hand, we cannot afford to maintain this kind of redistribution. Those cards are now quite costly and cannot be sold for one dollar as have been in past years.
One of our nuns is a recognized artist and has many lovely paintings which we use for the reproduction of cards to sell. With this in mind we sent out a flyer last November and began taking orders for these cards. Unfortunately, sister has fallen ill so we have to pick up the slack. Please bear with us until we can source the right assistance from our friends outside the monastery who will begin the process again for us. We will be in touch about this undertaking soon in the new year.
We do, however, honor each and every request for prayers. Please continue to send us the names of those you want to include in our prayers. At daily Mass, Morning and Evening Prayer, all your intentions are solemnly lifted up to God in intercession.
With grateful hearts we thank God that we are here for you through your continued support of our prayerful apostolate!
- Sr. Anna Marie & Community
The two principal devotions in the Dominican tradition are to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Rosary. Each afternoon, Monday through Friday, we have an hour of Eucharistic adoration beginning at 4:30 pm, with the recitation of the Rosary and some time for private prayer. We conclude with Vespers, (Evening Prayer of the Church) and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is welcome to join us for these prayers.
Mass is celebrated at 6:45 am. every weekday except Tuesdays when a Communion service is held. Sunday Mass is at 8:00 am.
All are welcome to pray in the chapel through- out the day. Our gate is open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Ring doorbell if/when chapel door is locked.