Monastery in Bloom
A Floral Celebration
"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."
Proverbs 24:3-4
This year, it was a delight to witness our Monastery of Mary the Queen, Girard, IL, in full bloom! This vibrant collage showcases the fact that our monastery is not just a beacon of light and a haven of prayer but also one of nature’s beauty. Our garden this Summer has been especially generous, because of our labors, and offered an array of wild and cultivated flowers such as gladiolas, sunflowers, clematis, and the old faithful perennials; black-eyed Susan, daylilies, and peonies, just to name a few. They certainly have brought life to every corner of our monastery.
Each time I walked through the garden there was a distinct and beautiful flower that left me in awe of God. The tapestry of colors woven by the hands of creation was always a sight to behold and it felt as though each flower had its own story to tell. From the daylily to the sturdy sunflowers and vibrant red roses the flowers most magnificently graced, our chapel, our Blessed Mother statue, and the refectory table. The Sister's preparation of each bouquet was elegantly arranged like a bouquet freshly picked by the angels, and as a result, the arrangements brought a gentle elegance that brightened every space.
Our chapel particularly blossomed in harmony with our prayers. When the 'Sister gardeners' received permission to plant flowers for the chapel, they hoped for a harvest with enough blooms that would last until the feast of St. Dominic to beautify the chapel for such an important celebration. Indeed, by the grace of God, though the flowers barely held on toward the end, there was enough to adorn the chapel by the time the feast arrived. I was particularly struck by one sunflower in an arrangement in front of the Rosary group in the chapel, it seemed to turn and bow reverently toward St. Dominic the entire time as if it was following the sun. The flowers at the altar with their vibrant strokes, magnificently added to the sanctuary’s heavenly glow. It seemed to me the monastery wore its finest robe, clothed in God’s creation, with flowers as nature's hymns of praise.
The garden's bounty this year reminds me of the beauty God sows in our hearts and the joy we experience as a result. We too bloom in our own time and way in this life of prayer and contemplation according to the will of God. Our monastery grounds and within the enclosure felt like it was serenading us with every petal and leaf. I pray, that as our flowers bloom a beautiful and bountiful harvest, so too the love in our community and that God's creation beautify our inner garden.