Our new novice foursome was completed on July 3rd as the final investment day arrived after MUCH anticipation – not to mention prayers, supplications and much ‘asking, seeking & knocking’ from these faithful sisters! One of the most climactic moments in a young nun’s life is the timeless span of seconds before receiving her new name. This agonizing time carries a special excitement as the new novice anxiously awaits to hear the name God has given her! During the investment ceremony our full-fledged postulants have their hair sheared. Then they slowly begin to resemble a PCPA as they are clothed piece by piece. These are inspiring moments for all as we recognize that this transformation is both a fulfillment and a promise of God’s abundant grace. Catching a glimpse of the young women’s parents as they see their once ‘little girl’ becoming a new person in Christ is unforgettable. She is not becoming a ‘Mrs. ___’, but Sister ____! Such ceremonies, like weddings, never get ‘old’ in monastic life. We now have sisters with new names, new patronesses, new grace, and a new leg of their journey to follow. They would tell you that despite the routines characteristic of this particular calling, theirs is no boring life. Since their big days, their new habits have been christened by plum juice stains in the canning room, a rousing water balloon fight on the 4th, and the usual rendezvous with the mop bucket or dust rag! When you are about to set out on your own travels to work, vacation, or a summer reunion, please remember these novices in your prayers – may God fulfill the great work He has begun in them! Bottom: Sr. Jeanette Marie of Divine Love & Sr. Chiara Marie of Jesus, True Light. Top: Sr. Edith Marie of Our Lady, Ark of the Covenant & Sr. Maria Maris Stella of the Holy Spirit.
