Thursday, August 29, 2013

Welcome to the 2013/2014 CDN Experience


August 28th - Feast of St. Augustine

Structure, schedules, timetables, shared responsibility. The gift of St. Augustine to the Dominicans is structure, a common structure to wrap our common life around.  These first weeks at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate have been filled with establishing order out of chaos! We have worked on schedules for our common prayer, common meals, common chores, preaching, school, meeting with our directors, travel and leading the weekly days of reflection. We are living into the daily structure of our lives, which includes morning contemplation, morning prayer, study, ministry, evening prayer, meal preparation and sharing. If we’re lucky there are actually a few spare moments for recreation.

Amidst all the busyness though, God’s voice gently continues to invite. When all the imposed order erupts in chaos, as it is wont to do, there is God saying, “Remember me?’ This entire year is geared toward helping me discern if this is the life to which God is calling me.  If I do not welcome the chaos within the order I’m afraid I will miss that still, small voice leading me to God’s deepest desire for me. So, thank you St. Augustine for giving us a structure on which to pattern this common life and thank you God for keeping it real!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Summer Updates

Just to keep you updated on where we are at...

Renee has decided not to continue in the discernment process with the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and has returned to her home in Connecticut.

Sr. Adela recently made her first profession with the Adrian Dominican Sisters.  (Pictures and article can be found here:  http://www.adriandominicans.org/WhatsHappening/AdrianDominicanNews/AdrianDominicanNewsView/tabid/816/ArticleId/1342/Sister-Adela-Langa-Makes-First-Profession-of-Vows.aspx)  She will be serving at Barry University in the Mission Effectiveness department.

Sr. Jenn recently participated in the International Dominican Youth Movement conference in Bogota, Colombia.  (Reflections on that experience can be found here:  http://www.opblauvelt.org/2013/07/where-is-the-novitiate/)  She is continuing with the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt as a second-year novice while serving as an Assistant Chaplain at Yale University. 

The new group of novices will be arriving at the CDN soon.  Please pray for each of them as they begin their transition time in the novitiate.  We thank all of our readers for your prayers this past year.