FirstFruits - Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St

The Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph
Tehachapi, California USA
Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2012
“Year of Faith” 2012-2013
Issue 30
FirstFruits
“These were purchased as firstfruits for God and for the Lamb.” (See REVELATION 14:4)
Emmanuel
“God-with-Us”
- ISAIAH 7:14
“The Son of God
presents Himself as the Bridegroom-Messiah
come to seal the marriage of God with humanity;
in a wondrous exchange of love, which begins in the Incarnation,
comes to its summit of self-offering in the Passion,
and is forever given as gift in the Eucharist.”
- Verbi Sponsa, “Bride of the Word,” 4
Christmas at Prémontré: An allusion to the first profession at Prémontré and official founding of our Norbertine
Order on Christmas night 1121. The Bethlehem scene includes, in the foreground, our holy fathers—St. Norbert
(“Apostle of the Eucharist”) with his guardian angel and St. Augustine (“Doctor of Grace”). Surrounding the Blessed
Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus are (clockwise) St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, hovering angels, and other
Norbertine Saints. (Artist: Caspar de Crayer, 1655, Averbode, Belgium)
“Cause of our Joy”
“ With the coming of the birthday of the Redeemer,
the Church would bring us to the cave of Bethlehem
and there teach that we must be born again and undergo a complete reformation:
that will only happen when we are intimately and vitally united to the Word of God made man
and participate in His divine nature, to which we have been elevated.”
- Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei, 155
Dear Parents, Confreres, Friends, Family and Benefactors,
Laudetur Jesus Chrisus in æternum. Amen!
“At the evening of life, you will be examined in love” [St. John of the Cross, “Sayings of Light and Love,” no. 57]. As St.
Augustine came to know with every fiber of his being, it all comes down to Love. True Love. It was this
Love that led the Son of God Himself to become the Babe of Bethlehem, so that banishing all fear from
our hearts, He might draw us to Himself in Love. In a world so deeply wounded, where souls are being
led away from Truth, it is only His Love than can heal us, unite us, transform us. When we are captured
by His Love, when we have had a deep experience of His Love, we joyfully echo in our hearts the words
of St. John: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” Our life is changed forever.
“Those who have truly encountered Christ are unable to keep silent about him” [Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the Seminarians
of the Venerable English College, December 3, 2012]. In this Year of Faith, may we all come to believe in and accept God’s
“Christ dwelt for nine months
in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb.
Love: For in these words, the Christian comes to “express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian
He dwells until the end of the ages
is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new
in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith.
horizon and a decisive direction” [Pope Benedict
He will dwell forever
To all of you
in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.” XVI, Deus Caritas est, 1].
who
are making our
With profound gratitude for your
- Bl. Isaac of Stella, Sermo 51
ongoing spiritual and material support,
convent expansion a reality:
this FirstFruits shares with you the recent General Chapter of our Order, as
well as reflections on our life as cloistered Norbertine canonesses. We also
include photos and an update about our convent expansion project, and a
report on the results of our fund-raising efforts, with abundant thanksgiving
to God and to you for helping us to reach the budget-goal for the project.
Following in the footsteps of our holy father, St. Augustine, and all of the
saints and holy souls who have gone before us, may our hearts burn with His
Divine Love. “Just as a small fire can set a whole forest ablaze [cf. James 3:5], so the
faithful testimony of a few can release the purifying and transforming power of God’s
love so that it spreads like wildfire throughout a community or a nation. [L]et your
hearts burn with love for Christ, for the Church and for the Mass” [Pope Benedict XVI,
Thank you!
Address to the Seminarians of the Venerable English College].
Prayerfully and gratefully in the Burning Heart of our Newborn King,
“The chief motivation for your sharing life together
is to live harmoniously in the house, and to have one heart and one soul seeking God.”
- Opening chapter of the Rule of St. Augustine, I.2; see ACTS 4:32
What does our convent expansion provide for us?
• First and foremost, space for more holy vocations...
the building, in combination with the existing renovated
ranch house, provides living and working space for up to
48 sisters (that is, women who give themselves totally to
God in lives of prayer and sacrifice, interceding for the
needs of the Church and the world throughout the day
and night, all for His honor and glory, and the salvation
of souls)
• Second, a healthy sleeping environment...
the dormitories on the top floor replace the sisters’
three used, leaking, deteriorating and damaged modular
trailers
• Third, additional means of self-sufficiency...
October 28, 2012
ABOVE: Our most recent community photo taken in our newly constructed enclosed garden (or “garth”)
beside a statue of our holy patron St. Joseph represented under his title “St Joseph, the Worker.”
the expansion building contains two approved
professional kitchens, enabling the sisters to sell their
artisan cheeses to the public, and their specialty biscotti
and jams at venues outside the convent
“THE purpose of our canonical, God-dedicated life is the radical engagement of our total human existence
under the influence of the Holy Spirit to work in our inner life
to become more and more uniform with our Master and Savior Jesus Christ,
so that we can, like Him, give our life for others,
for the confreres in our community, for the people in our Church and in our society.”
From Fr. Abbot General Thomas Handgrätinger, Closing Remarks
[Citing Conf. John Eudes Bamberger, Thomas Merton. Mönch und Kontemplativer]
General Chapter 2012
International Meeting of the Norbertine Order
Convened at St. Norbert’s College, De Pere, Wisconsin USA
• July 22 - August 4, 2012
ABOVE, RIGHT: Francis Cardinal George was the principal celebrant of the opening Mass
Photo Courtesy of St. Norbert’s Abbey
What is a General Chapter?
The General Chapter is the supreme governing authority of the Norbertine Order, serving as both a fraternal and a juridical forum. It convenes every six years,
gathering prelates (abbots) and delegates from the various houses of Norbertines worldwide, for the principal purpose of giving expression to and promoting “the
bond of charity, the unity and the charismatic vitality of the entire Order” [Constitutions of the Canons Regular of Prémontré, n. 186]. Bl. Hugh of Fosses, St. Norbert’s successor
as abbot of Premontre, chose this structure as the means of unifying into one Norbertine Order the various houses of canons that St. Norbert had founded. Seeking
to ensure unity of direction in the Order and fidelity to the charism of St. Norbert, while safeguarding the autonomy and particular emphases of each canonry, he
chose to model the structure of our Order after the “the middle way” of Citeaux’s Charter of Charity. Bl. Hugh convened the first General Chapter in 1128, only
seven years after the first profession at Premontre on Christmas 1121, attended by the abbots of the first six foundations.
LEFT: The General Chapter participants meet in
the “aula.” CENTER: Mother Mary Augustine and
Sr. Mary John Paul with our Pater Abbas Eugene
Hayes, Abbot of St. Michael’s Abbey, Orange, and
(left to right) Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Alphonsus Mary, our
Provost, and Fr. Stephen, as well as with Fr. Roman
Vanasse, O. Praem. of DePere, and Fr. Martin, also
of Orange.
(1)
(4)
(2)
(3)
Recent Visits
from Our International
Confreres and Consoeurs
(1) Sr. Roberta, Mother Hermana, Mother General, and Sr.
Akvina from the Slovak congregation of active sisters
(2) Sr. Alberta, Prioress, and Sr. Augustina, Novice Mistress,
from the canonry of Doksany, Czech Republic
(3) Fr. Dominique from Sant’Antimo, Italy (right), with our
Fr. Theodore from St. Michael’s Abbey, Orange
(4) From left to right: Fr. Abbot Bruno, and Fr. Prior Benoit,
both of the Abbey of Leffe, Belgium; Fr. Berthold of
the Abbey of Geras, Austria; our Fr. Martin from St.
Michael’s Abbey, Orange; Fr. Abbot Paul, Abbot Emeritus
of Tongerlo, Belgium; and Fr. Hugues, Sub-Prior, also of
Leffe, Belgium
The Norbe
To follow Christ radically by renouncing property and mat
in order that we might live the Vita Apostolica in fraternal comm
“ Dear Friends,
— cf. Constitutions of the Cano
The Church becomes visible in many ways: in charitable action, in mission projects,
in the personal apostolate that every Christian must carry out in his own walk of life.
However, the
place in which she is fully experienced as Church is in the liturgy;
it is the act in which we believe that God enters our reality
and we can encounter Him, we can touch Him.
It is the act in which we come into contact with God:
He comes to us and we are illuminated by Him.”
[Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, October 3, 2012]
What is the Sacred Liturgy?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Sacred Liturgy is “a participation
in Christ’s own prayer addressed to the Father in the Holy Spirit,” [n. 1073] and the Second Vatican
Council declared that the Sacred Liturgy is the “the summit towards which the Church’s action
tends and at the same time the source from which comes all her strength” [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10].
Always our Head and High Priest, Christ continues His work of praise on earth through His
Mystical Body, the Church, first and foremost in her public worship of the Sacred Liturgy. In
the Holy Mass, His saving sacrifice is truly made present, and the whole day is caught up in this
worship by means of the seven canoncial hours of the Divine Office, using the very words God
Himself gave us in the inspired psalms. The Liturgy is the highest and most efficacious prayer [cf. SC, 7],
then, for its heart is the sacrifice that saved us, and it is the prayer not merely of individuals, but of the whole Church
together with her Divine Bridegroom, Who always merits to be heard. Those to whom the Church has entrusted this
task act as her ambassadors before the throne of God, speaking in the name of the Church and her Spouse, glorifying
Him and presenting to Him the needs of all. Through this mission, an abundance of graces is poured out upon the
whole world.
What is a Canoness Regular?
Canons and canonesses regular are members of religious communities to whom Holy Mother Church
has particularly entrusted the public and solemn celebration of her own prayer, the Sacred Liturgy.
We follow Christ especially
in His work of glorifying
the Father, lending our
“At f ixed hours of the day and night,
voices to Him and to His
they assemble in the sacred temple, not merely to chant the Divine Office
entire Mystical Body, so
without modulation ... but to sing the whole of it ‘viva et rotunda voce’ - in
that Heaven’s eternal
lifelike, molded tones - according to the very ancient Gregorian melodies of
canticle may resound also
their choir books... How should God Who is so merciful, fail to grant the
on earth. For this purpose,
prayers of those who thus raise their voices to Him in behalf of the Church
we dedicate ourselves at
and of sinners who need conversion?” [Pope Pius XI, 1924, Umbratilem]
profession to an individual
church of our Order.
The term “regular”
comes from the Latin word
for rule, “regula,” and is
applied to canons and
canonesses who follow
the Rule of St. Augustine,
unlike “secular canons,”
who do not profess the
religious vow of poverty.
Canonical orders are also
noted for their orientation
toward the apostolate.
Choir photo taken the First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 2012
St. Augustine presents his Rule to St.
who holds the white habi
What do you d
Our ho
(or Sc
12:00 am
Midnight praye
6:00 am
Morning prayer
6:30 am
Martyrology &
7:15 am
Adoration of th
& Mid-mor
8:20 am
Benediction
8:30 am
The Holy Sacri
10:00 am
Work, Class, or
11:45 am
Mid-day prayer
1:00 pm
Mid-afternoon
1:30 pm
Grand Silence
2:30 pm
Work, Class, or
5:15 pm
Evening prayer
5:45 pm
Lectio Divina
6:30 pm
Supper, follwed
8:00 pm
Night prayer (C
9:00 pm
“Lights Out”
“Seven times a day I praise
[PSALM
ertine
Virgin Most Faithful
Propositum:
trimony, dedicating ourselves to our churches by profession of the vows,
munion, following in the footsteps of our holy Fathers Augustine and Norbert.
onesses Regular of the Order of Prémontré, n. 19
Why the cloister?...
& What about the Apostolic Life?
A similar question might be: why the heart? We can’t see it, and its quiet beating
generally goes unnoticed. We can’t use it to nurse the sick, to teach the young...yet
we all know that the moment it stops pumping blood throughout the body, all
other activity ceases. It is hidden away deep inside our body precisely to protect and
preserve its indispensible function. So it is with the cloister, which seeks to protect and
preserve the hidden yet indispensible work of prayer and sacrifice that constitutes the soul
of the apostolate, by means of which the invisible and yet vital graces are pumped to
every member of the Mystical Body in all corners of the world, sustaining the work
of the missionary, the preacher, the teacher and nurse. The grill, the enclosure, the
silence and separation from the noise and activity of the world all exist to foster the
radical pursuit of union with the Beloved, the Divine Spouse, and in this union
we in turn find ourselves opened ever more fully to the needs and hopes of all our
brothers and sisters. This life of sacrifice and prayer, especially liturgical prayer, is
our apostolate: tremendously powerful, hidden and interior though it be! We could
speak of the public nature of our liturgies, in which the faithful are invited to come
and be formed and transformed by Christ, of the apsotolate of our guesthouse, in which souls are invited to come away for a
while and rest in their God, of the ministry of corresponding with those who ask for our prayers, but to focus on particular
works would be to miss the point. Pope John Paul II said, “As an expression of pure love which is worth more than any work, the
contemplative life generates an extraordinary apostolic and missionary effectiveness” [Vita Consecrata, 59]. And who can discount the
witness of a life lived totally for God, so completely fulfilled and confident in His love that walls cannot contain it nor silence
mute it: a life that pierces already by faith through the heavens to the invisible realities, crying out that union with God is
both the true happiness and the eternal destiny of everyone who will accept His love?
“ We all need repentance, and we all need conversion.”
— Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., “Renewing the Church and Her MIssion in a Year of Faith,” November 16, 2012
May we have the courage to allow ourselves to be transformed ever more and more by the love of God, Who first
loved us while we were enemies, and called us out of our sins to be united in love to Himself and our neighbor. We
are glad to be able to share with you this inspiring letter of one soul’s repentance and conversion, passed on to us
by our friend Mr. “X”.
. Norbert, accompanied by Our Lady,
it of our Norbertine Order
do all day?
orarium
er (Matins)
r (Lauds) & Angelus
Chapter
he Blessed Sacrament
rning prayer (Terce)
ifice of the Mass
r Study
r (Sext), Angelus & Rosary
prayer (None)
- prayer, rest, exercise, etc.
r Study
r (Vespers) & Angelus
d by Recreation
Compline)
e you for your just decrees...”
119:164]
Photo by R. Belcher
chedule)
Dear Mr. “X”,
My name is Joe. I have been thinking about you for some years now because of something I did well over 30 years
ago. I have always been a liar and a thief, as well as many other unsavory things, and finally, the Truth has caught up
with me and I am attempting to put dark things into the light. I have lived as a wretched soul, seeing people as means
to my own ends and doing so with such deceitful sweetness that I have fooled most people who know me into thinking
that I am a “good guy.” This happens to not be the case.
I don’t remember the date, just that it was in the 70’s. I was prowling around your neighborhood at some godforsaken hour and I opened your car door and stole a bag with camera equipment in it. I don’t remember exactly what
was in it, just some black boxes, lenses perhaps, flashes and I don’t know what else. Maybe you remember exactly what
was in it. I didn’t need it, and I didn’t want it. I was just a self-centered, self-gratifying kid bringing down the moral
value of your neighborhood.
I am a day late and a dollar short. If I were to make amends for such a senseless criminal act, the time to do that
would have been many decades ago. Such is the nature of my cowardice. I don’t know if this is even possible, but I write
to you today to confess to what I have done to you, to tell you that I am so very sorry for violating your private property
and stealing from you, that I am thoroughly ashamed of myself, to beg for your forgiveness, and to ask you if there is any
way that I can make amends for such a disrespectful act from so long ago.
I don’t know what to do except to apologize for what I have done and to tell you that I couldn’t be more ashamed
of myself. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I would be eternally grateful, and if not, I completely understand
and hope you will let me make it up to you materially. You deserve restitution and to know that I am sincerely ashamed
and humiliated by the awareness of the truth of my actions.
I think I have tracked down your phone number and I will give you a call at some point to see if you have thought
of a way that I can make it up to you or to let you give me a piece of your mind for this offense from so long ago. Or
perhaps, I will send you my email address.
You and your family remain in my prayers, Mr. “X”.
Sincerely, Joe
“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good
[PSALM
“If the Lord does not build the hou
Our Convent Expansion
Project Funding Update/Report
[cf. PSAL
Dear Family, Friends, & Benefactors,
Thank you for helping us
to meet our budget-goal of
$3.0M
$3 Million !
Your donations during 2012 of over $1.3M,
combined with your prior donations
and income earned by the Sisters
(total previously-reserved funds of $1.7M)
helped us reach our budget-goal of $3M.
$2.0M
$1.0M
May God reward you!
We are blessed to share with you this funding
update/report for our convent expansion project.
Official fund-raising for the project began after the
groundbreaking and blessing on March 30, 2012,
at which our Bishop, His Excellency Armando X.
Ochoa, presided. Remaining faithful to our vocation,
we engaged in efforts consistent with our clois­tered
way of life, including appeals in our May and August
2012 FirstFruits news­letters, grant proposals and
inquiries, introducing PayPal to our website, and
individual e-mails and letters, putting our trust in
Divine Providence to provide what we really need.
PHOTO by R. BELCHER
Three significant donations received in October,
including an anonymous gift of $600,000, enabled
us to give “NTP” (notice to proceed) for Phases II and
III of the building, just as the deadlines approached.
Additionally, we received a $300,000 grant from the
Dan Murphy Foundation (Los Angeles) in November,
which will enable us to complete the building, as
well as other project-related needs such as retaining
walls, fire department requirements for the access
road/driveway and parking areas, wall and floor
finishes, and furniture, fixtures and equipment (and
additional cheese aging room requirements which
were not anticipated). We are deeply grateful for such
expressions of love and confidence in our cloistered
Norbertine way of life.
PHOTO by TRICORP HEARN
In addition to
her herding
duties,
our puppy
“Winnie”
inspects the
plans and the
progress of the
building !
september 7, 2012
our two modular dormitories
existing converted
ranch house
With God’s grace, we hope that the building will
be ready for occupancy mid-February, if the weather
continues to be mild, for which we are also grateful.
“garth”
joists
above
basement
september 22, 2012
the three modular trailers which have served as
our two dormitories and novitiate since 2000
the expansion building
existing converted
ranch house
Bethany
guest house
d; for His steadfast love endures forever.”
M 136:1]
use, in vain do the builders labor.”
LM 127:1]
“Daisy”
our cow
Recent Developments
september 7, 2012
Mid-November, we received additional requirements
from the government agency for our milk barn and
milk house (not included in our budget-goal); we are
awaiting further specifications and an estimated cost. These
requirements will not affect the completion of our convent
expansion building or its occupancy, but they will
preclude the production of our farmstead and artisan
cheeses, an important element of our efforts toward
self-sufficiency, until they can be met.
We join you in giving thanks to God, who never
disappoints those who put their trust in Him,
and we ask your continued prayers for us and
our future endeavors, including the purchase
of our land (for which we will still need to
raise money), the next step in our efforts
toward increased self-sustainability.
Sisters tour the structure
october 3, 2012
septic system
Donations via Check or PayPal
Your tax-deductible* monetary gift, of whatever amount, will continue to
make a difference in our lives, or perhaps you know someone who may be
interested:
trusses
october 10, 2012
1. Make checks to: “Norbertine Sisters” (Memo: “Expansion & Land Fund”)
2. Donate via PayPal on our website: www.norbertinesisters.org
for on-line credit card donations to our building expansion/land project.
stairwell
* We are a 510(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
october 23, 2012
november 11, 2012
roofing
the expansion building is “dried -in” (waterproof !)
enclosed garden (or “garth”)
Please provide
us your e-mail
address to
help us save on
printing costs
by permitting
us to send you
our newsletters
and other
correspondence
by e-mail.
Divine Providence arranges
for an unexpected donation
of stained glass.
THE Norbertine Canonry OF THE BETHLEHEM PRIORY OF ST. Joseph
17831 Water Canyon Road
Tehachapi, CA 93561-7686 USA
NON PROFIT
U.S. Postage
PAID
Bakersfield, CA
Permit #110
Thank you!
Deo gratias!
Sacred Vestments
“... in the face of the widespread need
to get away from the daily routine
of sprawling urban areas in search of
places conducive to silence and meditation,
monasteries of contemplative life offer themselves
as ‘oases’ in which human beings, pilgrims on
earth, can draw more easily from the wellsprings
of the Spirit and quench their thirst along the
way. Thus, these apparently useless places are
on the contrary indispensible, like the green
‘lungs’ of a city: they do everyone good, even
those who do not visit them and may not even
know of their existence.”
If you are interested in purchasing
our vestments made by the sisters
(BELOW), please contact us at:
(661) 823-1066 or
e-mail at MotherMaryA@aol.com
Thank You!
May God reward you all
for your ongoing support
of our annual Christmas
wreath fundraiser.
Our best year ever...
over 1160 sold!
[Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Message November 19, 2006]
- Bethany Guest House -
Sharing with you the Norbertine charism of
prayer and hospitality
For parents
visiting
from afar,
for those
discerning
religious
vocations,
for anyone
seeking
a time of
more intense prayer and solitude...it’s for you.
(Day visits and overnight stays are possible.)
Call now to schedule your visit and for details
(weather, dress, etc.): (661) 823-1066
Our pack
of Great
Pyrenees
go on their
afternoon
promenade.
The Norbertine Sisters’
Monastery Gift Shop
After relocating
our four hives,
our bees are
once again
producing
honey. We
wrap them in
black tar paper
to absorb the
sun’s heat and
help defend
them against
our cold
winters.
Welcome to our gift shop.
Our hours are: 10:00-11:30am & 2:30-5:00pm every day
except Friday, when we close at 4:15 p.m.
Our inventory includes religious goods & books;
home-made biscotti, jam, honey, & apothecary items;
aprons, baptismal baby blankets;
& dried flower, calligraphy & other greeting cards.
Ask about our gift certificates
& prayer enrollment cards.
To find out more about our cloistered contemplative Norbertine way of life, to make prayer requests, to find out about our vestments, gift shop inventory and
hours, or Bethany Guest House, you are welcome to phone (661) 823-1066 or use our email accounts: pray_req@cybersurfers.net or MotherMaryA@aol.com.
(If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your message, please resend it or call.)
Also, please kindly assist us in updating our address and email database by sending us your current information!
Please check www.norbertinesisters.org for the downloadable version of this newsletter in color.
Thank you to all who make this newsletter possible! References are available upon request.
May God reward you for helping to build this first North American foundation of Norbertine canonesses!