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Holy Week Vocational Discernment Retreat 2002
Holy Week at the Mother House of the Daughters of St. Paul.
What a wonderful way to celebrate the Easter Triduum and
experience the beauty of the Pauline religious life! That's exactly
what 14 young women did this year from March 27th through
April 1st. Our Pauline community opened its doors and
its heart to young retreatants from California, Arizona, Texas,
New Hampshire, Georgia, Connecticut, and, more locally, Massachusetts.
We want to share with you some of the highlights of this year's
Holy Week Retreat and ask for your prayers for these young
women as they continue to pray and discern where the Lord is calling
them to make a gift of their lives in love!
The Holy Week Retreat offered the young women many times
of prayer. Holy Thursday in particular we spent in Eucharistic Adoration
until midnight, staying with Jesus as did his apostles in the Garden
of Gethsemane.
On Good Friday we gathered around the crucifix and shared together
how the Lord's love has personally touched our lives. That evening
we joined the entire community and prayed the Stations of the Cross.
Through song, readings from Scripture, and clips from various movies,
we contemplated Jesus as he lives his passion and death even today.
The young women took part in classes on vocational discernment,
prayer, the Pauline charism, and media literacy.
Speaking with the sisters, as well as the postulants and novices,
gave the young women an opportunity to hear the personal experiences
of those who have already responded to the Master's call.
The young women toured our publishing house, radio, audio and video
studios, and visited our Pauline Books & Media Center in Dedham,
Massachusetts.
The young women had an opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of
Reconciliation on Holy Saturday, and joined in a community Easter
tradition of decorating paschal lambs.
Holy Saturday evening we celebrated the Easter Vigil, a particularly
beautiful liturgy in which we listen to the story of salvation in
7 readings from the Old Testament, proclaim the resurrection, and
renew our own baptismal vows. The novices and sisters prepare the
chapel and the music. Lilies and bright flowers brighten the sanctuary.
The liturgy is enriched with beautiful music with the sisters playing
many instruments, including the organ, piano, synthesizer, flute,
oboe, trumpet and timpani. Much love and talent on the part of the
whole community is brought together to prepare for this liturgy.
Pictured above are the branches laden with pink and yellow flowers
handmade by our Holy Week retreatants. These branches were placed
above a running spring in the corner of the sanctuary. The water
in the spring reminds us of our baptism and our new life in the
risen Savior.
The Easter Celebration draws us closer together as a religious
family. We truly enjoyed opening our hearts and our homes to the
young women who came to share in our life these days!
Join us in praying that this Easter Season will be an abundant
time of light and grace for those who seek to listen to and follow
the Lord's call.
If the Holy Week Retreat or other vocational discernment
experience is of interest to you, contact Sr. Margaret Michael
for more information on upcoming discernment programs at vocations@pauline.org.
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