Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia 801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228 www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org
“My God, my Saviour, I adore Thy Sacred Heart, for that heart is the seat and source of all Thy tenderest human affections for us sinners… It did beat for us. It yearned over us. It ached for us, and for our salvation. It was on fire through zeal, that the glory of God might be manifested in and by us. It is the channel through which has come to us all Thy overflowing human affection, all Thy Divine Charity towards us. O most Sacred symbol and Sacrament of Love, divine and human, in its fullness, Thou didst save me by Thy divine strength, and Thy human affection.” Blessed John Henry Newman Meditations, 412
June 2014 Dear Friends, From the Ascension of our Lord to the Feast of the Sacred Heart, this month of solemnities provides a rich feast for meditation on the unconditional love of God and its power to transform our lives. We pray that these celebrations will reveal to you God’s particular love for you and draw you more deeply into his self-giving way of love. In Christ, The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia
Recommended Reading
A Sister’s Reflection “For God so loved the world that He sent his only Son…” John 3:16 Among the wounds our Lord endured, it is his pierced side which draws us to reflect on the mystery of his Sacred Heart, wounded for love of us. Religious symbolism allows us to ponder the depths of God’s love depicted in the image of the heart of Christ.
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These Three Hearts by Margaret Yeo In this book, Blessed Claude de la Columbiere and Saint Margaret Mary come into sharp relief against the backdrop of their personal and historical circumstances. As a young Jesuit, Father Claude gained renown in France as a preacher of eloquence and piety, as well as a tutor of great skill. Margaret Mary Alacoque lived the epitome of a hidden life, entering a Visitation convent to follow the voice of her only love, the Heart of Christ. These two religious were united in their devotion to Jesus, who entrusted to them the revelation of his Sacred Heart. Margaret Yeo weaves their stories together with simplicity and faithfulness. Often quoting letters and sermons, she allows the truth, more stunning than fiction, to inspire her readers to follow these two hearts to the Heart of Christ.
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, teach me an entire forgetfulness of self, for this is the only way to enter into You. Work Your Will in me, Lord. I oppose it, I know, but I wish not to oppose it. Divine Heart of Jesus Christ, You must do everything.”
The Sacred Heart reveals that God loves us with a love capable of changing our lives. The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. From the heart of Christ divine love fills the world, teaching us to exercise our human capacity to love with purity, simplicity, joy and perseverance. During the course of this month, the Church celebrates a number of mysteries of our faith which are centered in divine love. June began with the solemnity of the Ascension and Christ’s loving promise to be with us always through the gift of the Spirit. On Pentecost, we witnessed the Love between the Father and Son poured out upon the Church in the Person of the Holy Spirit; and on Trinity Sunday, we celebrated the origin and essence of Love Itself. Christ’s miraculous presence of self-giving love, which abides with us in sacramental form, was celebrated on Corpus Christi. The feast of the Sacred Heart offers us a sweet invitation to dwell always in the warmth and radiance of Christ’s burning love. At the center of our faith, these mysteries allow us to know the love of God, who has a human face. The saints of June are men and women inflamed with the same love of Christ, who lived that love in the midst of particular concrete realities. The manifestations of Christ’s Sacred Heart vary from the innocent purity of Aloysius Gonzaga to the keen wit of the sixteenth century English lawyer and martyr, Thomas More. The fiery and fierce love of the pillars of the Church, Peter and Paul, was enkindled by the same love which inspired the blessed women Diana, Cecilia and Amata to leave all behind and follow Christ in the early days of the Dominican Order. Zeal for Christ led St. Romuald to dedicated solitude in a hermitage in Italy, and drove the twentieth century Spanish Saint Josemaría Escriva to teach the universal call to holiness and the sanctification of daily life. Two thousand years ago the pierced side of Christ leading to his Heart seemed to be a sign of Christ’s death. In reality, however, the wound leading to the Sacred Heart opens to us the truth of the undying love of God, poured out in the heart of his Son.
Vocation Retreat
In May, Father James Junipero Moore, OP, led the 5-day Vocation Retreat for 24 young women who came to the Motherhouse from across the country and even as far as Brazil. Father Moore used his extensive knowledge of and love for sacred music in his conferences on Dominican life and spirituality, the Divine Office, and the Blessed Mother. The retreatants entered into our prayer schedule, visited with our retired sisters, toured the schools, and recreated with the Novitiate.
Kentucky Pilgrimage
The postulants and novices made a pilgrimage to historic Dominican sites in Kentucky, visiting the Motherhouse of Saint Catharine and the Priory of Saint Rose as well as the Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown.
Vacation Bible School
Throughout the months of June and July, the Sisters are assisting with week-long Vacation Bible School programs in parishes across the country. The Sisters will travel across Tennessee, to Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, and Arizona to share with young people the joy of the Gospel message.
Summer Travels
The Sisters are also assisting at conferences, retreats, and other vocation events: May 23- 31 Totus Tuus Training, Alabama June 1-3 Totus Tuus Training, Illinois June 2-5 Alaska Youth Conference June 9-13/ July 7-11 Camp Joy, Tennessee June 15-21 Christ Power Retreat, Missouri June 16-20 Vocation Awareness, Texas June 20-22 Steubenville Conference, Louisiana June 21-27 Totus Tuus, South Dakota June22-25 Vocation Camp, Georgia June 23-26 Rock Your Faith, Indiana June 29-July 4 Leadership Camp, Ontario June 30-July 7 Ecclesia, North Dakota June 30-July 11 Classical Summer Camp, Alabama July 6-13 Camp Wojtyla, Colorado July 8-11FIAT, Maryland July 10-13 Ignite Your Torch, Kentucky July 12-17 FIAT, Virginia July 14-19 Lifeteen Camp, Georgia July 22-24 Girls’ Camp, New York July 31-August 3 Ignite your Torch, Washington
Summer Studies During the summer, Novitiate Sisters take a variety of theology and philosophy classes, including Christology, Ecclesiology, Ethics, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Mariology.
Study Breaks Above: Sisters studying at Saint Charles Borromeo went for a hike in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon State Park. Left: Sisters studying at the Dominican House of Studies make frequent visits to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and once took a trip to Baltimore and enjoyed the sites along the harbor.