"It is...Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as 'profane novelties of words,' out of harmony with both truth and justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole rejected: 'This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved' (Athanasian Creed). There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it is quite enough for each one to proclaim 'Christian is my name and Catholic my surname,' only let him endeavour to be in reality what he calls himself." -- Pope Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum 24 (1914)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Traditional Sisters

March 06, 2011


PHOTOS: Open House of Our Lady of Ephesus Priory in Gower, MO

There was an open house today at the Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus, the new home of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles near Gower, Missouri.  Below are photographs of the day.



A good crowd of about 400 came to see the new priory.
 

The photos appear in no particular order.  Here is an old sewing machine, inherited from a different community, that the sisters use to make vestments.  The making of vestments, as shown below, is one way the sisters sustain their community.

Smaller than a room, bigger than a closet, the sisters live in "cells," as shown above.

An example of the needle craft the sisters use in the creation of priestly vestments.

Another example.

The sisters keep different colors of thread in these cabinets, ones that once served as part of the card catalogue at Conception Abbey.
 
A vestment, a chasuble, nearing completion.


A wider view of the sisters' sewing space.



Projects in middle stages.

March is muddy in Missouri's rural areas.  Here is a cloister within a cloister. 

A sacristy cabinet.

A view of the sisters' chapel.


The office.

The confessional. 

The confessor's earthly tools.

A crucifix in the library area.

A hallway in the priory.

A photograph of a guest's room taken from the hallway.



The library.

More of the library.

The exterior.

Two sisters who are birth sisters, entertain a young visitor.

"Hey, Sister, it's my turn.  Her nickname is my birth name, afterall."



Mother Cecilia, the prioress of the community, talks to another young visitor.



Another exterior shot.
 
In the building's anteroom, Saint Benedict took it all in stride, his order lasting 1,500 years or so.
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