in the last twelve months...

Hello dear friends and people I don't know. I'd like to start with a blanket apology for my lack of contribution to SisterBloggers... I really haven't lived up to the title of "contributor" at all!!

Since shutting down my personal blog (the nun thing) I haven't been around the blogosphere much although I am mindful of my friends ands sisters here and hold you in prayer from time to time.

I just thought I'd give a brief update on my life over the last year and invite you to do the same.

As you can see it's been close to a year since we've heard from anyone and I know I'd like a little update from whoever is out there and feels inclined. It doesn't have to be long or detailed, just the view from where you're at now.

In the last twelve months I've been living a much more geographically settled life as a novice sister. After six months of permanent transitition I landed in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney) for a solid year of novitiate study and life. It's an incredibly beautiful place with plenty of bushwalks and stunning scenery around which I've loved exploring. Personally though the biggest gift of the year has been a deepening relationship with God and a more persoanl relationship with Jesus. That's been a challenging and at times painful journey but one of incredible gace and privelege.

My favourite realisation about God and me this year has been coming to the strong sense that

God wants to be for me what Spring is for a cherry tree

(which is apparently a thought of the Sufi mystic Rumi, though I haven't been able to find the quote!)

End of January Round Up

It's almost the end of January. What's going on in Sister Blogger Land?

A Nun's Life has great explanations of the differences between extern sisters, lay sisters and choir sisters.

Baya Thread shares a beautiful prayer for life.

Sister Sisters are the topic of the day at the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt Blog.

They're baking bread at the Monastery of St Gertrude.

OP Preach is celebrating the arrival of two candidates - a "Set".

Learn about the unique 83 year old Sister who got phone calls from Bono at The Life of a New Sister.


If I missed your blog and you'd like to tell us what's going on in your neck of the woods, feel free to use the comment box below!

It's a new year in Sister Blogger land ...

As the title of the post says, it's a new year in Sister Blogger Land. And I hope, in 2009, to actually update this page more than once in a blue moon! So, I give you my very belated Sister Blogger Roundup!

This is where I visit a random selection of our member blogs and give you a 2 second version of what's going on so you're inspired to visit them!

A Nun's Life is discussing the movie Doubt, with special guest stars, the Sisters of Charity!

Colwich Novitiate blog has had a change of personnel.

Light through Stained Glass Windows shares links to a variety of benedictine publications.

Monastics on a Journey is on an Elvis kick.

Seeking Sophie is looking forward to 2009 and hoping one highlight is her acceptance to the community! (February will be here before you know it!!!)

Ok, so that's not a complete round up, but it's a start!!!

Peace,
Susan Rose, CSJP

Welcome new members

First of all, I owe a HUGE apology to the bloggers I am about to mention, because it has taken me 3-6 months to activate your membership in Sister Bloggers. My only excuse is that I was busy finishing the Novitiate, making my first profession of vows and beginning active ministry, all the while trying to keep my own blog up to date. Moderator responsibilities have been on the back burner, but I hope during the new year to do a better job!

Now, on to business! Please welcome and visit our newest Sister Blogger members:

• Life at the Monastery of St. Getrude
• Sisters of the Holy Family
• Windows to the Soul
• Domincan Sisters of Blauvelt

SisterBlogger Summer

It's summer .... what are the SisterBloggers (and discerningtobeSisterBloggers) up to??

Failte celebrated with some Sisters and is praying for patients on her discernment journey.

Baya Clare, CSJ is humming along and checking out beautiful scenery!

Susan, OSB shares her 4th of July thoughts

Edith, OSB wonders where all the buttons (and common fashion sense) have gone!

Vicky, OSB celebrates the day their first sisters arrived in 1852 (on July 4 no less!)

Susan, CSJP (yes that's me, but I also had to break the OSB theme!) was just accepted to profess first vows in October.

Sr. Anne is having a face-off with Facebook.

Sophie's Daughter is energized!

Sister Christer is preparing for a new ministry in the fall.

Sister Nicole is making up for lost time after her vows celebrations.

Happy Summer!

Welcome Sr. Julie

My friend Sister Julie (who I've never met in person but MUST meet some day!) has joined our Sister Blogger club. Her blog is A Nun's Life ... it's awesome.

Welcome Julie!

This Week In Sister Blogger Land

Yes .... it's a roundup. Hope I didn't shock you with this infrequent event!!!

This week in Sister Blogger Land ...

Ann is working on going to mass more often - and going to bed earlier so she's up early enough!

Newest SisterBlogger Failte had a run in with a bat. Eeek!

Contemplative woman is musing about the horarium and a dear friend of the monastery who has passed away. (Fr. George was also one of my teachers during my intercommunity novitiate program - he will be missed!)

Sister Vicki and her community are holding a vigil with one of their sisters who is on her final journey.

Susan at Musings of a Discerning Woman (hey that's me!) just sent her letter requesting to profess temporary vows.

Sr. Anne shares a bit about St. Barnabas.

Sandy is pondering the millennial generation.

Sarah is getting into the groove of novitiate.

And Nicole is on retreat preparing for vows!!!

Lot's happening in SisterBlogger land - that's for sure!

Peace.

more new members

Introducing .....

Failte (blogging at Answering the Call): "I'm a busy lady trying to make time to walk & play with her 1 1/2 yr old husky/lab mix and study everything she can on early church beliefs, while trying to discern if I'm being called to a vocation within the church."

The Desert Pilgrim: "A journey in the Desert with St. Antony of Egypt, St. John Cassian, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and all whose hearts long for that place of solitude and prayer with our Lord Jesus Christ. + + + "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy Name, and to the remembrance of Thee." Isaiah 26:8 + + +"

Welcome!!!

New Members

Please welcome our two new Sister Blogger members:

Baya Clare, SJ is blogging at BayaThread: "For the beauty of Earth, for the oppressed of the world: may we not lose sight.

Betsy is blogging at Not All Habits are Bad: "I'm a 23 year old college student, studying Physical Therapy, who for the past 3 years has been discerning her call from God to become a religious sister (nun) in the Catholic Church." ~ What a great blog name Betsy!

Welcome to you both!!

G'day, g'day!

Hello!
Since Susan’s lovely welcome was such a long time ago I’m feeling a little sheepish about how long it’s taken me to pop in and post something. I’m sure all our SisterBloggers have been busy but here’s a little round-up to let you know what’s going on in the world of some (and apologies it can’t be all) Sisters-in-cyberspace.

• Abiding on the Fringes seems to have taken a decidedly anti-blogger approach by only letting wordpress registered people read the blog! Maybe it’s deliberate, but if it’s not “let us in! let us in!”
• Steph at An Unseen Hope is slowly getting back on the posting-wagon which is lovely to see. Although, if you faint at the sight of blood you might like to skip her most recent post – Steph’s been saving lives and has the photos’ to prove it!
• Cathy has been busy finding out about Worm Grunting. She’s been doing a whole lot of other stuff too but the worm grunting is a fascinating, and slightly disturbing thing!
• Anne is looking for a new job.
• At Flavour of the Month Claire Joy is reflecting on the nature of truth and balance, and the challenges of chasing either.
• From Where She Writes, Lisa is remembering Pope John Paul II and also Terri Schiavo
• Susan is sharing stories of Senator Hilary Clinton’s visit to Erie and making it to the print media in Faith Magazine
• Susan our SisterBloggers foundress is pondering being in the perfect place for her, now.
• Anne at Nunblog is considering who it was on the road to Emmaus
• Sandy at Nunsuch is celebrating the arrival of Spring as is our unnamed Sister at Peace Place. In Australia we’re just coming into Autumn so don’t be expecting anything like that from my end of the pool!
• After a beautiful first post Ashley at Pray.Seek.Live seems to have gone missing… hopefully to return soon!
• Seeking Something is building a fence (and knows so much about how it should be done I’m thinking she should fly over here to build mine!)
• At The Life of a New Sister, Nicole is excited about getting her approval to make first vows. Congratulations Nicole and may the preparation time be filled with many, many blessings!

A Delayed Revamping

Hello there folks ... sorry it's been so long since we've either a) updated the site or b) added those new members who have been patiently waiting. But we have exciting news ...

A New Look
(see the header above). I took the picture on retreat last summer at Wisdom House in Connecticut (run by the Daughters of Wisdom).

New Members
Give a warm Sister Bloggers welcome to our newest members:

• Pray.Seek.Live
  Ashley offers us a "peak at life through the lens of a Dominican novice."
  
  
• Colwich Novitiate
  A group blog from a Benedictine Convent in Staffordshire, UK.
  
  
• Discernment Journey
  Sr. Andrea Westkamp hopes her blog "will be helpful to all who would like to find their way in life!"
  

(There are a few other new members pending so stay tuned...)

New Moderator
Our Sister Blogger moderator team has gone international. Please welcome our Australian moderator, Sarah from The Nun Thing. Hopefully she'll be able to add her first round up soon! And maybe I'll even find the time to do an occassional round up myself. ;)

Peace & Blessings this Lenten Season!

Meet our newest Sister Bloggers!

My sincerest apologies that it has taken me so long to get to this... the following new SisterBloggers have been waiting patiently in the queue for at least a couple of weeks now. Thanks so much for your patience with me as well as your kind and gentle inquiries which have finally prodded me to get me on the ball and get you added to the ring. Welcome!

Notes from Stillsong Hermitage, a diocesan hermitage in Oakland, CA, the Camaldolese Benedictine tradition. The author, Sister Laurel M. O'Neal, describes "Stillsong" thusly: "The name reflects the essential joy and wholeness that comes from a Christ-centered life of silence and solitude, but also points to the fact that contemplative life--even that of the hermit--spills over into witness and proclamation. At the heart of the Church, in the stillness and joy of God's dynamic peace, resonates the song which IS the hermit." This is a rich and fascinating site, and Sr. Laurel, too, seems to be an intensely interesting soul!

Peace (or Pax) Place is described as "a place of peace. a place for peace. a place for peacemakers and peacekeepers to converse," written by Greenhawke, an oblate with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie who strives always to live more peaceably.

Seeking Sophie, a.k.a. Sophie's Daughter, describes herself as a 20-something (closer to 30, but I will say "20-something" for as long as I can!) professional woman, searching for the right path in life! She is considering religious life in the Society of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ).

SisterBloggers gets nod...

Sr. Susan Rose points out this story on Blogher which mentions our humble lil' web ring, along with several other perspectives on "blogging nuns." Great read!

She's official!

Please welcome Sr. Susan Doubet, OSB, and her blog Light Through Stained-Glass Windows:

This journal is simply meant to share some of the daily goings-on at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Erie, PA. Things that occur in the daily and, in their simple "dailiness," truly do make it holy. I hope you enjoy them.

She posts on Mondays and Thursdays. I don't think I cold be that a) disciplined or b) restrained!

Please join me in welcoming SisterBlogger number thirty-one!

New Member Welcome

Dear Sisters (and Sisters-to-be,... and wanna-be Sisters, and even those of you who don't yet know if you even wanna be a Sister!...), we have a new ring member. Please join me in welcoming Ashley Lyn. She's Waiting on the Honeybee:

God is like a honeybee, He doesn't mind me calling Him that; for when you are kind - sweet - He nears, and can draw you into himself. - St. Francis of Assisi

What a great quote! As for Ashley, it would seem she's busy as a honeybee herself:

I've got...a new apartment, a lunchbox to buy, books to read, a vocation to explore, kitties and family to visit, letters to write, grad school to contend with, a lab to work in, concerts to attend, a minimalist to be, a city to explore, dancing to do, a life to find...

Like so many of us, you have a lot on your plate there, Ash! Welcome!! This seems to be a brand speakin' new blog, as there aren't yet any posts, but there are a few interesting links in her sidebar. And so we look forward to hearing from our new little busy bee!

In the queue:
We also have 3 new blogs (totalling 2 prospective new members, if I'm understanding it correctly) in the queue.

• Light through Stained Glass Windows
• Pause and Pray
• Pause for Prayer

I've emailed them to let them know that they need to put the Ring code somewhere on their blog before I can "activate" them, but if you know any of these bloggers, feel free to swing on by and pre-welcome them. Perhaps you can even offer your assistance to get them squared away with that peskey "ring code" requirement? If either of you are reading this, do email me if you have any questions, and especially once you get the code put on your blogs. I'll be more than happy to activate you and make you official SisterBloggers!

In the meantime, sisters (notice the small "s"--this means YOU too!), peace to all!

What's up with the Sisters (and Sisters to be)?

I realized this morning that it's been almost FOUR MONTHS since I've updated folks on what's happening in SisterBloggerWorld. Of course if you're interested you can always click the individual blogs on the sidebar to visit our respective words, but the whole idea of this page was to offer periodic sneek peeks into life in the convent or discernment.

For example:

Ann is realizing that what people say is true ... she looks so much happier now that she's living with the Sisters. The hills are even alive with the Sound of Music!

Contemplative Woman shares about the importance of the Feast of the Transfiguration to her Redemptoristine Sisters ... so that's why they wear red habits!

Sister Nicole is counting down the days - but trying to stay present - until she begins her 2nd year of Novitiate and the world of active ministry. (Now that sounds familiar .... me too!)

Sister Anne saw In the Great Silence and is heading into silence herself.

Sarah is contemplating friends who are Sisters who might be her Sisters soon as she prepares to enter her community.

That Discerning Woman ... oh wait, that's me! Switching to first person, I share some reflections on my recent trip to visit one of my Sisters in El Salvador.

I've also got tips on how to use the Vision Vocation Magazine to discover the right community for you!

Now I've got to turn off the computer and get packing ... I'm heading on retreat in the morning.

Publicity! Eek! I mean, Welcome!! :)

Our humble little SisterBloggers WebRing got a mention in this year's brand new, hot-off-the-presses Vision Vocation Guide (p. 84)! So if you're passing through as a result of seeing us mentioned there, thanks for stopping by!

Don't be fooled by the lack of recent posts to this particular page into thinking this is a quiet little inactive WebRing--not so! While the three of us who co-moderate and manage the "business-end" of the Ring don't tend to post to this main page very often, do check out our wonderful collection of Real Live SisterBloggers in the sidebar. -->

Once again, we are honored to be mentioned, and even more honored to have you visit! Welcome!

P.S. If you would like to join the Ring and become a SisterBlogger yourself, please do so! Just scroll down to the bottom of the sidebar to the "SisterBloggers" box, and click "Join." I would ask that you send me an email at ndr76op AT gmNOSPAMail DOT com (take out the AT, NOSPAM, and DOT, of course!) to let me know of your join attempt. Methinks there's something funny going on with our Ring server, WebRing, I just haven't been able to prove it yet!

New Member!

It's been quite a little while, and I almost lost our newest member in the midst of all the "junk" join attempts I get every day, but please join me in welcoming our newest SisterBlogger:

Sister Crystal Clark, SNJM blogs at Untamed Grace. In her own words:

I am a Catholic sister. I'm 29 and not afraid to say it - will turn 30 very soon. I belong to the congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. I'm passionate about my community, the interchange between ministry - helping to facilitate awareness in others - and the sense of my own growing awareness as I relate in this great universe.

Welcome, Sr. Crystal!

New Ring Member!

Please join me in welcoming another Dominican to our ranks! (I'm not biased or anything... *wink*)

Sr. Pat hails from the same Dominican Community as our own Sister Christer. Pat blogs at http://www.opreach.org. Her first post is engaging and humorous; I am sure there will be more great thoughts to be found here soon!

In other news, Sister Christer's father passed away this weekend. You may remember that she recently lost her mother after a long battle with cancer. Please pray for Christine and her family during this difficult time.

Please welcome...

Waiting for the day. "The Mollinator" describes herself thusly:

I'm a follower of Jesus and a child of God. I am also a mom of a 8 year old tornado named Ursula, and a family and youth minister. I am a lay Marianist, trying to live out community, hospitality, prayer, rejoicing, and pondering. I am a native Texan, and really isn't that more than enough?

Please join me in sending some Big Texas Love out to our newest SisterBlogger! :)