Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas at Carmel

Mother Stephanie, Prioress, has kindly allowed me to come and serve the Christmas Masses at the Carmelite Monastery here in Launceston; Fr Bernard Gordon, a Wollongong priest currently on staff at the Sydney Seminary, is the visiting priest who will offer these (he arrives to-day and departs Monday).  

(The Carmel is located in West Launceston, hard by the Cataract Gorge - just out of frame on the top of the hill on the left.)

My family and I have much cause to thank these holy nuns, for their prayers indeed have stormed heaven on many occasions.  What a saintly community, in recent years blessed with young and stedfast vocations!  And among them all, after Mother Stephanie, I think particularly of Sr Paul Joseph, the former extern sister with whom we've dealt in times past, who is now very old and frail, necessitating her withdrawal into the cloister.

In preparation, Mum has been handwashing my surplice...

Times are as follows: Sunday and weekdays 7.30am, excepting Christmas with both Midnight Mass (which Brian will serve instead) and Dawn Mass at 8.30am.  Deo gratias!

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