Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228

www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org

“It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the

sheep of his pasture” (Ps 100:3)… And yet we are God’s “possession”

not in the sense of a possession that renders us slaves, but rather of a strong bond that unites us to

God and one another… Hence the way of belonging to God …comes about through a unique and personal relationship with

Jesus, which Baptism confers on us from the beginning of our

rebirth to new life. …Therefore every vocation, even

within the variety of paths, always requires an exodus from

oneself in order to center one’s life on Christ and on his Gospel. …We need not be afraid:

God follows the work of his hands with passion and skill in every phase of life.

He never abandons us! He has the fulfilment of his plan

for us at heart, and yet he wishes to achieve it

with our consent and cooperation.” Pope Francis

World Day of Prayer for Vocations May 11, 2014

Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia

LAUDARE, BENEDICERE, PRAEDICARE “TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH”

October 2014

Dear Friends,

During this month in which we honor our Lady through the

Rosary, we are called to meditate with special devotion upon the mysteries

of the life of Christ, from the joy of his humble birth, through the light of

his public ministry and the sorrows of his passion to the glories of his

Resurrection and Ascension. In his mission of redeeming love, He came as

the Good Shepherd to seek and to save what was lost. May our prayerful

meditation upon these mysteries enable us to “imitate what they contain

and obtain what they promise” (from the concluding prayer of the Rosary).

In Christ,

The Dominican Sisters

of Saint Cecilia

“To contemplate and to give to others the fruits of our contemplation.”

Motto of the Dominican Order

“Daily and hourly till the soil of the heart with the Gospel plow,” taught the fourth-century monk John Cassian. As I participated in the training for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd this past year, I had the opportunity to follow this advice and to meditate deeply on the Word of God. Developed by Sophia Cavalletti beginning in Rome in the 1950s, this particular method of catechesis aims at helping children encounter Christ in Sacred Scripture and in the Sacred Liturgy.

The atrium—the space specially prepared for the child’s encounter with Christ through age-appropriate materials—is deeply rooted in the theology of revelation. God speaks to us through the created world, and above all, in the Incarnation. Adults have long used physical items like Rosary beads and the Crucifix to aid them in prayer. It is only fitting, then, that children be able to pray with materials that bring alive the Word of God and help them to ponder it.

A child might spend an entire atrium visit absorbed in a single “prayer work” – mingling water and ‘wine’, lighting and snuffing a candle, counting the Good Shepherd’s sheep. There is no need to rush, no pressure to “move on” to the next activity. What may look like play is revealed to be true prayer by the profound insights offered by the children when they reflect on their work.

One day, while I was explaining the philosophy behind the materials to someone, it struck me: if God works through the materials and the senses when revealing Himself to children, then why not when revealing Himself to me now as I make these materials? How could I expect the students to use these materials to enter into the Scriptures, if I myself had not done so?

These insights helped me to slow down and to savor the time spent woodcutting, sanding and painting as time spent in prayer. I was not disappointed. Every decision became an opportunity to recall Scripture: metallic paint for the gifts of the Magi, a grey beard for wise old Simeon, two tiny pigeons for Joseph to carry up to the Temple. I have known the Infancy Narratives since infancy, but it was only by painting figure after figure that I noticed how motley a crew gathered around the manger and how irresistible must have been the appeal of that little Babe.

I realized that the amount of time required to handcraft these materials is the perfect complement to the simplicity of the Gospel stories they represent. I can read the parable of the lost sheep in seconds, but it was only by spending hours painting the figure of the Shepherd that I noticed his strong arms, his gentle hands, and his kind smile. After giving my twelve wooden sheep coat after coat of white paint, and delicately outlining their floppy grey ears, and gingerly marking their little round eyes, my affection for them was astounding, and my awareness of the Shepherd’s love for me was renewed.

As Saint Luke said of Mary, “She treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). With a child on her lap and a song in her heart, she knew that God was revealing Himself to her in every moment, and she didn’t miss a single one. The moments of prayerful meditation that I have experienced in learning this method of catechesis and in making these materials have been a gift, and I look forward to sharing with my future students “the fruits of contemplation.”

A Sister’s Reflection Recommended

Reading

Click above to order

The Religious Potential of the Child

By Sofia Cavalletti

This seminal work of the Catechesis

of the Good Shepherd explores the

approach of Sofia Cavalletti in

presenting the stories of the Gospel

in a way that engages the religious

imagination of young children and

leads them to a personal encounter

with Jesus Christ.

“The Christian message, far from leading us away from reality

…is rooted in the most profound depths of the human person

and in the whole of reality… The explanation for that sense of

joyful satisfaction the child experiences by coming into contact

with the Christian message is found, it seems to us, in this

fundamental correspondence of the Christian message with the vital exigencies of the human person,

with reality itself.” from the Introduction, pg. 27

(Chicago: Liturgical Training Publications, 1992)

Throughout the year, sisters in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training make materials for their future classrooms. Left: Sister Anne paints figures for the Eucharistic Presence presentation. Right: Sister Anna Karol cuts out a two-dimensional figure of the Good Shepherd on the scroll saw. Below: Triptychs of the Infancy Narrative presentations include three-dimensional figures that help the child enter into the Gospel stories.

Below: Sister Joanna Marie paints sheep for the Good Shepherd presentation.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Father Benedict Croell, O.P., and Father James Dominic Brent, O.P., led the October Jesu Caritas Retreat on “The Joy of the Gospel.”

Over 70 young women from across the country and Canada attended the retreat and enjoyed the conference talks on joy, happiness, the

beatitudes, the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ Crucified.

Retreat Jesu Caritas

Fall Creek Falls Sisters from the Motherhouse and local missions enjoyed a visit to Fall Creek Falls State Park in eastern

Tennessee, hiking, canoeing, praying, and enjoying each other’s company.

Camp Widjiwagan For Labor Day, the YMCA staff welcomed the

Novitiate sisters to Camp Widjiwagan. The sisters enjoyed all the opportunities provided by the

generous staff and beautiful grounds.