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Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey | Wrentham, Massachusetts

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E SMass of Mary

Written by our Sister Margaret Straub, ocso

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P Aby Margaret Daly-Denton

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GWritten by our Sister Edith Scholl, ocso

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First Reading Exodus 34:4b-7b, 8-9

arly in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him,

taking in his hand the two stone tablets. The LORD came down in a cloud and stood with him

there and proclaimed the name, “LORD.”

So the LORD passed before him and proclaimed: The LORD, the LORD, a God gracious and

merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity, continuing his love for a thousand

generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

Moses at once knelt and bowed down to the ground.

Then he said, “If I find favor with you, Lord, please, Lord, come along in our company. This is

indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and claim us as your own.”

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps. 90

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Second Reading Romans 8: 28-39

e know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according

to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his

Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also

called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his

own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with

him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will

condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who

indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress,

or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: “For your sake we

are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things

we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death,

nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor

height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ

Jesus our Lord.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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Written by our sisters at Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey

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The Holy Gospel Luke 7: 36-47

Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and

reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the

house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet

weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed

them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he

said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is

who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other

owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will

love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He

said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you

see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has

bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has

not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she

anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has

shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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T R S P

(Please be seated)

Sister Mary-Ellen, her Junior Director, presents Sister Karla, who kneels before Mother Sofia.

Mother Sofia: What do you ask?

Sister Karla: The mercy of God and of the Order.

Mother Sofia: Arise in the name of the Lord. May God bring to fulfillment what he has begun in

you before the day of Christ Jesus.

THE SCRUTINY

My Sister, through baptism you are already dead to sin and risen in the Lord. Will you now unite

yourself more closely to him through the bond of monastic profession?

I will.

Will you strive constantly for perfect love of God and neighbor by zealously following the Gospels

and Rule of our Father Saint Benedict as lived in this community?

I will.

Will you, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, live for God alone in solitude and silence, and spend

your life with your Sisters persevering in prayer and generous service?

I will.

In faithful obedience to Christ, will you live out your life in the monastery, participating in the

Passion of Christ so that you may share in his Resurrection?

I will.

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Christ calls you to follow him. Will you now respond to his grace by renouncing all possessions,

as well as marriage, for the sake of the Kingdom?

I will.

Will you remain open to the constant search for God together with your Sisters, faithful until

death?

I will, Reverend Mother, with the help of God's grace

and the assistance of your prayers.

May God who has begun this good work in you bring it to fulfillment in the Day of Christ Jesus.

All respond: Amen.

L S(Please stand)

Dom Vincent:

Dear Friends, let us pray to God the Almighty Father. He has called his servant to the perfect

following of Christ. May he bless her with his grace and lovingly strengthen her holy resolve.

All respond: Amen.

Sister Karla kneels during the litany.

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LITANY OF THE SAINTS

Music by our brothers at St. Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer

Saint Michael

Holy angels of God

Holy father Abraham

Holy prophets Moses and

Joshua

Saint John the Baptist

Saint Joseph

Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Saint John and

All Holy Apostles

Saint Mary Magdalene

Saints Stephen and Lawrence

Saint Agnes

Saint Perpetua and

Saint Cecelia

Saint Basil and Saint Gregory

Saint Augustine

Saint Anthony and

Saint Pachomius

Saint Benedict

Saints Robert, Alberic and

Stephen

Saint Scholastica and

Saint Lutgard

Saint Bernard

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Dominic

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Saint John Bosco

Saint Vincent de Paul and

Saint John Vianney

Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint John of the Cross

Saint Bruno

Saint Padre Pio

Saint Tarcisius and

Saint Patrick

Santa Dulce dos Pobres

São José de Anchieta

São Frei Galvão e

Santa Luzia

Beata Nhá Chica

Blessed William

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Blessed Maria Gabriella

Blessed Martyrs of Atlas

All holy men and women

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From everlasting death,

By your incarnation, Lord,

By your death and resurrection,

By your gift of the Holy Spirit,

By the self-offering of your servant, make the life of your Church ever more fruitful,

Keep the pope and all the ordained in faithful service to your Church,

Visit and console our monasteries and all who dwell in them,

Teach us how to grow through our observance of the Holy Rule,

Reward a hundredfold the parents and family of your servant for the sacrifice they have made,

Make this servant of yours more and more like Christ, the firstborn of many children,

Comfort with your mercy the troubled and the afflicted,

Strengthen all of us, by your grace, and keep us in your holy service,

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Dom Vincent:

Lord, hear the prayers of your people. By your grace prepare the heart of your servant for her

religious consecration. May the fire of the Holy Spirit purify her from all sin and set her on

fire with your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All respond: Amen.

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P VThe vows which Sister Karla makes are the traditional Benedictine vows of stability (commitment to seeking God in this abbey

with this community), conversatio (fidelity to the monastic way of life which includes poverty and celibacy), and obedience.

Mother Sofia invites Sister Karla to make profession of her vows, which she has written in her own hand.

The Prioress presents Sister Karla with the parchment. Sister Karla stands before the altar and reads aloud her

profession of vows. She then signs it and shows it to Dom Vincent and Mother Sofia. She places it on the altar

where it will remain with the other gifts throughout the Eucharist.

I, Sister Maria Karla Gonçalves, promise my stability, my fidelity to the monastic

way of life and obedience until death in accordance with the Rule of Saint

Benedict, Abbot. I do this before God and all his saints, in this monastery of Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey, of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance,

constructed in honor of the Blessed and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and in the presence of Mother Sofia Millican, Abbess of this monastery, and of Abbot

Vincent Rogers, Father Immediate.

SUSCIPE Taken from Psalm 118(119), the word suscipe means receive, expressing the reciprocal

giving and receiving between the petitioner and God.

Sister Karla, newly professed, sings the following verses, three times

"Receive me, O Lord, according to your promise and I shall live.

Do not disappoint me in my hope."

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T M CDom Vincent offers the solemn prayers of Consecration:

In the presence of Mary, Queen of Citeaux, let us join in praying to our Triune God.

FATHER OF MERCY AND FORGIVENESS, in your wondrous providence you have brought

your daughter and our Sister Karla to this moment of Solemn Consecration to you. She has

promised to live for you alone in solitude and silence, in prayer and generous service. May you

yourself, through the Holy Spirit, whom you send as Gift, bring to inward perfection this

commitment of hers and the outward rite we now perform.

God, through your co-eternal Son, you created all that is, and through the mystery of his

Incarnation you graciously renewed the world grown old in sin. We now humbly ask that the

grace of that same Lord of ours may mercifully look upon this your servant who has promised to

renounce the world. Renewed in the depth of her spirit, may she remove the old self and its

deeds and put on the new self, created in your image.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

All respond: Amen.

LORD JESUS CHRIST, you are the Way, and no one comes to the Father but through you. We

implore your mercy. Your servant has been drawn away from earthly desires of the flesh; guide

her now along the paths determined by the Holy Rule. In your goodness you called sinners,

saying, "Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Grant that your

invitation may have such power in her that, casting off the burden of sin, and tasting your

goodness, she may receive nourishment from you, as you have promised. Acknowledge her as a

sheep of your own flock and let her so acknowledge you that she follow not after any stranger, but

you alone, or listen to a stranger’s voice, but yours alone, as you say, “If anyone wishes to be my

servant, she must follow my way.” You who live and reign forever.

All respond: Amen.

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O HOLY SPIRIT, in your goodness you have revealed yourself to mortals as Lord and God. We

implore the favor of your boundless goodness: since you breathe only where you will, be pleased

to grant to your servant a heart ready and willing to serve. Because she was created by your

wisdom, may she also be guided by your providence; and by that grace which is ever yours to give,

may your anointing teach her concerning all things. Through the intercession of St. Benedict,

whom you have given as the author of this holy way of life, and through the intercession of all the

other saints whose names have been invoked today turn her in all truth from the vanity of the

world.

You are the remission of all sin: loose the burdens of ungodliness that weigh her down, and fire

her with zeal that she may stand firm in her holy resolution. In trials and difficulties, may she find

refreshment in your unfailing consolation. May hers be the firm support of true humility and

obedience in fraternal love, so that she may fulfill in blessed perseverance that which you yourself

have inspired her to promise. In your goodness, be pleased to grant all this, you who live in glory

with God the Father and his only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, forever and ever.

All respond: Amen.

R CM C V

The cowl is the traditional monastic garment. The shape of it signifies the Cross; it also signifies being enfolded in prayer. The

fact that it has no opening down the front or back signifies final commitment.

(Please be seated)

Sister Karla takes the monastic cowl and veil to Dom Vincent who blesses the garments with holy water.

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Dom Vincent:

Lord Jesus Christ, in your goodness, you clothed yourself in the garments of our mortal flesh. We

beg you, then, to bless this cowl, the garment hallowed by our monastic fathers and mothers as

that of those who renounce the world. May its ample folds be for our Sister Karla a daily reminder

of the freedom which she received in baptism. May its form of a cross remind her of the life she is

to lead in following you. Bless also this veil, symbol of humility, chastity and dedication to you.

May your servant who is to wear these garments be made ever more into your image, and may she

be clothed entirely in your unutterable mercy. You who live and reign forever and ever.

All respond: Amen.

Sister Karla kneels before Mother Sofia who clothes her in the

garments of a Solemnly Professed Cistercian Nun.

Mother Sofia says the following prayers:

As the cloak is removed: May the Lord divest you of all that is not Christ.

As the cowl is given: May the Lord clothe you with the mind and heart of Christ.

As the veil is given: May you serve the Church through a life of continual prayer and works

of love in the midst of your sisters.

Concluding Prayer by Mother Sofia:

We confirm that you, Sister Karla, are now one with us and a member of this community of

Mount St Mary's Abbey, sharing all things in common with us for the future: our earthly and

spiritual concerns, our sorrows and joys, our communion of love, our life in the sacraments of the

Church, our seeking in hope the face of God.

And may He bring us all together into His kingdom.

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RECEPTION INTO THE COMMUNITY

Sister Karla kneels at the sanctuary step before each solemnly professed Sister, asking for the support of her

prayers. Beginning with Mother Sofia, each sister responds with an embrace and the promise of prayer.

Psalm 50 is sung during this time.

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Gift bearers: Sister Mary-Ellen and Sister Karla

Mary of Nazareth (sung in Portuguese)

By Rev. José Fernandes de Oliveira, SCJ, (Padre Zezinho)

Translation: Mary of Nazareth, Mary captivated me.

Made my faith stronger, and adopted me as her son.

At times, I stop and ponder. Without noticing, I find myself praying

and my heart starts singing for the Virgin of Nazareth.

The girl that God loved and chose to be mother of Jesus the Son of God.

Mary, whom all people named Lady and Mother of Heaven.

Ave Maria, Ave Maria, Ave Maria, Mother of Jesus!

Mary that I love, Mary of pure love. No one is your equal. Pure mother of my Lord.

In each woman created on earth, Mary left a trace of God.

The dream of a Mother, Mary planted for the world to find peace.

Mary who thought Christ speak. Mary who taught Jesus to walk.

Mary that lived only for her God.

Mary of my people.

S Margaret Daly-Denton

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Margaret Daly-Denton

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C HWritten by our Sister Edith Scholl, ocso

dawn

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P C H

Te Deum

John Singenberger

We praise you O God.

We proclaim you O Lord.

You the Father everlasting

all the earth does worship.

To you the angels, to you the heavens

and all the powers.

To you the cherubim and seraphim

continually singing

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.

The heavens and the earth are full of the

majesty of your glory.

The glorious choir of the apostles praise you.

You the praiseworthy company of the

prophets,

The white robed army of martyrs praise you.

The holy Church throughout

the world acknowledges you.

Father of infinite majesty.

Your adorable true and only

Son and the Holy Spirit Paraclete.

You O Christ are the king of glory.

You alone are the everlasting Son of the

Father.

When you took it on yourself to deliver man,

you humbled yourself to be born of a

virgin.

When you had overcome

the sharpness of death

You opened the kingdom to all believers.

You sit at the right hand of God

in the glory of the Father.

We believe that you will come to be our

judge.

We therefore pray you

Help your servants whom you have

redeemed

with your precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with the saints

in glory everlasting.

O Lord save your people and bless your

inheritance and govern them

and exalt them forever.

Every day we magnify you.

And we praise your name forever.

Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us

this day without sin.

Have mercy on us O Lord.

Let your mercy O Lord be upon us

according as we have put our trust in you

In you Lord, I have put my trust

O let me not be confounded forever.

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RThis Is My Song

By Lloyd Stone and Georgia Harkness

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

a song of peace for lands afar and mine;

this is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:

but other hearts in other lands are beating

with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;

but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:

O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,

a song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;

may peace abound where strife has raged so long;

that each may seek to love and build together,

a world united, righting every wrong;

a world united in its love for freedom,

proclaiming peace together in one song.

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With gratitude to

Lúcio Américo de Oliveira

who has generously allowed me to use his art in the Mass booklet and created

the icon for my prayer card.

Lucio is a Brazilian theologian and artist, and for over twenty years has been

dedicating his studies and production of sacred art to serve the Church.