Thursday, November 23, 2006
Feast of St. Gertrude
The Feast of St. Gertrude is November 16. St. Gertrude is the patroness of our Monastery. This year on the Feast Postulant Katie Cooper became a Novice. This is the next step in becoming a sister of the Monastery. I hope to have her and some of the sisters, novices and postulants share their impressions of the day.
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Hello, Novice Kim Marie here from the Monastery.
The Feast of St. Gertrude is my favorite feast of the year because the morning and evening office that we chant is full of the writings of St. Gertrude and the psalms are meaningful. We spent a lot of the day in prayer and at Eucharist - probably 2-1/2 hours total. Plus, we always have an extra special meal at noontime! And treats in the evening after supper.
Postulant Katie's journey to Novice Katie was moving and joyful. She is a vibrant and active member of our community. The ceremony to enter the novitiate is powerful - because the postulant gives up her worldly trappings by relinquishing her credit cards, checkbook and car keys. This obvious sign indicates the real act of giving up access to your money and your car - quite a big step! From this point on, the novice is supported financially by the community. In addition to this, the novice will stay close to the monastery for 12 months and only leave the premises for necessary appointments. It is a way of becoming more deeply immersed in the rhythms of the monastic life and to truly discern if you would to continue to seek God here.
I am overjoyed that Novice Katie decided to move forward.
Best, Novice Kim Marie
Hello, I am the new novice Katie Cooper here at St. Gertrude's Monastery.
To say the least, the Feast of St. Gertrude is and will always be very special to me since this is the feast when I became a novice. It was a day I've looked forward to since coming here in April of 2005.
Sometimes "patiently waiting" isn't one of my strong points, and as I waited after the knocking on the door for entry, the waiting took on a different meaning for me -- it was more of a message from God saying, "Waiting for My time is best, believe it now." What a wonderful eye opener for me!
The turning over of the checkbook and credit cards was easy; the car keys were a different story. Now that the car has sold, I'm okay -- it has a good home.
It is wonderful knowing that I have the support and love of the community in this journey of seeking God. I feel so blessed and thankful for each person who is here. I am looking forward to learning more through classes, the wisdom of others within the community, and seeing where God is leading me each day.
Blessings, Katie
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