Christmas at the Convent

My first Christmas at the Convent was wonderful! It was definitely a very busy and fun time. A few days before (Lori: I'm assuming Christmas) we were putting up trees and other decorations. The chapel was getting decorated beautifully. Things were being prepared in the kitchen and many wonderful goodies were being dropped off by people who have so generously thought of the Sisters. Some of the other Sisters thought it would be a great idea to keep a few things hidden from me... this is not a good thing for someone like me. :)

On Christmas Eve we said Vespers (Evening Prayer) in our beautifully decorated Chapel but Baby Jesus was not yet there- in our chapel. We prossessed out of the Chapel into the dining room when an array of snacks, goodies, and drinks were had. We heard the Christmas letter from our Superior General in Austria. We then opened our presents. Anyone who had received anything from their families were opened then too!

Then according to the tradition of the community the youngest (yup, that's me!) carries the Baby Jesis to his crib in the Chapel. That was such a special moment. Over the last few months I have been developing a deep devotion to the Child (Baby) Jesus. We then did a little prayer service and prepared ourselves to go to Mass.

After Mass, we regrouped and those who wanted to stay up and watch Christmas movies could (we had not been watching them until that point). This is one of the few nights we do not have grand silence. Most of us were in bed by midnight; 7am still comes early.

When we awoke, there was snow on the ground! Christmas Morning Prayer was said and we had a very yummy breakfast. Then Mass which is always beautiful! The rest of the day was spent inside because of the blowing snow! It was a great day having all the Sisters home. The last activity of the day is the game "Dirty (Naughty) Santa" where gifts are given and you can "steal" from another person or get a new gift. The favorite item was a saint calendar. Then 18 very tired Sisters said Night Prayer (Compline) and went to sleep.

 

All pictures are from the blog http://panhandlefranciscans.blogspot.com/