Thanksgiving & Advent at Santa Rita Abbey Christmas is just a week away! We plan to publish a Christmas photo journal sometime afterward. In the meantime, however, here's a little update on the last several weeks. Thanksgiving Day was the lovely feast it always is, celebrating God's wonderful gifts to us throughout the year. On the first Sunday of Advent, our Sr. Clare celebrated her 89th birthday. She…
October/November 2016 News from Santa Rita Abbey How did the year zoom by so quickly that Thanksgiving Day is next week?! Yet here we are! Fr. Casimir will return for another stint as our chaplain just in time to celebrate Mass for us on Thanksgiving Day. He will stay for all of Advent, Christmas and into the New Year, leaving on January 9, 2017. We are looking forward to having…
September/October 2016 News from Santa Rita Abbey What beautiful weather we are having at Santa Rita Abbey right now! There's something special about blue skies in October. Thanks to the rain in September the grass is still green, and there are yellow wildflowers, of all sizes, in bloom everywhere. Last spring we planted muhly grass in the old rosebush beds at…
Here at Santa Rita Abbey we celebrate a Sister's feast day, that is, the feast of her patron saint, more than we do her birthday. In August we have two feast days: Sr. Clare's on August 11 (the feast of St. Clare of Assisi), and Sr. Esther's on August 15 (the feast of the Assumption of Mary.) The…
Summertime at Santa Rita Abbey What a lovely summertime we are having, overflowing with life! Two chaplains, newborn fawns, young ravens, fresh tomatoes, rain and more rain, visits from friends of the monastery, and two new volunteer helpers just arrived ... Fr.…
Our new Volunteer Helpers program is off to a great start! Our visit first volunteer was here for the month of June. She stayed at the retreat house, joined the community for Mass and the Divine Office, and lent a capable hand wherever she was asked--retreat house, altar bread bakery, monastery kitchen (she's…
Rachel Tucci from the University of Arizona's Hydrology Dept. is doing a study of the ground water in the Sonoita Valley. She took samples from our well on May 14th. By evaluating isotopes and other things in the water, it is possible to theorize the water's source; that is, did it…
We celebrated a double Jubilee on April 23 for our Sisters Margarita and Pamela. 50 years of religious vows for Marg, and 25 years for Pam! A day of joy and gratitude for all! Msgr. Tom Cahalane and Fr. Greg Adolf, pastors of Our Mother of Sorrows in Tucson and St. Andrew's Parish in Sierra Vista, respectively, concelebrated the Jubilee Mass. Family members, Sr. Jeanne Bartholomeaux, (Vicar for Religious for our diocese),…
Happy Easter to one and all! We wish you every blessing in this joyous season. Holy Week ceremonies and the Paschal Vigil were rich and deep and we hope that it was the same for you. All went well, with no mishaps – as can sometimes happen! We could write a book about things going wrong during these ceremonies. We have been blest in having Sr. Janice of Mt. St.…
Here it is, the final few steps in the journey of Lent. Already the eastern sky is beginning to glow with the promise of the rising sun. We will soon enter into the holy days of Jesus’ merciful love made manifest. May these days be rich with the mercy and love of God for you! Our trees and flowering bushes are alive with color, especially the forsythia. Our beautiful Bradford…
