Reflections – Contemplatio
Ash Wednesday Gospel Thoughts
In modern society, it is common for people to overthink and feel the need to openly demonstrate their kind acts. Just as the Gospel shared, that is not what God calls us to do. He calls us to do kind acts for His praise and glory, not our own. We may take actions and say […]
Speaking Up for Freedom
Sister Claire MacDonald, OP offered these thoughts as part of her reflection at Mass on the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita on February 8. Josephine Bakhita (d. 1947) was not her given birth name, but the name imposed on her by the slave traders who seized her as a young child from her village in […]
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Today the Gospel draws our attention to two senior citizens whom we have known as Anna and Simeon. We are told they were both dedicated to Temple worship for their entire lives. Simeon had been a faithful priest for the better part of his eighty-four years and Anna who had been married and widowed at an early age was also in the upper stratosphere of aging as well (not unlike us).
St. Thomas Aquinas Feast Day Reflection
Painting of Thomas Aquinas by Sandro Botticelli, ca. 1481-2 Sister Margaret Palliser shared this reflection with our Sisters and Associates at Mass today. On this feast day, just how are we to think about our illustrious Dominican brother Thomas in this Aquinas Jubilee Year celebrating the 800th anniversary of his birth, the 750th anniversary of […]
Feast of the Epiphany
Sister Joan Correia delivered the following words at the Epiphany Mass for our Sisters and Associates. Merry Christmas and Happy Feast of the Epiphany! This is a perfect day for us to celebrate Christmas, as a community, for both feasts are so clearly linked together. It is wonderful to have everyone here with us for […]
Holy Wonder
Sister Bridget Kiniry shared the following reflection at Dominican Convent. We are here to celebrate the Mass on Christmas Day. The readings chosen for this Mass leave us with a full message of all the Nativity readings, as they are called by the Church. Each of the previous Masses gave us a piece of this […]
Third Sunday of Advent, 2023
Sister Helen Robert Boyd shared this reflection at Sunday’s evening Vespers at Dominican Convent in Sparkill. Today Christians throughout the world celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday from the introductory phrase of the liturgy, “Rejoice in the Lord!” All the readings of today call for us to rejoice! Even the […]
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, 2023
Today we celebrate what William Wordsworth called, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Our world today has very little to boast about so it is refreshing to know that there was someone in the history of humanity who deserved such an acclamation, none other than our own Blessed Virgin Mary, our heavenly mother. As his poem […]
The Doorbell Rang
The doorbell rang… The boys at Holy Family School, Hicksville, New York, knew to ring the convent bell only once and wait. It was almost a city block from the kitchen to the front door and one of the Sisters would open the door so the boys could get into the gym. But this evening, […]
Here We Are Today, Thanksgiving 2023
Sister Bridget Kiniry offered this reflection at the Thanksgiving Day Mass in Domincian Convent. Probably each of us has a heart and head full of thoughts and memories of past celebrations. Today we may find our gratefulness clouded by an awareness of all the turmoil and suffering in the world. Still, we are here giving […]