We all have extraordinary women in our lives. She
could be our mother, sister, friend, colleague, or maybe she’s the woman we
know from church who selflessly works at a non-profit organization helping
families who have fallen on hard times.
Recently, some extraordinary women have come into
my life. These women moved about an hour from my home, and have just reunited
for the first time on the same campus.
I had the honor of meeting one of the nuns during the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (CCW) Convention in April. The one that I met has hiked mountains and broke the backboard of a basketball goal. Then, a few weeks ago, I had the great honor of meeting the Mother Prioress.
The recent move of the monastery from New Mexico was miraculous in itself; heck, finding the property they did was quite a miracle! From finding just the right property to the cross on fireplace (which the original owner saw as a flaw in the stone and wanted it taken down after it was built), the story will give you chills and will let you know that the Lord was truly working for them. The move included not only the living nuns, but the remains of the deceased from their cemetery to a new resting place on the new grounds.
On May 25th, the nuns celebrated their first Founders Day with all of the nuns under the same roof. It only took 69 years, but they did it, thanks to the move of the nuns from Illinois a couple of weeks prior.
In a world where materialism seems to be everything, where girls are growing up and losing their innocence way to fast, these extraordinary women, The Handmaids of the Precious Blood, are holding fast to their beliefs and fervently praying for our priests...for ALL priests. Some are young, some are older, but they have the same vision, the same purpose. What amazes me about the nun that I met at the convention, is that she is probably the youngest one there. She went to a public university, but yet she listened to the call and is living the life God chose for her. She knows about everything the world has to offer, yet she chose to listen. That, my friend, is an extraordinary woman!
You only have to look around to find extraordinary women in your
life, in these “ordinary times”. Be open to acknowledging these women; your
life will become blessed in so many ways if you only open up your heart!
To learn more about the Handmaids of the Precious Blood and find out how you can help them with their mission, please visit their website: nunsforpriests.org
Your story brought to mind a dear family in our Parish, who have six children they homeschooled. Their oldest daughter has become a nun. We watched her grow up into a lovely young woman. This was a first experience for me, especially since I was 33 when I became a Catholic. I didn't grow up with nuns around me. It seems like it would take great courage to dedicate one's life to that kind of lifestyle. It's hard to grasp "the calling" when you haven't had it, I guess. God bless them all, and our Priests definitely need people praying for them. Such a tough job. I'll go check out the website! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI consider you one of the extraordinary women in my life and I am blessed!
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