St. Anne’s Church in Lodi is having a Ministry Fair weekend. There will be a booth set up during and after 5:30pm mass on Saturday May 15 and during and after 8:30am and 10:30am masses Sunday May 16. Father Brandon is looking for some YAMs to help volunteer at the booth. We would just need to talk to young adults about our ministry and give them a short survey. There will be some set up and tear down, time TBA. If you are able to help either Saturday or Sunday please e-mail yam@lukefive.org. Further details will follow shortly.

   Whether it’s in those on the road to the priesthood/religious life (like Larry, Tom, and Krisz), those living the sacrament of matrimony (like Mary & Harrison, Matt & Jill, Kari & Nolan, and Cristina & Nick), those on the road to marriage (like Derrick & Kristy), those discerning their vocation, or those living the single life to the greater glory of God, it’s plain to see God working in and through us!

    I thank the Lord for the gift of each of our participants and the ministry that has brought us together!

~Jackie

By Brenda Steele

Today’s Oprah Show featured the Dominican Sisters of Mary alongside a trained Caucasian Geisha living in Tokyo. The idea behind today’s program was to give the world a glimpse of the lives of women living in “secret” communities.

Journalist, Lisa Ling, interviewed both the Geisha and the Sisters of Mary.

Sayuki (her Japanese name), born in Australia and Oxford educated, takes her role as a trained Geisha very seriously.  She wanted to make a point, which she did several times, that sex is not now and never was a part of this tradition. In an odd way, her interview made a good introduction to the Dominican Sisters of Mary whose vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience require complete dedication and a desire to serve others.

Residing outside of Ann Arbor, MI, the Dominican Sisters of Mary have become widely known in Catholic circles due to their overwhelming success in attracting young women to religious service. Currently, there are 100 nuns whose average age is 26, though the youngest apostolate is 18. The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist began in 1997 with 4 sisters.

Their mission statement reads, in part:

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist is a Roman Catholic community of women religious . . . . .Through profession of the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, along with a contemplative emphasis on Eucharistic adoration and Marian devotion, our community exists for the salvation of souls and the building of the Church throughout the world.

Lisa Ling spent a day and night with the sisters at their convent, even rising at 5:00 a.m. for Morning Prayer. She followed the sisters throughout their day of prayer, Mass, silent meals, periods for meditation, duties, classes, the Rosary, athletic recreation twice daily, Compline, and time for personal prayer and study at the end of the day.

It would have been impossible for both the studio audience and the TV not to notice the happiness that exuded from the faces of the Sisters of Mary postulates, novitiates, and consecrated nuns as they lived their day.

Sister Frances Mary, 22, when asked by Oprah, “How did you know you wanted to become a nun?” responded by saying, “It wasn’t something audible; it was just something that came from here”(as she clutched her hands to her heart, beaming all the while.)

Another touching response came from Sister Mary Judith when Oprah  asked about nuns being married to Christ — “It’s hard to have Christ as a spouse, when something goes wrong in the relationship, I know it’s me!”

There were the inevitable questions about sex. Nothing seems to throw these sisters, one of whom answered, “We’re human, we all have urges. I might have an urge to eat chocolate, but that doesn’t mean I have to indulge myself.”

Oprah asked if a sister could leave the convent if she realized she had made a mistake about becoming a nun. The sisters explained to her that it takes 7 to 9 years of discernment before one becomes a consecrated nun. In fact, the smiling countenances of the young women suggest no one is likely to leave the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.

Oprah found out these nuns don’t live in a world devoid of technology. Sister Joseph Andrew said that when she’s in a hurry she “grabs her prayer books and her Blackberry!” She doesn’t want any young woman interested in joining the order to be left waiting to be contacted. Their technological savvy is underscored by the sophistication of their website. The sisters may not often watch television, but they do know how to reach out through the Internet.

Oprah seemed a bit in awe of these happy, selfless women who have put aside the material things of this world to instead “preach and teach the Truth.” Mother Assumpta, who has been a nun since the age of 17, responded when asked about having given up the possibility of motherhood, “I think every woman is called to be a mother. We are simply called to be spiritual mothers.”

The Dominican Sisters of Mary have come to Ann Arbor, Michigan from all walks of life to take their vows. Each felt something was missing in their former lives; something was “calling” them to service. Whatever the reason, these women, full of energy and youth, are spending their lives in prayer for the Church and in apostolic work throughout the United States and beyond.

Oh, and thank you, Oprah, for featuring them on your show.

To view the video, click here.

• Tuesday, Sept 1: YAM elections. During our regular Tuesday YAM meeting, we will be selecting leaders for the following 5 positions: president, vice-president/events, secretary, treasurer, and facilities manager/”key-keeper.” All positions have a 6-month term and duties will be outlined. Please prayfully consider becoming a YAM leader!
• Wednesday, Sept 2: Planning meeting for the Youth 2000 retreat. Find out what you can do to help with the Youth 2000 retreat coming to St Luke’s Jan 29-31, 2010.
• Saturday, Sept 12 and Sunday, Sept 13: St Luke’s Parish Festival. Help at the YAM’s glass pitch booth or just enjoy the games and food at St Luke’s annual parish festival.
• Sunday, Sept 20: Sam West’s deaconate ordination. Sam West, the seminarian who helped form our YAM group, will be celebrating his deaconate ordination at 9am at the Cathedral.
• Friday, Oct 2-Sunday, Oct 4: St Dominic’s Young Adult Yosemite Trip. Join our fellow young adults from the Bay Area for their annual tent-cabin camping trip to Yosemite. Discount registration if you register before Sept 2. See http://www.catholicunity.org/yosemite/  for details.

Check the Events Calendar for more upcoming events…

When: July 22nd and 29th at 6:30pm

Where:  Center for Ministry Building,  1125 N. Lincoln St in Stockton

http://www.stocktondiocese.org/english/ministries/Life/YoungAdultTrainingFlyer2.pdf

http://lodinews.com/articles/2009/04/14/news/3_hayes_090414.txt

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/lodinews/obituary.aspx?n=monsignor-thomas-patrick-hayes&pid=126270444