Feast of St. Colette, Entrance of Phoenix

Tomorrow is the feast of St. Colette, a French Poor Clare nun of the 15^th century.  We call her “our second Mother” because she started a reform movement in the Franciscan Order and our monastery is descended from one of the monasteries she established.  St. Colette is a reformer of the same style as our present Holy Father Francis.  Her emphasis on a strict discipline of life did not extinguish her joy but rather directed it.  Here is an excerpt from her spiritual testament, written toward the end of her life:

O precious and safe cloister!—To be enclosed in a continual remembrance of the precious wounds of Jesus Christ!  O most happy captives flying above the heavens to hear with the ears of the spirit the nine choirs of angels who praise and sweetly sing and magnify the holy and blessed Trinity, one only God in three Persons!  With the angels, praise God.  Glorify Him in Himself and through Himself and through all His creatures in heaven and on earth.  And exalt Him here below in all things for the inestimable alms of the creation of man made in the image of his Creator, and for the sovereign gift of the sacred Incarnation of our God who is so good that, after having created all things for us, became Himself true Man and our most loving Brother so as to repair everything amiss for us by His glorious Passion and Death.  O infinite good!  O measureless bounty!  O ingratitude which forgets so great a good!

We the followers and daughters of St. Colette make it our aim never to forget so great a good!  Our aspirant Phoenix will join us tomorrow in our precious and safe cloister to begin her life as a Poor Clare.  Pray for her and for her loving family who bravely offers her to the Lord.  Here is a link to her farewell blog post:
 http://vocationjourney.blogspot.com/ 

Today also is the 4th anniversary of the passing of our beloved first Abbess, Mother Rosaria.  Here is an account of her death:
http://www.poor-clares.org/MotherRosariasDeath.htm