The nuns are urged more than the rest of the faithful to deny themselves, take up their cross, and bear the death of Jesus in body and soul….

By our profession we dedicate ourselves to God…

“It was during the Office of the Dead that the Sisters first heard the strange noise…”

Because of the effort it demands, work is one of the more common forms of asceticism…

“All the angels looked on in wonder at the procession of nuns hopping through a window…”

Like St. Dominic, who was outstanding as ‘father and consoler of the sick brethren and those who were undergoing trials,’ …

Reflection by a sister of the monastery - “The care of old and infirm nuns is a striking example of what “common life” means in a monastic community….”

“The conventual Mass should be the center of the community liturgy…”

“The sisters fit so snugly on the benches that there was scarcely room for any of us to put on weight; and if one sneezed rather suddenly, she was likely to give the sister near her a good jolt….”

The blessed Dominic recommended some form of study to the first nuns as an authentic observance of the Order…

The nuns should readily give themselves to work with all their powers of mind and heart as well as their gifts of nature and grace…

The nuns should keep in mind that just as they share together in the Eucharistic Bread, they should also partake of their bodily food as a sign of sisterly communion. Constitutions of the Nuns, 54.I

The first nights in the new monastery were sleepless and the first days of work were difficult, but God never ceased to provide countless blessings upon the little community. Amidst all the trials and tribulations, the intercession of the saints and God’s providence guided the sisters in their efforts to make the old homestead into “God’s House.”

Reflection by a sister of the monastery - “The human person is wonderfully created by God to need food in both body and soul…”

Following the example of St. Dominic, who always carried about with him the gospel of Matthew and the epistles of Paul and almost knew them by heart, the nuns should above all keep the Sacred Scriptures at hand.

After breakfast the sisters began the task of exploring the old farmhouse and trying to make some semblance of livable order amidst the chaos that was before them.

Mutual understanding and sisterly communion are fostered by various forms of recreation.

Reflection by a sister of the monastery - “The first line of Psalm 122 beautifully reveals the sentiments of a monastic heart…“

On a chilly January morning, fifteen sisters boarded a bus in Summit, New Jersey and headed toward North Guilford, Connecticut. Read their story from our archives.