Nun Run Recap in Pictures!

Our early morning departure wasn't without some minor difficulties! The first challenge for us all was trying to raise the back seat of the minivan. Luckly along came Bishop Hermann (Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis) to our aid!

Bishop Hermann with his trusty flashlight and Sr. Marie fiddling with the buttons...

Success!!! And with a blessing from the Bishop, we're on our way...

Our first stop of the day was at the Passionists Monastery in Ellisville. After Mass in the public chapel & breakfast, we learned about the history & spirituality of the Passionists and got to ask the nuns questions. It was rather providential that we were there on the day after the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists. The symbol of the congregation, a heart with a cross above it, with the words "Passion of Jesus Christ" in Hebrew, Greek & Latin was revealed to St. Paul of the cross by the Lord in several stages. We learned how the nuns helped make thousands of hosts for the Papal Mass in 1999 as well as the parts of Christ's Passion they enjoy meditating upon.

Next stop: the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, a.k.a. Pink Sisters! The two sisters in pink are professed while the two on the right are currently postulants. Sr. Gemma (on the far left) told us that it seems like everywhere, they're known as the Pink Sisters. Even in Germany, they're called the "Rosen Schwestern." But when they leave the cloister (for things like medical appointments), they wear a gray habit. When they were granted permission to attend the Papal Mass in 1999, they wore their gray habits but with a pink scarf! These nuns are a cloistered, contemplative missionary order with a special dedication to the Holy Spirit and a strong Eucharistic spirituality. Then we prayed Midday Prayer (sung) with them in their chapel. After lunch we were on our way again to Belleville, IL.

Finally! A picture of Sr. Eva-Maria in action...

Our third stop was at the Poor Clare Monastery just over the Mississippi River in Belleville. Upon our arrival, we made a visit to their chapel for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Midafternoon Prayer (sung) with the nuns before watching a short video about their community. The video was quite interesting as one of the nuns (actually, the one on the left in the picture!) did all the filming so we were given a little peek into the cloistered area of the monastery. We did note that the nuns were truly discalced when they were inside in the film (i.e. no shoes!) and did have some cute sandles/flip flops they donned when they headed out for walk.

Then we headed to the parlor to visit with the three nuns pictured above. They kept us engaged and laughing with their vocation stories. The funniest part was when two of the three nuns mentioned going to a public library to find out information about Catholic nuns, including discovering a large (but dusty) directory of religious communities. They also told us about their complete reliance upon Divine Providence; the nuns don't engage in any particular work which brings in a steady income. However, God provides for whatever the need is through generous people, whether it be for a box cutter, an organ, or a new monastery roof!

We ended our visit with a last visit to the monastery chapel where we prayed the Rosary. After an enjoyable car trip, sharing our reflections and thoughts, we returned to St. Louis, grateful for the chance to visit the cloistered nuns.