VOCATION OFFICE E-NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2025

TheRosaryprocessionduringtheNationalDominicanRosaryPilgrimageatthe BasilicaoftheNationalShrineoftheImmaculateConception,Washington,DC

St. Cecilia & Her Angel

A Reflection on the Second Stained Glass Window

Depicting St. Cecilia With Her Guardian Angel

“Forhecommandshisangelswithregardtoyou,toguardyouwherever yougo”(Ps91:11)

BySisterMaryEsther,O.P.

Inscriptionbelowthestainedglass windowofSt.Ceciliawithher GuardianAngel

Surrounded.Thedarknessofpaganismsurroundsher:paganpromiscuity, paganambition.ButHehadcapturedherheart captivated,rather,with Hislightandgentleness Herpaganfatherandmotherwerenoprotection forhervow,knownonlytohernurseandbishop

“Lord,maymyheartremainimmaculate:onlyyours.”

Extraordinarycircumstancesrequiredextraordinaryassistance.Asher maidandhermotherdressherforaweddingsheisnotallowedtorefuse, sheisassuredbythemightyangelatherside Herangel’sresplendent beautyreflectsthatofGod Shepondersthebeautyandstrengthofher heavenlyBridegroom,reflectedinhisangelicservant,andtrusts Peacefullyshestaysinthedeepestplaceofherheart,whereher Bridegroomdwells,knowingshehasHisstrengthwithinandabouther Herangelaccompaniesher,astheyleadhertowardsthehallwhereher betrothedawaits,instrumentsalreadyplayingtheweddingsongs.

St.Cecilia,whodidceaselesslyseeyourguardianangelbyyourside,prayforusto haveagreaterawarenessofthegiftofourguardianangels.Mayourguardian angelsguideusthroughaculturedarkenedwithpaganelementsthatourhearts mayalsoremainpure.

Beauty

AnInterviewwithSisterRosemary,O.P.

Howwouldyoudefinesacredliturgy?

Theword“liturgy”isfromtheGreekwordfor“work;”it istheworkofthepeople.Sowhenyou'retalkingabout liturgy,youreallyhavetoembracetheideathat,‘Okay, I'mgoingtorollupmysleeveshereandgettowork’ Andwhatisthiswork?Well,it'stheworkofGodand theDivineOffice.EveninhisRule,St.Benedictcallsit theworkofGod.ButitisthepeoplewithGod,and whatdoesthisworkentail?ThepraiseofGod,andso yourworkissomethingthatisyourwholebeing,your soulaswellasyourbody It'sveryintegrated It'savery humanactivity,butit'salsoasupernaturalactivity becauseGodisinusdoingthatwork.Wecannot praisewithoutHisactivityinoursouls

Anditisaworkthatunitesuswiththeheavenly realm Sowheneverweentertheliturgy,we'reactually unitedwithalloftheangelsinheavenwhoarealso praisingGod,allofthesaintsinheaven,andwearein theheartoftheBlessedTrinity.Sowearealready participatingintheheavenlyJerusalem,therealityof thenewheavensandthenewearththatweknowwill come The“kingdom”hasalreadycomewhenweenter theliturgy,eventhoughwearenotyetinits fulfillment.So,wearepraisingGod,butatthesame time,wearealsosavingsoulsbecausetheeffectof thisworkisthesalvationofthewholehumanrace Thisisnolittlethingthatwe'reenteringinto.

Whatmakesaliturgyreallybeautiful?

OnewaytoanswerthisisbylookingatSt Thomas's categoriesofwhatmakesthethingbeautiful:consonantia, integritasandclaritas.Youcouldanalyzeeachoneofthe momentsoftheliturgyandask,“Doesithavethosequalities? Isitproportionatetothethingthatisbeingpraised?Doesit haveintegritytous?Isthewholethingcompleteinandof itself?”

Howimportantisittobeabletosingorhaveanymusical backgroundwhenyouenterthecommunity?

Havingmusicalbackgroundisnotreallynecessarybecausea sistergetsthattrainingwhenyoucome Thesisterswith musicalbackgroundshavefoundthattheLordbringsthat giftoutofthem.Itisnotagiventhatitwillbeused,butfor themostpart,ithasalwaysbeenmyexperiencethat,insome way,itwillcomeout,andtheLordwillaskthatsistertoplace thatgiftattheserviceofthecommunityortheChurch

UndividedHeart

Sister Sophia, O.P.

It was a response to an invitation. It was a spontaneous movement of the heart. It was a joyful expression of gratitude.“If You love me this much, how could I give you anything less than my whole life?”

I hadn’t always desired to be a religious sister. In fact, less than one day after making the above offer to Jesus in the Eucharist, I promptly retracted my offer. I wanted to be happy. And it seemed to me that sacrifice and happiness were incompatible. I did not yet understand that all states of life require sacrifice because love requires sacrifice.

As I began college, I got to know some Dominican friars and realized these men were very happy, happier than many people I knew. At the same time, the idea of belonging to Christ alone continued to resurface. Firmly clinging to the truth that doing God’s will would make me happy, I prayed,“I think You want me to be a sister. I don’t want it. Please change my heart.”

After a year of bartering with the Lord, I let go of my deliberate distractions to true discernment. I gave Him my full attention. And He swept me off my feet. I offered Him my undivided attention and He let me taste what a lifetime of an undivided heart would be like. I wasn’t trying to figure out my life any more, I was simply loving the Lord and letting Him love me.

More than a year later, this question occurred to me in prayer,“What if You aren’t calling me to be Your Bride?” I realized then that I would be devastated! The Lord had patiently and gently moved my heart so that my response to His proposal wasn’t a duty-bound obedience to His will, but a generous, eager “Yes” to an invitation.

Book Recommendation

The Wellspring of Worship by Jean Corbon (1980)

“Fr. Jean Corbon explores the meaning of the Liturgy as the “wellspring” or source of the Church’s life and worship of God The Liturgy itself is a sharing in the mystery of the Triune God and in the Incarnation, Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus. Father Corbon writes that it is “the mystery of the river of life that streams from the Father and the Lamb”, into which believers are to be drawn. In this way, the divine river waters their entire lives, renewing and transforming them, so that they are rendered fruitful for God. The Wellspring of Worship is a masterful reflection on the mystery of God’s Trinitarian life and how the Church’s members participate in that life through the Liturgy.”

Descriptionfromthebackcover

EncounteringBeauty:

Snapshots from our Schools

TOPLEFT/FatherLukeWilgenbushoffersBenedictionduringthe SeptemberDominicanCampusEucharisticProcessioninNashville, Tennessee.

TOPRIGHT/HundredsofparentsandstudentsparticipatedintheMass andEucharisticProcessionattheDominicanCampusforAquinasCollege, SaintCeciliaAcademy,andOverbrookCatholicSchoolinNashville, Tennessee

LEFT/SisterLydiaMarieenjoysrecesswithherstudentsatOurLadyof MountCarmelinNewportNews,Virginia

BELOW/SisterNicholasMarieispicturedwithsomeofthestudentsat SaintCeciliaAcademyinNashville,Tennessee

StudentsatOurLadyofMountCarmelSchoolinCarmel,Indianaleadthe all-schoolRosaryduringthecelebrationoftheFeastofOurLadyofthe Rosary

PatrickSchoolin McEwen,Tennesseeavisitingjoey

ThepostulantsposebeforeclassatAquinasCollegeinNashville, Tennessee