Author: Sr. Jeana Visel, OSB
-
Liturgies of Lament
As this pandemic drags on, I find that moments of hope and gratitude are interspersed with times of deep grief and frustration. At one level, some of us have fallen into a groove with working from home. We are being intentional about connecting with friends and family, and cultivating community as safely as possible. We…
-
Learning to Interpret Christian Art
I recently fell down the delightful rabbit hole that is Kahn Academy’s series of art history presentations and videos.
-
Reflecting on the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Pope Francis recently invited us to reflect on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Fr. Liam Tracey, OSM has shared with us some of the history and development of this devotion. As we enter more deeply into Holy Week in 2020, what might reflecting on these sorrows mean for us today? The Seven Sorrows of Mary…
-
Sacred Word, Sacred Image
In this time of Eucharistic fast, it is helpful to remember the ways that Christ is present to His Church. He is not only in the Eucharistic species, not only in the gathered assembly, not only in the person of the priest, but also in the sacred Word. Because Jesus is “the Word made flesh,”…
-
Ecclesial Customs and Memory
I suddenly understood why the community so loves to stop for Dairy Queen.
-
Devotional Prayer and Community
In early October, I was in Nairobi teaching at a program for contemplative nuns, and afterward I spent a few days with the Benedictine nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery outside the city, in rural Kiambu. As I have written about before, this is still a fairly new community, and it is fascinating…
-
11th Annual Winter Chant Conference at Saint Meinrad: January 2020
Registration is open for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology’s Winter Chant Conference, “Bringing to Life the Word of God in Song,” to be held at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana January 20-24, 2020. The workshop is designed for directors of parish liturgical music and singers in parish liturgies. Attendees will learn and experience…
-
Monastery Spotlight: Queen of Peace Benedictines, Rutherfordton, North Carolina
While yet a small community, clearly these sisters cherish the beauty of monastic ritual.
-
Six Days of Creation Icon Painting Workshop
This past week I worked with iconographer Anna Gouriev at a Hexaemeron icon painting workshop hosted at Diakonia Retreat Center in Salem, South Carolina. Another track, on icon carving, was led by Jonathan Pageau. For those not familiar with the traditional Russian process of icon painting (or “writing”), it is a prayerful time of transforming…