J.M + J.T
Pax Christi!
Dear Friends,
Praised be Jesus Christ!
It is our joy to once more update all our dear supporters about our building project and the continued growth of our monastery. It is your generous support in so many different ways that sustains our life of prayer here in Mathoura.
We have been deeply humbled by the strong response of increased support since our Groundbreaking and we are happy to say that our Chapel is now 22% funded. We continue to be inspired by the kind words of our dear Bishop Columba on that grace-filled occasion:
A prophet is a sign-post that always points to God, and the spiritual life, in a world that has forgotten God, has turned in on itself with selfishness and greed, and has forgotten that there is something more to life than your own gratification. You Sisters, you are prophets... This groundbreaking is a signpost. You, my dear Sisters, are signposts. May we all have the wisdom and the grace to follow where that signpost is pointing, which is always God, and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Bishop’s words moved us deeply – please pray for us to be ever more faithful to this vocation of being signposts to Our Lord. We have realised more and more this year how much the Church needs our joyful voluntary poverty. This year, the 800th Jubilee of the death of St Francis of Assisi, has been declared the year of the Poverello of Assisi, and we have great confidence in St Francis that, just as he was called to build up the Church both literally and mystically, he will assist us this year in building the little Chapel we yearn to see rise up in the midst of our paddocks.
As planned, our project team is very close to submitting Construction Certification documentation. This is a huge milestone to have reached, because it has involved resolving significant engineering challenges around the unique nature of the ancient construction methods we intend to utilise, which have fallen out of use in recent years and so are not quickly understood in today’s construction world. We are happy that our engineers and architects have reached a solution which meets our sustainability and durability requirements. The resulting design involves stone walls over one metre thick for the Chapel, and rammed earth several feet thick for the remaining buildings. We are very grateful to all the consultants involved, and are especially happy with the planned stone vaulting over the Chapel areas. Thankfully the dimensions of our Chapel are quite humble and the layout simple. This has helped to successfully align traditional building techniques to the contemporary building code.
The many steps required over the past year, before the walls actually rise from the ground, have been a wonderful lesson in peaceful patience for those of us Sisters who are very much shaped by the world’s rhythm of instant gratification! We are joyfully experiencing the reality that a building to last centuries requires significantly more planning than a building designed for a shorter lifetime.
We have also put a lot of work in recent months into the design of our boundary wall. This is a key monastic feature and we are extremely enthusiastic to see it begin soon. Built from stone and rammed earth, it will be an excellent additional trial of the dirt from our property, which has already undergone much laboratory testing.
Several of our supporters have inquired whether there will be an opportunity to be part of building the project in a volunteer capacity. This will depend on how much interest there is, so please let us know if you would like to be part of such an endeavour, especially in the second half of this year.
We are very grateful to all those who have sent both old and new candle wax. We were delighted to finally make our own paschal candle for the first time this year. As we pray Matins each night by the light of our home-made candles we think of the people and parishes who send us their used candles to make them.
We are also very grateful for all those who have assisted us with fibre for spinning, yarn and other weaving supplies. It is a great joy for us to be making our own fabric for our habits and other items around the monastery. We are always happy to receive sheep and alpaca fleeces especially in black, brown and white.
We are very moved by all the prayer intentions entrusted to us by our dear friends and supporters over recent months. Please be assured that every single need and aspiration is placed lovingly by us at the feet of Our Lord each day and that we carry you all in our hearts in our daily lives here within our cloister. As we make our little daily sacrifices in the spirit of St Therese, we know that our choices to live together in charity and humility redound to the greater good of the world and we pray that our loving God uses the little that we bring, to build up peace in the hearts of all our loved ones and the entire world.
Please pray for us too!
In the Faith and Zeal of Elijah,
All your Carmelite Sisters in Mathoura
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A new monastery
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