EXCLUSIVE： Wonder Why Mother Miriam Is Only Making Final Vows Now？ She Explains It All Here
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Summary
Join us as we visit the site of St. Joseph's Retreat Center and learn about the incredible work that went into making this place a reality. Thanks to all the people who reached out to Life Site and all the amazing things they did to make this happen.
Transcript
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to wake up and wear this every day. I don't know.
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God knows I'm not the type to be a religious. He knows I'm
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be here. And without LifeSite, nobody would know what's happening
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in the world anyway, the truth of it. So, because
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of your video, John Henry, and all the people who responded to the LifeFunder,
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whether it was directly through the LifeFunder or directly to us,
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And, I don't look like I'm excited. Do I come this way?
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You don't have to video the restrooms, but there's restrooms here.
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This is a makeshift chapel. Our Lord is on the altar.
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You see, I normally keep a very clear, wonderful desk.
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So, we're unpacking. We're not packed yet. We've got a million things going on.
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So, this is- I have to take this with me, and I have to take this with me.
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So, we're thrilled. We have everything. Someone volunteered. A gentleman came and set up internet for us.
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Oh, you know what? The people, friends of ours, they're living in the house on the property.
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Because our mother married him the Lamb of God, and the Lamb is my life.
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We came in, and there were these things, lambs, all over the place.
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And this will be a little parlor in back of you.
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I have my friend, Nancy, visiting from North Carolina.
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And we graduated, and then we tried to save each other, but we both won, so.
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When I first told her that Catholics could be Christians, too.
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We closed the door because it's beautiful in here.
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We'll take it off and make it Catholic, but everything was left here for us except the statues.
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And we could raise the ceiling at seven feet if we want, which we do.
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We'll break through the wall with a couple more windows.
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Now, a priest came to visit us, and he said, this is your chapel.
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But we'll make this into a beautiful, beautiful chapel, and people could come in from the
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The bookshelves were handmade, and they're ours.
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There's a few pieces of furniture that are ours, but it's all left here.
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It was two double beds in each room, and a bathroom.
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So, the owners who sold us this, I said, we don't need the double beds.
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And she replaced them, instead of two, four, six, eight, sixteen double beds, she replaced
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Here's the cup that broke when he blessed it, because his monks wanted to poison him.
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We are just about to have the Synod on Synodality.
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And everything that you've seen indicates that it's going to be an absolute disaster.
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We have Father James Martin as a personal appointee of the Pope speaking at it.
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These picks of the Pope to engage in this Synod are indicative of where we're going.
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And at these times of great crisis, the church, especially those called in the laity to work
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for the glory of Christ in his church, are called to gather and strategize.
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Back in 2014, LifeSite launched something called Rome Life Forum.
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It was a gathering at that point of some 75 life and family leaders from all around the world
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And when we gathered, the majority of people were most concerned about what?
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About Pope Francis, about what was going on in Rome.
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Now, a decade on, we are confronted with some of the most severe challenges the church has ever faced.
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And so our tradition at LifeSite is to continue with Rome Life Forum,
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which has continued every year until we had to take a break over COVID because we weren't permitted.
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Please come, if you feel so called, to Rome, October 31st and November 1st,
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And we'll be there to strategize with His Eminence, with His Excellency,
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and with many life and family leaders from around the world.
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Oh, Mother, you're getting ready for a lot of sisters.
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We were, you know, put out of a couple of dioceses.
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We were forbidden in Oklahoma to go forward or take anybody.
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And we only had seven because we were in a house.
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Sister Gertrude Marie has been with me seven and a half, eight years.
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So how many years has it been for you from when you were ready to now?
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So, I mean, it's very much, to me, I was trying to think of it in layman's terms,
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you're all ready for marriage, and then there's just delay, because...
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And canceled, when I first met Bishop Candela, who was told to put me out.
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He didn't even know who I was, told by a cardinal.
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We met, and at the end, first time we ever met.
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And at the end of the meeting, uh, he said, oh, oh, oh, by the way, cancel your vows.
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Oh, by the way, like he was telling me to cancel a dental appointment.
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And we had to stop, and not go forward, and not take women in, and...
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Because she won't quit, no matter what you do to her.
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At one point, the prayer would be, may God have mercy on our souls.
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But for now, Mother, you were asked to sacrifice something, and you did.
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And if I never had my final vows, I said I do with my temporary vows, with Bishop Slattery
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He knows I'm a New York Jew and a businesswoman.
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I'm the richest person in the whole world, no matter what is denied or what is given me.
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You know that here on LifeSite we love to tell amazing stories.
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There are few so heroic and amazing as the story we're about to tell you that's coming soon.
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When I was in seminary, I was reading a book by Henry Nouwen.
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He talked about a nuclear man, you know, and people who grew up in the 1980s were kind of formed by that immediate and constant threat of nuclear annihilation.
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My generation has grown up, you know, under the specter of priestly sexual abuse.
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What say you, Mr. Foreperson, is the defendant guilty or not guilty?
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I think that for many of us that has also been all-encompassing.
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You know, I mean, I entered the seminary in January of 2004.
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And it's basically been there for me from the beginning.
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And when I, first day I got here, I probably, forgive me Lord, killed three crickets.
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There's another side that's not completed, but that's in place for eight cells already.
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And what, go ahead, open your room if you would.
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Eileen visited us in Tulsa and she's in Kansas.
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But it has a toilet, private, and a shower, which is difficult for two women forever.
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And we're going to take the barn doors down and build our refectory tables from them.
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We're going to take the barn doors down, Sister Gertrude's idea, and make our refectory tables
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No, they bought us 30 beds, and mattresses, and linens.
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You guys, here, you have the same thing we do, except the opposite.
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This is a huge storage room with laundry in it.
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The last, what did you say, was a tree farm and everything, and the last was an event center.
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They had wedding showers here and bridal events and everything.
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Some of the equipment hasn't even been used yet.
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But we've already visited a nearby church that wants us to teach CCD, which for me would
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And we've thought, just as a beginning, once a month, walk the streets of Winsboro, bother
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the world, and invite everybody, it doesn't matter who they are, to a film night once
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And then a second night a month, everything you want them to know about being Catholic
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So if it's cool enough, it has some fans, but we could be in here.
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And then you have, beyond this, what are the other buildings?
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We have a 500-foot well that supplies the whole land.
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And if you're not coming to Texas, come anyway.
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And as I said on the initial interview, we don't need to have...
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And it was 1.2 for 50 acres, but we were able to go 1.4 and get 86.
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We have a house on the property that we have a family in, husband and wife and three children, most beautiful.
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The husband is our handyman, our groundskeeper.
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They were married and handling a B&B and not really living the faith.
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And I think they already had Gideon, their son, and Ruby started listening to Mother Miriam live.
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And one day, we came, when Bishop Slattery invited us, Sister Gertrude and I came here to visit, January, a year ago, before we moved.
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And they're sitting in church, and Ruby, with her husband, it was a Sunday, and she said,
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He said, All we want to do is serve you the rest of our lives.
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And our heart, John Henry, I know I've said this to you more than once.
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The families God's designed to build his kingdom, and the enemies target to destroy.
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You look at the news every day, you look at what's happening at World Youth Day, you could die, you could die.
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The world is destroying the youth, the church is destroying the youth, in the name of Christ, if he's ever mentioned.
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And so, here's one family that is, it's everything we live for.
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So, we want lots of families to come, and we'll have, let the children play, and we'll have, I don't know what we'll have.
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And the sisters have sometimes said to me, can't we wear white during the summer?
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And I think I may have mentioned, they know the little story, when I was in the airport once, and I'm melting, too.
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And humidity is, to me, like Captain Knight the Superman.
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So, I was in an airport restroom, and I was at the sink in this habit, and there's a woman three sinks away, a large black woman, maybe in her 30s, tank top, short shorts, pouring water from the heat.
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And she looked over at me, and she said, ma'am, ain't you hot in that plane?
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See, three hours and more, and we spend 15 minutes and go into the cool building.
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No, it's not, the heat is not our cup of tea, but blessed be God forever, as long as he gives us breath.
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We don't even know what he's doing half the time.
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He says, mother, there's people giving away free mulch.
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We tell him what has to be done, but he wants to protect us.
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And they had a little girl whom they named Rosalyn.
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So we love them and they come over every Sunday at the church and the little boys bring us flowers.
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How would you have, or what do you have for mass here?
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We drive 40 minutes into St Joseph the Worker in the morning.
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but recently we we didn't have the time and we needed to go more locally and
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there's a church in Gilmore it's 17 minutes away it's Novus Ordo but the
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priest also prays Latin mass twice a week and at least the Novus Ordo was
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ad orientum with Latin and reverence so we can we can do that I haven't been
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there yet the sisters has but have one it's right he says beautiful they say
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the priest is just beautiful they say holy and beautiful and he's the one
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that's talking about our teaching CCD it's mostly Hispanic there and he's
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Hispanic okay but in my heart is always to get to the parents so yeah so when and
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at what point and how would that look like might you get a priest to come
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here we've spoken to a few and who want to come but they have to work it out or
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have the schedule we'd have priests here every day if it worked and but so far no
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one's come when we were how far Winona 40 minutes away and Winona also 35 minutes
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away we lived until a month ago in the two trailers and Bishop came and celebrated
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mass and Bishop Athanasius Snyder came blessed our trailers celebrated mass so
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we'll invite the bishop here and there are other priests who will come but at the
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moment everybody's in their place it's not easy for them to come yeah it's a
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distance and so you'd have this this priest would be probably your closest to one
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in Gilmer Gilmer there's one in Sulphur Springs but he's not able to come and he
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celebrates the Latin mass but he's not able to come so this is probably so far
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that we found it there's a holy there's a Catholic Church five minutes away but we
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haven't got in there yet and we don't know so let's if we can let's just walk
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around to the back to that chapel again it's actually this way no I'm I'm the
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same I'm a little mouse in a maze I'm just getting to know it we walked through
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here and we can't even believe that it's ours how would you do that well we went
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upstairs this staircase leads to it only an attic with a tremendous amount of
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storage and we had some men go up there and to see what ceilings could be raised
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and the ceilings that were lowered can be raised they said about seven feet which
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we would love okay so that for the for what area particularly well what was going
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to be is going to be a community was originally a chapel and we wanted high so
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the chapel and the refectory even the hallway well these are good oh that
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other hallway has lowered ceilings yeah and we would raise anything we can to
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point to heaven yeah we would raise anything we can and all of this was left
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here but we're gonna sell it all doesn't remind you of a CC a little bit
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would you like to take it home but no no we're gonna sell all of it for
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donations so we because we had every penny of this I thank God for you every
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day has been taken care of but we're gonna need some money to do a lot of
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construction so we'll sell a lot of the furniture and and all these beautiful
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chandeliers and I don't know I have no idea what things are worth but we could
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replace them yeah so looks more like a ballroom how do you feel ready in the
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wedding feast sister Joan Marie sister Faustina Marie these two are sisters
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about two hours oh really they we had their novitiate this morning oh they were
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postulants this when they woke up and their sisters now wow sister Joan after
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Joan of Arc Joan Marie and it's the best sister Joan Marie of the Holy Cross we have
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titles and sister Faustina Marie of the merciful Savior so if I might ask what
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happens then and so is that a ceremony or what is that how does that I can give
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you a book it's a beautiful ceremony it's a beautiful we have somebody and our
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visitor our discerner was that person who introduced them mother I have observed
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their lives and I think we think they're fit to enter the novitiate so they enter
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and I don't remember the whole thing you probably remember it more than me but
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they expressed they want to give their lives to God and I give them an
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exhortation a message that I write specifically for them and it includes a
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foot washing and the cutting of their hair sister Faustina Marie was down to
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there not quite down to there well both of them for that long and we cut their
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hair and we ship their hair to their moms or dads or whoever which is it because they
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give everything to God and then with each piece of the habit the tunic and do you
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remember a sister I know I have to remember each one each piece I tell you
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what would you get a booklet please it should be on my desk the tunic first then
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the scapular and his yoga is easy his burden is light each piece reminds us of
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our life in Christ the people say why should belt too long it's not it's a a
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singture and it's for chastity the same Francis de Sales is one of our patrons and
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he didn't allow any any physical penance because he said you have community
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that's enough and he's right so okay all the lessons and all the antiphons and
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postulance Neil and very reverend mother entrusting my weakness to the mercy of
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Christ my ignorance to his wisdom and my future to his providence I ask you to
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clothe me in the vesture of those who hold nothing dearer than Christ that I may
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appear outwardly in the sight of angels and of men as an image of the church
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virgin spouse and mother and as one whose heart belongs to the lamb alone in a
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covenant of bridal love beautiful now these are specific to your order is that
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right well to Benedictine in Italy no no it sounds like it's totally like
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tailor-made for your order specifically well this was put together for me by a
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Benedictine priest in Tulsa who was our first religious assistant and I got a
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copy of the Benedictines of Gower a beautiful order it's almost word for
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word really yeah it's almost word for word the whole thing I just this you can
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have it oh man please that would be amazing yeah this is what I just read yeah
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this part of it I thought for sure it was tailor-made to you because they asked you
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to quote me in the vesture of those who know that I may appear outwardly in the sight of
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angels and men that's right that's your whole that's the whole charism all right
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there yeah right there okay yeah since since the habits were shortened when I
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was 19 yeah and had nothing to do with me so I thought now we want to be signs to
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God in the world that's beautiful beautiful well congratulations to both of you
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yeah that's amazing it was very very wonderful it's an auspicious day for us to be here that's wonderful
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yeah it's a very very special day and then for my having final vows tomorrow and if we can manage it
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sister Gertrude will have her temporary vows in a month or so if we haven't talked to the bishop and
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then normally it'd be five years before final but if it works out one year for her one year for final vows for
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her because she's been here so long and she's yeah she's more faithful than I am she's wonderful benedictine
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wow wow yeah I don't know what I would do without her I don't know because I'll just tell you this
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sister Gertrude Marie I want to say it accurately runs the place I want to be accurate here
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I know you ask this is okay that's okay I understand but she runs it she she's the furniture
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the arrangement everything is hers because she's magnificent and all the shopping all the mayor
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planning all the oversight of the sisters the kitchen all the work all the errands everything
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is under sister the only thing I do is sit at my desk I said she does everything else and she is
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structured and so because when sisters here we pray on time when she's not here the sisters come
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mother we pray and I said oh sure why I'm a dreamer but she's fantastic I don't know what I do without
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her go listen to this oh no German no German yeah yeah that's that's for the talks
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but 27 years in accounting before she came here oh 27 years in one job okay banking and counting
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right am I right yeah is that okay okay beautiful
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hi everyone this is John Henry Weston we hope you enjoyed this program to see more like it be sure to
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hit the subscribe button below to get all the latest content from LifeSite News check the links in the
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all the latest life family faith and freedom news thanks for watching and may God bless you