The John-Henry Westen Show - This order of nuns is THRIVING ｜ Sister Wilhelmina

00:00:00.000 My friends, I had an incredible opportunity while I was in Kansas City for Rome Life Forum.

00:00:06.100 We went to visit the nuns at Gower, these famous Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles.

00:00:14.180 They're the ones with the super famous Gregorian chant that made it to the top of the music charts.

00:00:21.080 They are a traditional order.

00:00:23.060 They're the ones with the famous Sister Wilhelmina, who was just, her body was exhumed,

00:00:28.460 and it was found to be incorrupt.

00:00:30.480 Right in the middle of the debate over the Latin Mass, out comes this incorrupt body from a black woman 1.00

00:00:37.680 who started an order to promote the traditional Mass, which has remained traditional all this time.

00:00:44.040 Her sisters are traditional Benedictines.

00:00:46.960 They do all the old practices.

00:00:48.320 They get up, they pray throughout the day.

00:00:50.660 They're up at five.

00:00:52.120 They start praying.

00:00:53.300 They're praying late at night as well, all throughout the day.

00:00:56.540 They do this, Ora et Labora, the great way of the Benedictines.

00:01:02.100 They are doing amazing work.

00:01:03.860 In fact, it's the first time I have in my mind now a mental picture of just this,

00:01:11.020 because there's so many of them, by the way, but of popes and kings and queens and prelates

00:01:18.260 going to monasteries, to convents, to talk to a mother superior, like happened in the days of old.

00:01:25.720 I never thought about that until we got there, witnessed them, and then was able to speak for a few minutes to Mother Cecilia.

00:01:34.680 The joy, the absolute joy of these ladies was, it was overwhelming.

00:01:42.600 I now get it.

00:01:44.060 We're doing a life thunder for them.

00:01:46.380 We are helping them to continue their vital work, which is honestly the lifeblood of the church.

00:01:54.240 You're going to want to stay tuned for this episode, and check out our life thunder,

00:01:57.760 so you too can support the great work of the Benedictines of Mary.

00:02:10.540 Hey, my friends.

00:02:11.380 We are here at a convent with some sisters.

00:02:15.660 We're going to tell you about that in a second.

00:02:17.240 This is the one, though, that was responsible for a recent miracle,

00:02:21.560 so you're going to definitely want to stay tuned to this episode.

00:02:23.780 Sister, so good to be with you.

00:02:27.860 Sister Misericordia.

00:02:29.520 Let's begin, as we always do, at the side of the cross.

00:02:31.580 If you would lead us, please.

00:02:32.520 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

00:02:35.540 Amen.

00:02:36.340 So one of the questions many people have about monks and nuns,

00:02:43.440 and that's the proper name for you guys, nuns, right?

00:02:45.140 Nuns.

00:02:45.300 So you're finally, I'm finally saying it to the right people.

00:02:47.900 It's nuns. Look at that. 1.00

00:02:49.080 But one of the big questions is, what do they eat?

00:02:53.320 Do they eat?

00:02:54.220 Do they eat their own food only?

00:02:57.020 Do they eat dessert?

00:02:59.740 Are they allowed to drink coffee?

00:03:02.040 What do you guys do?

00:03:03.400 Well, I think our Lord especially had monks and nuns in mind

00:03:06.840 when he created the coffee bean.

00:03:09.620 Oh, excellent.

00:03:11.620 We're up pretty early, and so we are very grateful for a cup of coffee.

00:03:15.480 The chanting of our prayers goes a lot smoother

00:03:17.860 for those of us who need a little caffeine to get started on the day.

00:03:20.920 But yes, we have coffee.

00:03:22.720 We do try to grow a lot of our own food, but we have to supplement.

00:03:26.960 Obviously, we can't grow peanut butter trees or banana trees in Missouri,

00:03:32.120 but we do try to raise as much as we can ourselves.

00:03:36.040 We have cows and chickens and a very, very large garden,

00:03:39.760 which we try to do as much as we can to be self-sufficient as possible.

00:03:45.240 So we eat a very light breakfast in the morning

00:03:48.940 and then a pretty well-rounded, hefty meal later in the day,

00:03:55.420 around 3 o'clock this time of year.

00:03:58.000 In the summertime, when there's more work to be done,

00:04:01.340 St. Benedict encourages his monks and nuns to eat midday

00:04:05.280 and then again for supper.

00:04:07.360 But this time of year, we just have the one meal.

00:04:10.080 For the young sisters just getting started in our life,

00:04:12.800 we have them take snacks so they can start getting used to the fast, 0.90

00:04:16.820 the monastic fast is what we call it.

00:04:19.480 So, and that's it?

00:04:21.020 So you had the little breakfast and then the meal at 3 and that's it?

00:04:26.000 And we'll have drinks, you know, during midday.

00:04:28.140 There's coffee and tea and milk for those who would like one.

00:04:31.220 And again, in the evening also, especially this time of year,

00:04:34.980 a hot cup of tea at 6 p.m. is much appreciated.

00:04:38.640 If you wouldn't mind, because that's fascinating.

00:04:42.040 Describe an example of the breakfast, the light breakfast,

00:04:46.600 and then the meal.

00:04:47.580 Only because that sounds pretty, could be pretty rough.

00:04:51.960 But anyway, tell us about that.

00:04:53.640 It is definitely a sacrifice.

00:04:54.680 But our Lord himself says prayer and sacrifice,

00:05:00.040 prayer and fasting is extremely powerful.

00:05:02.240 And it's something that the Benedictines have tried to offer

00:05:06.100 as much as possible.

00:05:08.840 Breakfast is light, but, you know, those each can take what they need,

00:05:13.420 whether it's a bagel and a cup of coffee

00:05:15.500 or a bowl of cereal and a glass of, extra glass of milk.

00:05:19.860 But it's not, it's not too, too much.

00:05:21.420 And then, and then the meal, it's probably about three courses

00:05:27.000 is what St. Benedict speaks about, vegetables,

00:05:29.860 some kind of protein and a starch.

00:05:32.140 And yes, we do have dessert if it's a high feast.

00:05:35.260 Yesterday was the feast of St. Luke.

00:05:38.140 So we had chocolate cake in honor of the evangelist

00:05:41.180 and thanking him for the nativity narrative

00:05:45.660 that only he provided and the annunciation

00:05:48.060 that we never would have known about except for St. Luke.

00:05:50.260 Okay, so that's really cool because you do have dessert,

00:05:55.820 but you actually tie it to that liturgical calendar

00:05:59.460 that you work with anyway.

00:06:01.080 And then feast, the word feast day makes sense

00:06:05.840 because then it's a feast, like an eating feast as well.

00:06:09.280 That's right.

00:06:09.880 We follow the liturgical calendar.

00:06:11.880 The, our prayers are longer

00:06:13.780 and sometimes a little more elaborate, the melodies.

00:06:15.960 But it also, the table of the community

00:06:20.540 is the extension of the Eucharistic table of the mass.

00:06:25.060 And so the liturgy goes, it encompasses the whole day.

00:06:28.660 And so it's not just how we are fed in the liturgy,

00:06:32.280 but also how we are fed at the table

00:06:33.820 as we gather as monastic family.

00:06:35.520 We know that it's a feast if there's chocolate cake.

00:06:38.120 That's beautiful.

00:06:40.060 And the name, that's actually really fascinating.

00:06:43.080 So the actual word feast,

00:06:44.940 it pertains like actually also to the meal,

00:06:49.280 like the regular meal?

00:06:50.820 Yeah, I mean, certainly we'll have something

00:06:53.080 a little nicer on a feast day,

00:06:54.740 certainly Christmas and Easter,

00:06:55.900 but also the lesser feasts, you know,

00:06:57.980 the apostles for us especially

00:06:59.720 and our patronal feast of the different sisters

00:07:02.880 and then just the big saints of the church,

00:07:05.620 whether it's St. Therese or St. Peter

00:07:07.780 or one of our patronal feasts

00:07:11.320 is St. Louis Marie de Montfort.

00:07:13.140 So that's always a big feast day for us.

00:07:15.500 Beautiful.

00:07:16.240 And one of the other questions

00:07:17.320 that a lot of people have is visiting.

00:07:21.020 Nuns are, well, what does that mean behind a cloister? 1.00

00:07:24.600 Or what does it mean to not be in the public?

00:07:28.220 I know you are now, but that's exceptional.

00:07:30.120 But what does that usually mean?

00:07:31.920 And then do you get to see your family?

00:07:34.060 Yes.

00:07:34.480 So we've practiced what's called monastic enclosures.

00:07:37.620 So that is, we don't have a cloister.

00:07:39.660 All monks and nuns have some sense of cloister

00:07:41.920 where it's the only for the monks

00:07:43.740 or only for the nuns,

00:07:44.760 the part of the monastery or monastery grounds

00:07:46.920 that's only for the religious,

00:07:48.540 the family members of the community.

00:07:51.080 But there are certain public areas.

00:07:52.440 And you don't mean family members

00:07:53.560 like they're extended.

00:07:54.480 You mean just the other nuns 0.90

00:07:56.500 in your family of nuns.

00:07:58.000 The family of nuns, that's right.

00:07:59.480 But of our extended family,

00:08:02.320 we have public areas when our families,

00:08:04.480 our parents, our brothers and sisters

00:08:06.220 or dear friends will come to visit us.

00:08:08.280 We have parlors and areas

00:08:09.920 that are open to the public.

00:08:11.960 And so our families do come

00:08:13.180 and visit us here at the monastery.

00:08:16.320 We don't go see them,

00:08:18.040 but they can come and see us

00:08:19.140 about three times a year.

00:08:20.660 And if they're not able to visit them,

00:08:22.760 they'll do a phone call

00:08:23.680 or even a Skype if they're from overseas.

00:08:25.820 So they can only come three times.

00:08:28.980 So they couldn't like come every day.

00:08:31.120 No, no.

00:08:32.060 No, they can come for mass.

00:08:33.440 They can come and join us for a prayer.

00:08:35.520 But as far as like sitting down

00:08:36.600 and having a parlor visit with their daughter,

00:08:39.220 no, they can't do that every day.

00:08:40.480 Okay.

00:08:40.920 That's one of the sacrifices.

00:08:42.420 Right.

00:08:42.880 So the joining you for prayer is more,

00:08:44.620 they can see you sort of over there,

00:08:47.140 but they're praying with you obviously,

00:08:48.400 but it's in close proximity anyway.

00:08:50.180 So that's really beautiful.

00:08:52.240 So three times a year,

00:08:54.800 and are you allowed to write?

00:08:56.420 Yes, we can write home once a month

00:08:58.200 to different family members.

00:09:00.680 Three letters were permitted each month

00:09:02.340 except during Lent and Advent.

00:09:04.160 Really try to practice extra silence

00:09:06.520 during those months,

00:09:07.800 preparing for the great feasts

00:09:08.920 of the liturgical year.

00:09:10.580 Wow.

00:09:12.020 And the silence bit,

00:09:13.880 are you allowed to talk?

00:09:15.720 Do you have silence on the inside for you?

00:09:17.360 Are you allowed to talk,

00:09:18.100 but just not with the outside world?

00:09:19.000 Yeah, both and.

00:09:21.540 So we don't talk in the monastery

00:09:23.720 to each other during the day,

00:09:26.000 except about the work at hand.

00:09:28.700 And there's a time every day

00:09:31.260 that we call recreation,

00:09:32.860 where it's an hour where we just,

00:09:34.180 we just talk with each other

00:09:35.260 and just visit with each other.

00:09:36.640 And we'll be busy with our hands,

00:09:38.520 but also busy with our mouths,

00:09:40.220 just catching up with our sisters.

00:09:42.320 And then in general,

00:09:44.040 our contact with the world

00:09:45.060 is very limited in our community.

00:09:46.620 We're really trying to preserve

00:09:48.900 and promote that interior union

00:09:51.000 with the Lord,

00:09:51.880 which silence is such an important part.

00:09:54.260 But we especially have wedded

00:09:55.440 the Benedictine way of life

00:09:57.800 to total consecration

00:09:59.140 to the Blessed Virgin Mary

00:10:00.180 as taught by St. Louis Marie de Montfort.

00:10:02.660 So we're Benedictines of Mary,

00:10:04.660 Queen of Apostles,

00:10:05.840 because we especially look to Our Lady

00:10:07.920 as Queen of the Apostles,

00:10:09.560 because we offer our life of

00:10:11.780 or at labora, prayer and work

00:10:13.600 through Our Lady,

00:10:15.360 especially for priests,

00:10:16.960 because we feel that

00:10:17.920 as our special charism

00:10:19.120 is to pray and sacrifice for priests.

00:10:21.360 Beautiful.

00:10:22.120 So you're also a traditional order.

00:10:25.440 So you do the traditional Latin mass

00:10:27.940 and that's been

00:10:30.140 from the creation of your order.

00:10:33.000 That's right.

00:10:33.400 We were blessed to be founded

00:10:35.300 under the aegis

00:10:36.780 of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter,

00:10:38.860 who really got our community

00:10:40.060 off the ground,

00:10:41.220 giving us a place to stay,

00:10:42.840 work to do,

00:10:44.140 chaplain, classes,

00:10:45.760 everything for our formation.

00:10:47.720 And we're forever grateful

00:10:49.300 to the Fraternity of St. Peter

00:10:50.340 for getting us started.

00:10:52.560 But we are very blessed

00:10:54.620 to have the traditional Latin mass every day.

00:10:56.920 And we do the traditional monastic office,

00:11:00.280 the divine office in its fullness.

00:11:03.420 And we're glad to be able to share that

00:11:05.700 with all of our visitors.

00:11:07.180 But that means something more to you

00:11:09.720 than it does to us.

00:11:10.780 What do you mean by the traditional office

00:11:14.280 and what does that entail?

00:11:17.840 So the divine office,

00:11:20.800 sometimes called the Liturgy of the Hours,

00:11:23.340 is the division of the psalms

00:11:25.720 that are sung throughout the day

00:11:27.800 or recited by some religious communities.

00:11:30.340 But the Benedictines have always

00:11:31.860 really treasured the sacred liturgy

00:11:34.300 and offered it as much solemnity as possible.

00:11:37.660 And so all of the Gregorian chants

00:11:39.560 that are as popular today

00:11:41.880 as they were almost 2,000 years ago

00:11:44.400 really stem from the Liturgy of the Temple

00:11:49.340 where a lot of these melodies

00:11:51.600 originally came from

00:11:53.000 and were especially developed

00:11:56.160 by Pope St. Gregory the Great.

00:11:57.540 And it was really the Benedictines

00:11:59.960 that have really written and added

00:12:03.080 and really codified all of the Gregorian chant

00:12:06.400 in its fullness.

00:12:09.320 And it is offered daily

00:12:11.060 throughout the divine office.

00:12:12.860 So the psalms, the way they are sung,

00:12:14.420 the melodies, the hymns,

00:12:16.160 and the many beautiful antiphons

00:12:18.100 that go before and after each psalm.

00:12:20.000 That is the divine office,

00:12:21.680 the traditional divine office.

00:12:23.160 And when you say throughout the day,

00:12:27.740 what do you mean?

00:12:28.660 What are the hours?

00:12:29.900 What are you talking about?

00:12:31.220 So we're up pretty early in the morning.

00:12:33.820 What time is that?

00:12:35.020 5 a.m.

00:12:36.520 To offer our first office,

00:12:38.840 the office of Matins,

00:12:40.600 which takes about an hour.

00:12:42.800 That's more simple melodies

00:12:44.260 just because it's a longer office

00:12:46.620 with different readings

00:12:47.800 from the church fathers

00:12:48.920 and the lives of the saints,

00:12:51.780 perhaps a piece of their life.

00:12:53.980 Then we have the office of Lodz,

00:12:55.900 which is very much mirroring

00:12:58.180 the morning praise,

00:12:59.560 the morning prayers

00:13:00.260 that was offered at the temple.

00:13:02.400 What time is that?

00:13:03.360 So that's about 7 a.m.

00:13:05.420 And then we go right into a smaller office,

00:13:07.520 the office of Prime.

00:13:08.680 And then there are a couple other small offices.

00:13:11.360 They're called the Little Hours.

00:13:12.640 They're kind of like the stepping stones

00:13:14.020 of the day.

00:13:14.700 Prime is noon, is it?

00:13:16.120 No, Prime is about 7.30,

00:13:20.520 but it goes right after Lodz.

00:13:21.620 Oh, right after Lodz.

00:13:22.260 Yeah, then we go to work.

00:13:23.820 But then the work is divided

00:13:25.860 by these different times of prayer

00:13:27.220 throughout the day,

00:13:27.800 which only take about 15 minutes each.

00:13:30.300 We also take a break for Mass.

00:13:32.240 We have a sung Latin Mass every day.

00:13:35.840 And then in the evening,

00:13:37.240 there's the evening office of Vespers,

00:13:39.680 which very much comes from

00:13:41.560 the temple worship

00:13:43.620 that was offered in the evening sacrifice.

00:13:46.720 And then night office,

00:13:48.880 the office of Compline,

00:13:50.160 is the end of the day.

00:13:51.020 And then we're...

00:13:52.320 And what time is Compline?

00:13:54.300 So Compline is about 8 p.m.

00:13:56.720 And we go to bed early

00:13:57.620 so we can get up early.

00:13:58.860 Yes.

00:13:59.420 Okay.

00:14:00.260 So in all,

00:14:02.380 how many prayer times

00:14:03.880 are like, in other words,

00:14:04.840 where you specifically go to prayer every day?

00:14:07.500 So St. Benedict quotes the scriptures

00:14:11.160 and saying,

00:14:12.160 seven times in the day

00:14:12.900 have I praised the Lord

00:14:14.580 and once in the night.

00:14:15.720 So the Benedictines have always offered

00:14:17.660 eight times a prayer throughout the day.

00:14:19.600 Some of the hours are shorter

00:14:20.600 and some are longer,

00:14:21.420 but it's the stepping stones of the day

00:14:23.220 that really fills our day

00:14:24.540 and really forms

00:14:25.780 kind of like the gems around

00:14:28.060 the real treasure of our day,

00:14:30.520 which is the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

00:14:32.440 Wow.

00:14:32.660 And where is the Mass in your day time-wise?

00:14:34.720 In the middle.

00:14:35.480 So it's at 11,

00:14:36.520 11,

00:14:37.160 and then we're done about 12 to 15.

00:14:39.800 Beautiful.

00:14:40.240 Okay.

00:14:40.640 So these nuns are also quite well-known,

00:14:45.560 not so much in their life

00:14:47.740 or in how many times they pray or what they pray,

00:14:49.860 but the sound of their prayer is very well-known.

00:14:52.560 How is that and why is that?

00:14:53.940 Well, the angels sing with us

00:14:55.700 and we sing with them

00:14:57.420 and we're practicing for heaven.

00:14:59.220 And so we know that they're helping us

00:15:01.260 offer it as best we can.

00:15:03.040 We make mistakes,

00:15:04.800 but sometimes we will take the time

00:15:06.600 to record the sisters singing our prayer,

00:15:10.640 our song prayer,

00:15:11.460 because people really love connecting

00:15:14.360 with their community that way

00:15:15.420 and feeling that they are here at the Abbey

00:15:17.620 when they can sing with us,

00:15:19.200 when they can pray with us through our music.

00:15:21.460 Yes.

00:15:21.960 So it's beautiful.

00:15:23.300 We were privileged to be able to sit through

00:15:26.260 or kneel through this prayer of the nuns.

00:15:29.600 This is very rare.

00:15:30.560 I mean, it's so beautiful that it's,

00:15:32.540 you open that to the community.

00:15:35.620 We don't participate in the sense of,

00:15:37.880 you know, you go there and enjoy singing,

00:15:39.120 but we just sit.

00:15:41.180 Watching is stunning

00:15:42.100 because A, most people don't get to see nuns ever anyway,

00:15:45.680 but to see so many and so young

00:15:49.000 and then hear what sounds like heaven.

00:15:53.440 And sometimes I have to just close my eyes

00:15:55.480 some of the times.

00:15:56.240 It's so beautiful that you've got an album

00:15:58.760 that went out that really did reach the top of the charts.

00:16:02.380 And so that's really beautiful.

00:16:03.640 So people can experience it even not here,

00:16:06.140 but I would encourage people to come here

00:16:08.300 just so that they can experience this and see it.

00:16:11.140 That was the first time we have a couple of my kids with us.

00:16:14.840 That's the first time we'd ever seen anything like that.

00:16:17.720 And so that's really beautiful.

00:16:18.920 I'm sure that's something

00:16:19.920 for a lot of the people who come here.

00:16:22.200 Is to be able to share the liturgy

00:16:24.040 and all the treasures of the liturgy.

00:16:25.920 It's not just mass.

00:16:27.260 There's all of these other liturgies

00:16:28.960 that are very ancient and very beautiful.

00:16:31.640 And to have people share that with us,

00:16:34.560 whether they're visiting for the day

00:16:36.380 or, you know, whether they can unite themselves

00:16:39.940 to spiritually to the prayers

00:16:41.680 that we are offering here in this particular church,

00:16:44.460 they can be praying it at home.

00:16:46.020 But the sacred liturgy is not just mass

00:16:50.420 and for people to come to know

00:16:53.680 that the other treasures that the church

00:16:55.140 has in liturgical prayer.

00:16:57.540 One of the things you said is so stunning

00:16:59.920 because you said that the tunes and the prayers,

00:17:04.960 because the prayers are the Psalms,

00:17:06.080 they're ancient,

00:17:06.680 they're from our time before Christ even.

00:17:09.260 But the tunes are coming from

00:17:12.660 even the time before Christ in the temple,

00:17:15.740 because that's, you meant the temple temple,

00:17:17.100 the Jewish temple.

00:17:18.220 So therefore, those tunes and words

00:17:22.780 would have been sung by Our Lady

00:17:25.520 and even her ancestors as well.

00:17:28.660 Yes.

00:17:29.040 So there's a lot of conjecture about Gregorian chant.

00:17:31.200 Where did it come from?

00:17:32.540 And really, that's the only plausible answer

00:17:34.220 that a lot of experts have come to

00:17:35.700 is that it must have come from the Hebraic tradition

00:17:38.620 that the Jewish temple worship were,

00:17:41.300 because there's nothing else like it.

00:17:42.760 And the only thing that they have found

00:17:44.420 that is similar is the ancient Jewish singing,

00:17:48.160 liturgical singing that they've,

00:17:49.900 unfortunately, has been lost in many ways.

00:17:51.520 And so there's a lot of wonder about that.

00:17:56.160 Where does that traditional,

00:17:57.360 those traditional chants come from?

00:17:59.200 Obviously, it was a certain style

00:18:00.660 and the church really developed it

00:18:02.900 and preserved it for posterity.

00:18:05.600 But certainly these were the prayers

00:18:07.620 and these were the hymns

00:18:08.600 that Our Lord and Our Lady

00:18:09.560 and St. Joseph would have offered.

00:18:11.520 The Psalms that we say in the middle of the day

00:18:14.460 are the same Psalms

00:18:17.080 that would have been said for the Jews

00:18:19.160 as they were entering into the temple,

00:18:21.880 as they were going up into the temple

00:18:23.280 for the midday prayer.

00:18:24.660 And so that's why St. Benedict

00:18:25.580 especially wanted to put those Psalms

00:18:27.340 in the middle of the day.

00:18:29.560 Beautiful.

00:18:30.500 That's okay.

00:18:31.260 That's totally stunning.

00:18:33.340 Now, you also had this thing happen

00:18:36.300 and this sort of got

00:18:38.660 the whole wide world's attention

00:18:39.880 because it was something totally stunning.

00:18:42.640 Tell us what transpired.

00:18:43.920 And then I'm sure you guys were inundated.

00:18:47.680 We were Sister Wilhelmina.

00:18:51.100 Everybody wants to know about Sister Wilhelmina.

00:18:53.560 People will ask us,

00:18:54.680 are you Sister Wilhelmina's nuns?

00:18:56.280 And we are very proud and pleased.

00:18:58.140 I think it's one of those things

00:18:59.160 our Lord's timing is always perfect.

00:19:02.000 But so many people in the discovery

00:19:05.540 really just kept saying,

00:19:07.680 we needed this.

00:19:08.760 We needed this.

00:19:09.800 Just a real renewal in our faith

00:19:12.780 that God is present,

00:19:13.860 that He's real,

00:19:14.920 that He's sustaining us,

00:19:16.200 He's sustaining the church.

00:19:17.680 That holiness is possible

00:19:19.940 and even really mandatory for everyone,

00:19:24.100 even the nobodies that live a very hidden life.

00:19:27.820 And Sister Wilhelmina really pointing everyone

00:19:29.380 towards that so they can connect with her right away.

00:19:31.820 She wasn't this famous big shot

00:19:33.780 or very extravagant ascetical practices or anything.

00:19:39.020 She just lived a very simple hidden life.

00:19:42.000 And here the Lord has raised her up

00:19:43.420 and pointed her out to all of the church.

00:19:46.600 And when we discovered that she was incorrupt, 0.88

00:19:49.600 you know, it was such a grace for our community.

00:19:51.940 But right away, we realized this grace is not just for us.

00:19:56.360 This treasure is not just,

00:19:58.520 God did not do this miracle just for our community.

00:20:00.980 As grateful as we are,

00:20:02.760 you know, we are her legacy,

00:20:04.360 but that this is for the church.

00:20:06.640 And so what started out as we were just telling a few people

00:20:10.100 because we weren't exactly sure what we were supposed to do.

00:20:14.440 There's no YouTube or handbooks about what to do

00:20:18.400 when you find that your foundress is incorrupt.

00:20:22.120 And just, of course, informing the bishop and everything,

00:20:24.140 but just, you know, cleaning her up and everything.

00:20:26.420 Word got out very quickly,

00:20:27.880 very, very quickly at the end of May.

00:20:30.280 And we have thousands and thousands of people come

00:20:32.680 wanting to touch her,

00:20:34.280 to just be close to her in those initial weeks of the news.

00:20:39.400 And before we put her into a glass shrine.

00:20:42.300 So that was also kind of a big push.

00:20:44.120 A lot of people wanted to come when they could touch her

00:20:46.160 and touch things to her.

00:20:49.760 We couldn't really stop them.

00:20:51.580 They wanted to feel for themselves this miracle.

00:20:55.820 That's just beautiful.

00:20:57.220 Now, there's two striking things.

00:20:59.920 And one, they can't, she's behind glass now,

00:21:02.500 but there is a cloth here.

00:21:05.060 You should explain that a little bit.

00:21:06.080 So people don't have to be totally disappointed

00:21:07.660 when they come.

00:21:08.460 They can still have sort of a relic of hers

00:21:11.920 that they can touch.

00:21:12.720 Yes.

00:21:13.160 So we decided when we put her behind glass, 0.89

00:21:16.240 people, so many people were so grateful.

00:21:18.560 They said, thank you for letting us come.

00:21:19.920 Thank you for sharing her with us,

00:21:21.140 letting us touch her.

00:21:22.340 And we decided, well,

00:21:24.080 since all of her habit,

00:21:25.540 which she fought so hard for,

00:21:26.960 she thought it was so important for religious

00:21:29.200 to look like religious.

00:21:31.780 We thought, let's put a new veil on her 1.00

00:21:34.640 and take the veil that she was buried in,

00:21:37.260 that was preserved,

00:21:38.880 and we'll leave it outside of the shrine

00:21:41.180 so that people can feel,

00:21:43.040 can still touch her in a way, in that way.

00:21:45.260 And it's especially appropriate

00:21:46.900 because the veil, more than anything else,

00:21:49.640 for a nun,

00:21:51.500 is supposed to represent her bridal location.

00:21:53.720 And Sister Wilhelmina, as a bride of Christ,

00:21:56.720 you know, to leave her veil out 0.99

00:21:57.900 where people can touch the veil 0.93

00:21:59.740 of this bride of Christ.

00:22:01.780 Beautiful.

00:22:02.500 Now, there's a couple of things

00:22:03.980 that are neat for our time.

00:22:08.000 One of the things is that Sister Wilhelmina

00:22:10.940 was a black lady. 1.00

00:22:12.900 She was an African-American woman.

00:22:14.960 And that might strike some people as strange

00:22:18.440 because the church somehow,

00:22:20.620 in a lot of people's minds,

00:22:22.020 is divorced from,

00:22:22.880 oh, they must be all racists or whatever,

00:22:24.460 and they can't be.

00:22:25.520 And yet, here she is,

00:22:26.640 the foundress of the community,

00:22:28.780 not just, oh, one of the lowly nuns 0.99

00:22:30.300 who maybe was cleaning something.

00:22:31.600 No, she's the foundress of the community. 0.93

00:22:34.880 Do you want to speak to that for a second?

00:22:36.100 Because I think it's still a thing

00:22:38.560 that people think somehow the church is racist.

00:22:43.160 And it's hilarious

00:22:44.260 because if they knew anything about the church,

00:22:47.060 they would know that there's a church in Africa

00:22:49.900 and there's a church in India.

00:22:52.000 Anyway, but nonetheless,

00:22:53.800 there is this perception.

00:22:54.780 But that sort of did something as well

00:22:58.460 because that was a really neat winner.

00:23:00.980 That was the foundress 0.98

00:23:01.940 and she was black lady. 0.74

00:23:03.000 What?

00:23:03.180 I think that was, again,

00:23:05.980 God's timing is amazing.

00:23:07.500 You know, when there's a lot of unrest

00:23:10.120 and misunderstandings

00:23:11.620 about the color of one's skin

00:23:13.840 that God would raise up,

00:23:15.500 you know, one of his children.

00:23:16.780 And it was something that Sister Wilhelmina

00:23:18.280 felt very strongly about, actually,

00:23:20.400 is that we are all God's children.

00:23:23.400 It didn't matter what color your skin was.

00:23:25.500 You're all God's children.

00:23:27.240 And it was something that actually,

00:23:28.520 she realized she, on her end,

00:23:30.760 had to come to a greater understanding of that

00:23:34.460 because she grew up in really a very racist America,

00:23:38.720 you know, where everything was questioned

00:23:40.820 and thankfully a lot of things overturned,

00:23:43.240 a lot of biases and things.

00:23:44.960 But she entered a community,

00:23:46.560 they were all,

00:23:47.120 that was all African American also.

00:23:49.560 So for her to leave that community

00:23:51.480 and just be open to whatever

00:23:53.500 the Lord's plan was for her life,

00:23:55.580 she realized that was actually very hard for her

00:23:58.260 to make that sacrifice

00:23:59.480 and then to found a community

00:24:00.660 that, you know,

00:24:02.800 that we were all of different races,

00:24:04.580 but none of the same as hers for many years.

00:24:07.980 And, but now we, now we do have another one,

00:24:10.220 but just, she realized this really reinforced

00:24:13.380 the universality of the church.

00:24:15.880 We're all God's children.

00:24:17.960 What a, what a beautiful thing

00:24:19.640 because there is the mother superior

00:24:21.880 in a community is the leader really.

00:24:24.580 And, and so that, that must've been a,

00:24:28.040 yeah, I could see how that would have opened her eyes 0.97

00:24:29.820 because that just, just stunning.

00:24:32.080 There was another thing though,

00:24:33.940 that this happens also in the middle

00:24:38.900 of a huge debate in the church.

00:24:41.380 And for me, that was stunning

00:24:43.020 because while the church is in the midst

00:24:47.400 of a really heated debate

00:24:49.420 over the traditional Latin mass

00:24:52.480 and its value,

00:24:54.120 or should it be done away with or whatever.

00:24:58.400 Honestly, when I saw the news,

00:25:01.420 I was like, ooh,

00:25:04.200 God voted in the debate.

00:25:07.840 No, definitely.

00:25:08.960 I think that that's something,

00:25:10.220 again, Sister Wilhelmina

00:25:11.320 just really felt very strongly

00:25:13.000 that there is a place in the church

00:25:14.740 for those who love this sacred

00:25:16.500 and ancient liturgy.

00:25:18.200 And God seems to think so too,

00:25:20.720 that he would point this out to,

00:25:23.220 to, to everyone that yes,

00:25:24.920 there's a place for these people

00:25:26.220 in the church too.

00:25:27.600 And, and that we're all God's children

00:25:29.920 and all of her sacred liturgies

00:25:31.620 that Holy Mother Church has always had

00:25:33.520 are as beautiful as they were.

00:25:36.660 There's a beautiful now

00:25:37.820 as they were always.

00:25:39.540 And so that I think God,

00:25:41.000 I think is saying something there.

00:25:42.880 Indeed.

00:25:43.240 In fact, it's what's really neat too

00:25:45.780 is, you know,

00:25:47.440 you're not all a hundred

00:25:49.820 or, you know,

00:25:52.200 all on your last legs.

00:25:53.320 In fact, there's so many.

00:25:54.980 And then there's all of these

00:25:57.300 young other women

00:25:58.500 who aren't yet part of the community,

00:25:59.760 but they're there,

00:26:00.800 they're behind you over there.

00:26:01.760 And they're sort of,

00:26:02.840 are they waiting to come in

00:26:04.760 or are they discerning

00:26:05.600 or what are they doing?

00:26:06.380 Yes.

00:26:06.680 So those are our aspirants.

00:26:08.180 I mean, definitely,

00:26:09.100 I would say of all the community,

00:26:11.460 only Sister Wilhelmina

00:26:13.080 lived in a time

00:26:14.600 where this mass

00:26:15.720 was offered for everyone.

00:26:18.260 Everyone else in the community

00:26:19.780 is born after 1970.

00:26:22.440 So all of us

00:26:23.520 did not know

00:26:24.140 what it was like before.

00:26:25.720 And I think

00:26:27.100 there's an attraction

00:26:27.980 for young people,

00:26:30.020 especially those

00:26:30.900 who are called

00:26:31.340 to contemplative religious life.

00:26:33.840 The, this liturgy

00:26:35.580 and its beauty

00:26:37.540 and its ancient form

00:26:39.460 is, um,

00:26:40.700 enriches our lives.

00:26:41.860 And we,

00:26:43.380 we can really connect

00:26:45.640 in a way

00:26:46.920 with the church

00:26:48.480 long, long ago

00:26:50.140 and even into the present

00:26:51.600 that it's very timeless

00:26:52.960 and universal

00:26:55.300 and its beauty

00:26:57.600 is, is the same

00:26:58.880 as just like

00:26:59.600 Holy Mother Church,

00:27:00.780 ever ancient

00:27:01.420 and ever new.

00:27:02.460 And that the young people

00:27:05.040 really, really are attracted

00:27:06.720 to, to that traditional liturgy.

00:27:09.520 Beautiful.

00:27:10.240 Sister, thank you

00:27:11.060 so very much

00:27:11.800 for all your time.

00:27:12.600 And I will say to you,

00:27:14.060 please, please,

00:27:15.000 ora pro nobis.

00:27:16.940 You know,

00:27:17.380 our prayers are with you,

00:27:18.720 all of LifeSite News,

00:27:20.820 all the good work

00:27:21.500 that you do

00:27:21.820 for Holy Mother Church,

00:27:23.240 all of your listeners.

00:27:24.720 Keep up the good work.

00:27:26.320 We, we need you.

00:27:28.080 Holy Mother Church

00:27:28.720 needs you.

00:27:29.760 Thank you.

00:27:30.480 Thank you.

00:27:34.260 Aloha, everyone.

00:27:35.240 This is Jason Jones

00:27:36.180 for LifeSite News.

00:27:37.240 We hope you enjoyed

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The John-Henry Westen Show - January 10, 2025

This order of nuns is THRIVING ｜ Sister Wilhelmina

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