Today on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple, Verena Bonitz, received the Cistercian habit of a novice. The novice also receives the Rule of St. Benedict and a cross made from wood from our property. She will spend the next 2 years studying the Rule and inculcating the monastic way at Mississippi Abbey.
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| Verena receiving the habit from M. Rebecca |
Verena has chosen to change her name to Sr. Mary Gabriel.
The Annunciation means a great deal to our new novice and thus the choosing of Mary Gabriel. M. Rebecca mentioned in her Chapter talk this morning that Pope St. John Paul II saw the feast of the Presentation as a second Annunciation, thus tying the two together.
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| Sr. Kathleen (novice director) with Sr. Mary Gabriel |
Sr. Mary Gabriel is from Germany and has lived in the states for several years and is fluent in English.
Verena has chosen to change her name to Sr. Mary Gabriel.
