One evening I lingered in the chapel after vespers and asked the Lord for a word. Slowly, in the still darkness, the word “dispossession” came to me.

Considering all that has happened this past year—Jean Fox’s death, Cathy’s departure, the grave illnesses of Archbishop Raya and others in our MH family—it was a fitting word.

Dispossession can be such a brutal wrenching. I began thinking about the Lord’s dispossession and about how life-giving that was and wondered if my dispossession will be life-giving, too.

We have been gathering together and looking at different aspects of our Madonna House life. We are experiencing a call to go deeper into the poustinia and are in the process of discerning what that means.

As I write this (in early December), the United States is still reeling from the recent presidential election. The disunity exhibited during the past months is a grave sign of the many problems that plague this country. As we pray and atone for these, we are being called to deepen our unity within the house, for as the disunity around us increases, the building of a community of love is becoming even more crucial.

Angela Redmond has spent most of the past few months culling many areas of the house. Her Thursday mornings in Washington’s African American neighborhood continues to lead her into the hearts of those who live there. Recently she took part in a dramatic production which she helped to write, to celebrate St. Teresa of Avila’s 125th anniversary.

Marian Moody, the newest member of our house, has joined our parish RCIA team as they prepare ten candidates for reception into the Church at Easter. She has also taken on the cooking, gardening and lots of odd jobs as well as making friends with the people who come or phone.

I’m not sure what I’m doing, [Cynthia is the new director of the house] but I am learning lots and praying more.