The first big event of this timeframe—a quietly joyful one—was the reception of our new class of applicants (those in formation to join our community). This occurred on September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, but the joy, of course, came before that.

Two of the applicants-to-be were current working guests but three had been so in the past, and it was wonderful to welcome them back. And one could feel the love and joy and gratitude of the community that surrounded all of them during those last days before September 8th.

The reception itself was a simple ceremony, one which occurred as always at supper on an ordinary work day. The applicants-to-be dressed in their best and ate with the directors general at tables with cloths and flowers.

After the main course, Susanne Stubbs, as director general of women, presented to all of us the traditional white frosted cake topped with a plain dark cross. Together they are a symbol of the sweetness of the cross, which these young people are embracing in their Madonna House vocation.

Then the directors general gave each of them the brown folder which, as Mark Schlingerman, the director general of men, said, contains written treasures of Madonna House spirituality—the legacy which Catherine Doherty, our foundress bequeathed to her children.

And who are our new applicants? Like the last class, they are an international group: Mercy Gyamfi (Ghana), Joanne Kuntz (Canada), Rita Marie Lee (Korea)*, Joo-Eun Lee (Korea)—they are not related—Aliz Trombitas (Hungary), and David Guzman (United States).

Two were not here for the ceremony. Joo-Eun’s mother died recently, and at the time she was still needed at home. Mercy was received in a similar ceremony at MH Ghana where she will be receiving her formation.

The applicants had already moved into their new dormitories, and the next day they were thrust into their applicancy with an afternoon of recollection led by Fr. Bob Wild and their directors of training—Fr. Bob Johnson, Larry Klein, and Victoria Fausto.

The theme of the time of recollection was, appropriately enough, “Finding your treasure in Christ, in the Church, and in Madonna House.”

The other big event this fall was the annual four-day meeting of our associate priests. The theme was, “Community of Love,” and 36 people (besides the Madonna House priests) attended: 19 associate priests, 4 guest priests, 9 associate deacons, and 4 wives of deacons.

They had talks, they shared with one another, and, as with the families at Cana Colony and individual guests coming here—who knows how it happens?— God graced them through it all. Two of them—Deacon Robert Probert and Fr. Michael Schneider—made their final promises during one of our Masses.

We lay people, on our part, were graced and spiritually fed by the very presence of all these faithful priests and deacons. What a sight to see them all vested and processing into the chapel at the beginning of Mass!

And who are our associates? They include diocesan priests who, like the Madonna House staff, take promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and who commit themselves to live Madonna House spirituality wherever they are.

At last count, they numbered 138, including fifteen deacons and five bishops. Like the staff, they are from (and still live) all over the world. The nations represented include Italy, France, England, Japan, the Philippines, India, Tanzania, Liberia Singapore, Trinidad, Mexico, Ghana, and of course, the United States and Canada.

(The eight from Ghana have had their own meetings led by a Madonna House priest a number of times.) Many are parish priests, but others have a variety of other ministries.

In terms of our ongoing work, the biggest push in September and October is the harvest—both reaping it and preserving it for the winter—for we both produce much of our own food and are given in donation food that generous benefactors have grown and harvested.

Most of the time this work was done by smaller numbers of us, but there were two autumn work bees at which all who are physically able and could be spared from whatever they usually do, worked—the potato harvesting bee and the chicken bee.

In one major way, the potato bee was different from last year. Last year we had a bumper crop—wonderfully abundant and large potatoes—but this year, due to lack of sufficient rain and an infestation of potato bugs, the potatoes were scant, and for the most part, small.

Last year we shared our bounty with those in need and now, through the providence of God, we still have enough left of that harvest to help feed us this coming winter.

As I picked, I thought about and prayed for the many people throughout the world for whom a poor crop can mean scanty eating or even starvation.

What else has been happening? For one thing, there have been several evenings when groups of us went star-gazing. For some of us this has been an ongoing interest; for others it has opened up whole new worlds—literally.

Just one night of star-gazing, which included an introduction by Fr. Bob Wild, has increased tremendously my awe at the power and grandeur of God.

And there were, as always, a potpourri of other events: The carpentry department (!) has done major grading of the yard around the main house. Hopefully this will eliminate the minor flooding we often have during spring meltdown.

One staff worker (Jeanne Guillemette) and three guests told us about their experiences at World Youth Day. In memory of the death of Brother Roger Schutz, the founder of the Taizé Community, we had a beautiful Taizé prayer service led by Ralph Edelbrock. Fr. Bob Pelton taught a week’s course at the Bible School in Radway, Alberta.

Well, these are some of the highlights of the news this time.

I pray for each of you and each of us, that God give us the grace to see his loving and powerful presence in every big and small event of our lives.

*The story of Rita Marie’s conversion was in Restoration, April 2003.