Abbatial Blessing

On September 28, the sisters attended the Abbatial Blessing of Abbot John Caronan, O. Praem., at St. Michael’s Abbey. The solemn and beautiful celebration took place during the Holy Mass, presided over by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke. One of the most moving moments of the ceremony was witnessing Abbot John prostrate himself during the Litany of the Saints before receiving the abbatial blessing from Cardinal Burke. The celebration was filled by beautiful hymns and chants, which added to the prayerful and solemn atmosphere of the occasion. At the conclusion of the Mass, Abbot John offered a brief address in which he expressed his gratitude to all who had gathered to celebrate with him, especially Cardinal Burke, Cardinal Mahony, the Bishops of Orange, and the benefactors of St. Michael’s Abbey for their generous support and presence.

Come-and-See

On October 3-4, the sisters hosted a Come-and-See Weekend at the Mary Star convent for young women. The weekend allowed the young women to see and experience the sisters' daily life. The sisters had Lectio Divina, talks on prayers and discernment, and shared their vocation stories. The women expressed their gratitude to the sisters for their vocations and for all the sharing at the common meals and conferences.

Knights of Columbus Dinner for Religious and Seminarians

On October 2, the sisters attended a dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus at Mary of the Sea Parish to support vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The young seminarians and sisters shared their vocation stories and thanked the benefactors present. Our sisters shared a little bit of their musical talents by performing some mariachi music. The sisters are so grateful to the Knights for hosting the dinner and for the Mary Star High School students for serving the food that night.

Annual Family Day

The sisters all gathered together for the annual Family Day on October 18 at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa. The afternoon was filled with many beautiful encounters as the sisters got a chance to meet the sisters' families. At the beginning of the afternoon, all the sisters individually introduced themselves and their family members. Sr. Adriana gave some words of thanks to the families for being our biggest benefactors, since they have given to the community their precious daughters. To add to the joyful atmosphere, there were live musical performances by the sisters and their talented siblings. The day ended with praying the Rosary together because a "family that prays together, stays together."

Hike with Young Women

The sisters enjoyed a pleasant Sunday by going on a hike with young women. The walk gave the women a chance to speak to the sisters and share about their lives. At the end of the hike, the sisters shared about the Battle of Lepanto and how the day of the victory of that battle became the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. They ended with praying the Rosary together to honor Our Lady in the month of the Holy Rosary.

All Saints Parade

Every year, the sisters have the opportunity to see the students dress up as saints for the All Saints Parade. We know that saints suffered greatly in many ways but they were so happy and joyful in their sufferings for Christ and His Church. The sisters got to experience a little bit of this reality as they watch the students smile and wave joyfully as they pass through their families and friends. The sisters reminded the students that we dress up as saints because we want to imitate them. Since we tend to dress like those whom we look up to, we want to remind ourselves that ultimately, we all want to be saints.

New Edition of the Breviaries

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of Holy Mother Church, which sustains the ancient custom of the early Church, whose members came together to worship at various hours of the day. Through it, we pray to God with His own words, throughout the entire day, mainly by the chanting of the psalms and intercessory prayers on behalf of the whole world. It is an “echo of the Mass”, allowing our praise from the Eucharistic celebration to joyfully resound and sanctify our gift of time throughout the rest of the day.

In Norbertine spirituality, the Liturgy of the Hours holds a central place because it is the heartbeat of our communal life and the continual praise of God. Through praying together, we grow in communion with God and one another, unite ourselves with the prayer of the whole Church, and intercede for the needs of the world. It reminds us that our entire life is called to become an offering of praise and service to God. 

The Breviary is the special book that we use to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The word breviary comes from the Latin brevis which means “brief” or “summary”, as it contains a succinct compilation of selected readings and prayers from Holy Scripture, as well as various inspirational writings from Saints and spiritual authors throughout the generations. After fifty years, there is now a new edition of the English breviaries with a different translation and updated readings to include all new feasts. This new edition is to be used starting Lent of 2027.

We humbly ask that you consider sponsoring the new breviaries for our community. We would need 20 sets for the sisters and guests. The four-volume set costs $265 for each bundle. Please contact us for more information or make donations with the link below. Thank you for your generosity.