In this, the original ‘Novena’ – the nine days of intense prayer between the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost – it is difficult to imagine the maelstrom of excitement and bewilderment the ‘Men of Galilee’ must have felt. Having experienced the playing out of the Lord’s Passion; the unfolding of the glory of the Lord before their very eyes, they realized that this Jesus truly was not just Messiah, but Lord and God as well. He is truly risen – and has conquered death and sin.

But in the moment of victory comes another surprise: He must go away, so that the Spirit of Truth may come. The plan of Redemption is complete when Our Lord takes ransomed humanity to a place it never was before – the heart of the Divine. In the Ascension, man reaches his final destiny: union with the Blessèd Trinity in perfect, but dynamic, rest! This is your calling, even though it is often hard to glimpse in this life.

One of the ways we are able to glimpse it is to see God’s work amongst us, in our community, and I have some wonderful news to share with you. Our dear sister, Shannon Karl, has taken another step towards leaving this world as Christ’s bride! Shannon is henceforth to be known as Sr. Francis Clare of the Eternal High Priest as she was clothed as a novice at her monastery in Tennessee.

Sr. Francis Clare was instrumental in establishing the Guild in Georgetown, in a church with which she has a very special and personal connection, having grown up and made her Sacraments here. It is truly an honor to witness God calling one of his daughters out of our community to be His in a unique and powerful way. Her order, the Handmaids of the Most Precious Blood, exists to dedicate themselves to Christ for priests. As a priest, I cannot tell you how humbling this is – and I cannot thank the sisters enough for their prayers and witness.

Sr. Francis Clare now lives for Christ alone – and in a way, like the Lord, she has been taken up from us! Her monastery is strictly contemplative, so we may never see her again (but we can write!) nonetheless, like the Lord, in withdrawing from the world, she is in fact closer to us in prayer and in the spiritual life than ever before. How blessed we are to know that we have a friend whose life is prayer.

Dear Sister, please know how treasured you are here in your home church. We thank you for walking with us, and for continuing to support Bishop Caggiano’s mission with your prayer and reception of the Eucharist.

Let us all renew our commitment to pray for Sr. Francis Clare as she prays for us before the Lord and to thank God for the consolation of a vocation from our community. God is very good indeed!

To find out more about Sr. Francis Clare and the Handmaids of the Most Precious Blood, go to their website by clicking here.