As part of our ongoing efforts to connect members from all seven congregations, Christine Smith, Administrator at St. Catharine's, invited sisters from the other Motherhouses (Great bend, Oxford, Columbus, Akron, St. Mary's New Orleans) to come and spend time with the Eucharistic Missionaries and the Kentucky Sisters.  The time for the visit finally arrived.  Due to illness and storms only sisters from Great Bend and St. Mary's were able to come.   Imagine Sr. Catherine's (St. Mary's surprise) to find Louisville devastated by severe winds after hurricane Ike.  She thought she was leaving all that behind in Louisiana and Texas.  The sisters from Great bend drove all the way.  They arrived bearing gifts.  They had a basket of their homemade jams and jellies and a poem to go with them.

Everyone arrived safely and were warmly welcomed by the "house sisters."

The very first evening we had a luau supper. Debbie Wright and April Donathon had transformed the dining room into a Hawaiian village.  There were a few grass skirts and we will just say some of the sisters have hidden talents. Everyone wore a leis.  In the Hawaiian culture the leis means hello, peace, love and farewell.  It seemed a good way to welcome our sisters.

The "house sisters" took our guests on various tours of the grounds, Saint Catharine College and Sansbury Care Center.  We wanted the sisters at Sansbury to have a chance to meet our guests so Debbie Wright, Christine Smith, Lynn Fenwick put together an afternoon tea.   There seems to be something so soothing about sitting down to share a cup of tea and a scone and listening to beautiful music.  It was lovely.  Sr. Ann Daylor prepared a lovely Taize Prayer service to bring the day to an end.

The next day was beautiful.  The weather was cool and sunny which meant a perfect day for a hay ride.  Danny Ray Spalding, the Farm Manager of St. Catharine Farm picked us up on the hay wagon.  Once everyone found a comfortable hay bale to sit on we were off to the valley.  Our first stop was Siena Vale the sight of the first Motherhouse.  We spoke about Mother Angela and Sister Benvin and explained how it came to be that we were established in the valley.  We can never go to the valley and not tell the story of the jonquils.  Danny Ray then took us to the top of the hill so we could look back and view St. Catharine's.  Of course we had to take a little trip to see the cows.  Danny Ray took time to explain how he raises the cattle and all of the wonderful things he does on the farm.  We met a little calf only 1 1/2 days old. 

You would not have to be with the sisters from Kentucky very long before the name of one of our beloved employees enters the conversation.  It is Mr. Phil, who was with us for seventy years and is now buried just over the hill at St. Rose.  On our way back we stopped at the grounds of Mr. Phil's House to see how the Peace Garden is progressing.  It seems appropriate that it will be called The Peace Garden since Peace is soon to be the name of the new congregation.  The garden will have a Peace Pole displaying the languages of the seven founding congregations: German, Gaelic, French, Slovak, and English.  I feel that Mr. Phil's spirit was probably hovering around checking out these "new sisters."

The afternoon held a little trip to Gethsemane and other parts of the Kentucky Holy Land.

We played a  little bingo and just took time to sit and talk.

In the evening everyone gathered for evening Vespers.  At St. Catharine's we have solemn Vespers on Sunday and Thursday evenings.  The sisters gather in small groups for Morning Office and Vespers (on other nights).

The final event was the annual All-Campus Picnic.  The staff and faculty of the college, the staff from Sansbury and those who work at St. Catharine Farm join the Motherhouse sisters and staff for a big picnic.

All agree that this has been a wonderful way to meet each other and now the question is, "What Motherhouse are we going to next??"

click here for pictures.