It is Pruning Time for us!

Sr . Marie Elizabeth's first time experience of thinning and pruning grapes.

Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Marie Paul Therese cutting some false branches

What do you think? Can these grapes already reach full maturity?

Summer time in Belgium seems very short this year. We had had really warm sunny days in July but this month the weather is more like in autumn, not much sun and gets dark easily. We could not sit outside at the terrace during recreation like in the previous years.

On the other hand, it seems that the changing weather favors our grapes because they seem to be growing healthier. The novitiate spent time pruning them, cutting false branches and thinning, sacrificing some fruits which cluster so close to each other so that the others can grow bigger . We also sung to the grapes as we learned that it can help. Hopefully, we will be able to harvest from our little vineyard this year. Well, it is not the quantity that matters but the quality. Whether it will yield much or not, the time we spent there is worth it because it enabled us to contemplate our Vine-branch relationship with Our Lord, Who says: "I am the Vine and you are the branches. Remain in me and I in you. And we shall be one in love". That is also a hymn that we love to sing while taking care of the grapes.


Our little adventure last Sunday...

climbing the 121 steps to the belfry

Sr. Aloysia explaining how the fire extinguisher works

what could they be peeping through that small window?

who would ever think that we could touch with our bare hands the antique bronze bell that calls us to prayer several times a day?

This tiny room in the belfry was used before for recollection days

the manually-operated clock/bell of old

Last Sunday, we had a little adventure going up to our belfry, led by one of our Belgian Sisters, Sr Aloysia, our Jack- of- all- trade. It was to see the new metal bridge built above the ceiling of the basilica for easy repair and easy access for firemen in case of emergency. From there, we could get an overview of the city of Vilvoorde and of our monastery. We also took the opportunity to see our two antique bells at very close range plus the old one no longer in use.
Oh, what an extraordinary experience for our new Filipina Sisters. After climbing down the 121 steps in the narrow stairway, we had impression that we came from another world.

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

A blessed feast to you all!

As we join the entire Carmelite Order in celebrating the Solemnity of our Patroness, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, we also celebrate the feast of our Mother Prioress with a well-prepared Liturgy, paraliturgy on the eve, some gifts and a program with some musical numbers taken from the Sound of Music, to the great delight of our Belgian Sisters. The some photos of the said event will still follow due to some technical problem.

Resurrected blog

Please, our apologies for the big gap between the last post and this one. For some reasons, the sister-in-charge was not able to update our blog for the last couple of months. We hope this time it is going to be better.

Here, you can see the latest group who visited our monastery, 14 candidates for Confirmation from Melsbroek, a neighboring town. They came with their 3 catechists in the afternoon of June 23. We showed them a documentary DVD about our Carmel after invoking singing a hymn invoking the Holy Spirit. The candidates posed many questions to the Sister. Their visit ended with the singing of a Marian hymn before the image of Our Lady of Consolation in our temporary chapel.

Invoking the Holy Spirit

Singing before the image of Our Lady of Consolation
in the temporay chapel

A souvenir group photo with Our Blessed Mother

Laetare Sunday

Hey, where are you going?

Although officially Spring begins only on March 21, yet visible signs of it are already emerging in the garden. And because today, Laetare Sunday, the weather is quite ideal for strolling, our novices and Sr. Socoro went out to the garden, this time without thick jackets and socks. In the early mornings and late evenings though the wind is still very cold though and temperature very low.

Here are some photos of their adventure and take a look of our monastery garden after that long and heavy winter. They obviously had fun and could call it a real Laetary Sunday!

Oh, there they are taking a stroll in the garden

And here is still another one, excited for her first spring in Belgium

Sr. Marie Paul Therese checking if there is still food for the migrating birds

What a pose!

At the left hand corner hangs the magnolia tree,
which is quite late to bloom this year due to the long winter

One of their favorite spots where to take photo
because part of our big monastery stands at the background

Christmas surprise

Last evening we surprised our Belgian Sisters with our live crib. During recreation Sr. Maria Luisa invited them to come to the Novitiate. Sr. Socoro and Sr Carmela knew ahead the plan because they had assigned parts as shepherds. It was easier for the two to put on a cloth over their head but the novitiate group had to put on customes ahead as they were Joseph and Mary, and a shepherd too. When we entered the novitiate oratory, which was lighted only by the series at the crib, the introduction to the Silent Night was hummed, then the lyrics were sung in 3 voices with guitar. After the first song, the main light was on and then a medley of Filipino Christmas carols followed, this time with several instruments. Oh, what a pleasant surprise to our Sisters.

Christmas

After going around the house visiting and caroling to the Holy Family we paused for some souvenir photos...

Novitiate


Sr Aloysia, one of our Belgian Sisters, enjoying the decoration of the novices. Our Belgian Sisters had much fun looking at our decorations, which are something new to them. Well, I mean we have another way of doing it, with a lot of colors. They are more symbolic and more of the meaning than the attractiveness of the crib. They were even surprised to learn that we have such decors at the monastery because people just gave them and we kept them well.

The snow grew thicker

God is so good! He saw the desire and joy of our new Sisters and thus let more snow fell down on the next two days. So for 3 successive days they went out to the garden to play and relish their new experience as you can see in the newly added photos.

outside the hermitage

contemplating nature's winter beauty

oh my God, what are they doing?