As many a novice or postulant can tell you, the formation group in a monastery is not shy of humor and entertaining skits to share with the rest of the community. The Handmaids are no exception. In years past, as our archive sharing during our Diamond Jubilee will show, Handmaids found themselves in plays, musicals, humorous skits, and sing-a-longs. This Fall our formation group formally invited Mother Sarah Michael and all the Handmaids to a special premiere performance of “Monastery Cats: The Formative Years”. Using the ample material provided by Gunther and Gertrude, our two felines, the Sisters began with a stirring, but altered, rendition of All Creatures of Our God and King, the lyrics of which were so funny, several Sisters could not sing along due to laughter.
Gertrude had a more positive reception of the skit as none of her toys were used in the performance.
Gunther disapproved on behalf of felines everywhere.
Gunther and Gertrude were perplexed. Gunther attended the performance, inspecting their costumes, but seemed reluctant to praise their use of “his” toys as props. In fact, he turned his back on them in full “cat-spurn” posture. But the Sisters loved it.
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- Gunther checks out the dressing room.
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- A Feline rendition of All Creatures of Our God and King
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- The Monastery Kittens attend class…Gunther tries to make sense of the skit.
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- They prepare to practice high wire cat dynamics.
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- Practicing Walking a top the library railings
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- Novice Meowy Kitten
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- Formation Director Cat
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- Postulant Purry Kitten
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- The Cast
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- Look closely…only the first verse is the real hymn