Christmas 2024 Newsletter!

A HandmaidNews, Newsletters

All of your needs and intentions will be remembered in our Christmas Novena of Masses at our Motherhouse from Dec 25th 2024 to Jan 1st 2025. Please mail us your prayer requests at Cor Jesu Monastery, 596 Callaway Ridge Road, New Market TN 37820 or use our prayer request submission form to send us your intentions. When we are awestruck …

Gertrude’s Christmas Wardrobe – ribbons, for a moment

A HandmaidNews

Gertrude, not to be outdone by Gunther’s little green bowtie, did tolerate a bit of Christmas color for a short photo shoot session. A dashing, yet feminine, red bow assembly with a flower, was (after some treat bribery) quite something against her diluted tortoiseshell coat of grayish brown. She even provided some reasonable poses before opting to remove said bow …

Archive Treasures: Christmas in the Canyon from 1956

A HandmaidNews, Diamond Jubilee

It’s an old photograph from 1956 but we can sense the care and creativity our Handmaid pioneering Sisters took to create a little Christmas corner at Cor Jesu. The tree looks to be real. A large statue of Mary, robed in green, looking down at a swaddled Christ child at her feet. To the left might be a small votive …

What Do You Get Cats For Christmas?

A HandmaidNews

We can laugh about the gifts the cats are sometimes sent and in this cartoon we poke fun that Shadow and Sunbeam (a.k.a. Gunther and Gertrude) are disappointed with practical presents found under the tree. Us nuns are thrilled with such items while the cats may be sniffing around for catnip and other edibles.  An interesting fact about Gunther is …

Another Christmas Cat Laugh

A HandmaidCartoons, News

Humor can extend Christmas too. And animals as well. This is a cartoon many cat owners might sympathize with, though in full disclosure, we must admit Gunther has never climbed the Christmas tree. [It took him over a year to even touch his cat tree. Russian Blues are notorious about disliking change.] But he does like to be the present …

Archive Treasures: Christmas in Capena, Italy

A HandmaidDiamond Jubilee, News

We share this little post as part of our continuing Christmas spirit so people not living in monasteries and who might be suffering Christmas withdrawal due to the world declaring the Incarnation “over” on December 26th can linger in thanksgiving a little longer. We keep our creches up until the Feast of the Presentation, February 2nd even though Ordinary Time …

Archive Treasures: The Little White Church

A HandmaidDiamond Jubilee, News

For many years at our Heart of Mary Priory in Lake Villa, IL the foyer was graced by a little handmade miniature southwest style adobe mission church. Built by a talented friend and benefactor it was used as a donation box next to the votive candle stands. Delightful in its details, the stucco was uneven, bells hung atop the roof …

Of Community Christmas Photo Sessions and Cats

A HandmaidNews

We had our community Christmas photo and invited Gunther. He declined the invite though he did wear his bowtie and even seemed to parade it before every Sister that entered the house. But as the photos indicate, he prefers to play with his tie than wear it. He also likes trying to eat artificial Christmas decorations. All the beautiful poinsettias we …

A Typical Monastery Christmas

A HandmaidNews, HISTORY, HPB Vocations

COVID-19 can’t kill Christmas 2020 COVID-19 may have radically changed 2020 but it can’t really touch what we celebrate at Christmas, or rather WHO we celebrate at Christmas. Certainly the “how” has been modified for many. So let’s remember Jesus as we share what it’s like as a typical monastery Christmas approaches. We have told you some of these customs …