Mon 31 Jan, 2011
The designated area on this wall….
Wall due for demolition
will look like this wall in a few days.
Breaking through
The construction work crew will use a hydraulic buster to break through the 30 feet of concrete. This machine saves time as well as wear and tear on the human body.
Fri 28 Jan, 2011
Melting icicles create a new hard hat area
As the weather turns warmer during the day and then freezes overnight, our buildings are growing an icy fringe. They are beautiful and delicate-looking.
However, the temperatures will climb near 50 degrees today, so this will become (yet another) hard hat area at the moment for anyone brave enough to walk underneath.
Some of the icicles are several feet in length
Thu 27 Jan, 2011
Words of wisdom from the letters of our foundress Mother Mary Anselma:
‘This giving away of ourselves is just the essence of sanctity and of the pure love of God for which we all have to strive.’
Learn more about our foundress and how her words still speak to us 135 years later.
Thu 27 Jan, 2011
Our Tucson, Ariz., community will host a weekend discernment in February for women who want to learn more about monastic and religious life. Join us!
Participants can relax and learn about monastic life in a quiet atmosphere without pressure or stress
Friday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 27
Check-in begins at 4 .m. on Friday, and the event wraps up by 2 p.m. Sunday.
Our Tucson Benedictine Monastery
The weekend will take place at our Tucson Monastery, home to about 20 of our Sisters. While the monastery is nestled among a bustling urban community, it provides a beautiful sanctuary of peace and solitude, offering a quiet atmosphere for contemplation.
Sit down and talk...or just listen
In addition to prayer opportunities and learning how to incorporate God into your busy life, you will spend time with Sisters to learn about monastic life. Listen to women who’ve been there, who know what you’re feeling, who’ve experienced similar emotions, doubts or questions. This can be an amazing but confusing time, so let us help you.
To register or receive more information, please contact Sister Lupita Barajas, OSB at (520) 325-6401 or barajasosb@gmail.com. Deadline to register is Saturday, Feb. 19. We look forward to helping you decide the next step on your journey. It may be with us. It may be somewhere else. In any case, it’s nice to have a friend along the way.
Wed 26 Jan, 2011
Our foundress, Mother Mary Anselma Felber
More than 135 years after Mother Mary Anselma helped found our community, the words in her letters still have the power to transform our spirit by her faith, hope and love of God. She, along with her fellow pioneering Sisters, traveled from the mountains of Switzerland to the rural hills of the American Midwest during the rugged 1870′s.
They struggled to build a home, teach immigrants, learn English…all in a strange place. But with the love of God in their hearts they not only prevailed, they prospered. And it is that spirit of determination, that love of God above all else, that still inspires us today.
On occasion, we’ll share some of her thoughts. We hope they will inspire you as well…..
From her letters: ‘God sends trials, but grace as well, to accept all as it comes, though it may be hard…the Cross is the road to heaven.’
Mon 24 Jan, 2011
New passageway gets new use
This new passageway from the new community services room to the hallway is in the middle of being transformed into an air flow duct.
It doesn’t look too pretty now, but with new decorative grills on both sides we are sure it will add to the beauty of its surroundings.
Thu 20 Jan, 2011
The new ductwork for the geothermal heating and cooling is making slow but sure progress throughout the building. Here you can see the new shiny aluminum ductwork overhead in the hallways on the Third Floor.
Duct for the new geothermal energy system
Additions to the hallway mean the geothermal energy system is closer to a reality!
Wed 19 Jan, 2011
Renovations continue with removal of the pantry area phone booth
In a hallway outside of our kitchen and refectory we had a phone booth and a bank of pantry shelves. Both were well used. Both are now gone to make way for a new elevator access. I am sure this too will be well used.
Tue 18 Jan, 2011
Old entry
Doors and doorways are appearing and disappearing in the monastery. This is the old front door where guests were greeted. The new entry will be on the south side of the monastery.
New basement door
Here is a new door created in the basement next to the old elevator shaft.
Another new door on Third Floor
This is a new doorway cut into a wall on the Third Floor.
Bigger rooms mean fewer doors needed
Right around the corner where two small rooms are becoming one larger one a doorway has been filled with sheet rock to become the back wall of a newly constructed closet. Old or new, the doorways lead to our future of hope.
Mon 17 Jan, 2011
Ice icicles like this 3-footer are a common sight around the monastery
With our temperatures creeping up above freezing, the icy snow that has accumulated on our roofs has been melting.
This big icicle was captured through a screened window. It is over 3 feet long. Good thing it is a hard hat area below where it hangs.