This has to be quick – and i mean it – because it’s almost time for recreation. This week I began piano lessons with my novice mistress – which means that to start I am doing endless scales, but I love the feel of my fingers on the keys and really want to be able to play so I am going to work at it.
The Maryvale of this title refers to Maryvale Institute ( www.maryvale.ac.uk )This is the place where John Henry Cardinal Newman ( soon to be beatified we hope and pray) set up an Oratory following his conversion from the Anglican church. Now it is a centre for Catholic education and does distance learning courses.
The great news for me is that – Sr Davina became the zelatrix ( assistant novice mistress) early this week, then we were both given permission to start a course on New Testament studies, at Maryvale. Sr Davina rang up and found that it starts tomorrow with an overnight stay, so to our great joy we are both off tomorrow morning after morning office!. Maryvale is quite near here in Birmingham so it is accessable. Sr Davina’s father is lending us his car for the weekend so we shall get there no problem – I hope, i am navigating! We are both very happy about this and looking forward to it a lot.
In my other classes – I am going over the Rule of St Benedict in greater depth, have begun the Vows – using the Code of Canon Law too -and Sr Benedict is doing a congregation/community history course. At the moment we are studying Augustine Baker – www.augustine-baker.org.uk/ A couple of weeks ago Sr read out a novice’s Chapter conference inserting my name into the spaces. It was very powerful and applicable even around 300 years later. Basically I am having lots of great classes and my mind is buzzing – prayerfully and peacefully of course. Will take some pics of Maryvale to share when we get back. Pray that we get there safely and on time please . Tomorow I will have been a novice for 9 months which is an important point as it means that I am now able to complete a valid novitiate – thank heavens
pax sr marie therese.