What I Wore Palm Sunday

Dress: Old Navy; necklace and belt: Coldwater Creek; flats: Naturalizer

We finally have some spring weather up here. Today I didn't even need a jacket! This dress is a brand new $10  find from Old Navy and the perfect weight for spring. It's so soft and comfortable I'm tempted to wear it constantly until summer. Usually sheath style dresses are tricky on my pear-shaped figure, but all the online reviews said it ran big in the hips. Score! 

This Sunday afternoon our parish YA group went on a mini pilgrimage to the Dominican Monastery of the Most Holy Rosary in Summit. Extern Sister Mary Cecilia gave us a mini tour and told us how daily monastery life works. The nuns of Summit are mildly internet famous for their soap making business, although she was quick to tell us that's just a side gig to pay the bills. Their real work is at the heart of the Church, praying for everyone else. 

Their chapel doors are hand-me-downs from the Waldorf Astoria, how cool is that?

I had a general idea of cloisters, but it was fascinating to meet this cheery extrovert in habit and hear some specifics. She mentioned how constant intercessory prayer requires lots of faith, since you don't often see the results of your prayers. Thanks to their full prayer board of intentions, the nuns aren't hiding from the world's problems in the least. We heard how the nuns joke with each other a lot, sometimes get on each other's nerves, and spoil their golden retriever. Each monastery has its own customs, like how nuns get their religious names. They consider Dominican priests their brothers, and are excited when one comes to visit on retreat. 

Sister did reference their friendly rivalry with the Franciscans, and hinted at how Domincian cloister rules tend to be more practical than dramatic. "Oh no, we don't do the big hair chop like the Poor Clares. We just wear it however is comfortable under our veils."

At one time there were several Dominican monasteries in New Jersey, but now the Summit location is the only one. The original plan was for a square cloister walk plus a 15 altar shrine (!!), but the Great Depression made them scale back the building plans. It's still a beautiful place near a cute town, and their perpetual adoration chapel is open all day. I definitely plan to return and hear the sisters sing the Divine Office sometime.