Today, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Denise received the habit of the Order of Preachers and became Sister Imelda Marie of the Resurrection!
The clothing ceremony took place in our Chapter hall, which is at the heart of our common life as Dominicans. In our community, the ceremony begins with with singing the Veni Creator Spiritus. After that, the candidate prostrates herself in the form of a cross. "What do you seek?" the prioress asks. "God's Mercy and yours," the candidate responds. After a short Scripture reading and talk by Sr. Claire, our prioress, the new sister is clothed in the holy habit of St. Dominic.
To symbolize that we receive our vocation as a gratuitous gift of God’s love, the new novice doesn't dress herself in the habit. Instead, she entrusts herself entirely to the novice mistress and prioress as they literally pull the habit over her head, tie a belt around her waist, and place the white novice veil on her head. At the end of the ceremony, we reach the moment all the sisters have been waiting for—the revealing of the sister's new religious name, which is always kept secret from the community until this minute.
Blessed Imelda Lambertini is a Dominican saint who was born in Italy in 1322. At a very young age, she loved to pray, especially at Mass. When she was nine years old, she asked her mother to go live with a nearby monastery of Dominican nuns, where she continued to deepen in her love for Jesus. At that time, children weren’t ordinarily allowed to receive their First Communion at her age; but Imelda repeatedly begged the sisters to be allowed to receive the Eucharist. After a miraculous apparition after Mass on the Vigil of the Ascension, the sisters relented. Bl. Imelda received her First Communion, and passed away while making her thanksgiving, apparently out of sheer joy. You can read more about her life here.
We thank God for the gift of Sr. Imelda Marie’s life and vocation. Please pray for her perseverance and joy in the Lord as she begins her two-year novitiate!
