A Hint of Heaven in Wrentham

 
We must be content to wait patiently to experience the peace and joy of heaven during our journey through this life, but last Saturday I was blessed with a ‘hint of heaven’ right here in Wrentham at Saint Mary’s Abbey. I was privileged to join the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Religious Profession for Sister Peter Sheeran, O.C.S.O. of Saint Mary’s Abbey. Dom Damian Carr, Abbot of the Trappist Abbey of Saint Joseph in Spencer, Massachusetts served as Principal Celebrant and Homilist at the Mass of Thanksgiving for the 60th Anniversary of the religious profession of Sister Peter. The ritual of the sacred liturgy was accompanied by the angelic voices of the Trappistine nuns resounding throughout the simple beauty of the Abbey Chapel. A Hint of Heaven!
 
Sister Peter took a somewhat circuitous route to Saint Mary Abbey, Wrentham from Holy Cross Abbey in Stapehill, England where Sister professed her first vows sixty years ago.  Holy Cross Abbey would later relocate to Whitland, Wales and Sister Peter would later relocate to Saint Mary’s Abbey, Wrentham. If you have ever been blessed to enjoy an animated conversation with Sister Peter in the Abbey Gift Shop, it is quite evident that even though Sister Peter has lived out her religious profession in England, Wales and Wrentham she has always carried her ardent love for her homeland of Scotland in her heart and that is made manifest in her pronounced and proud Scottish Burr, which is akin to an Irish Brogue! The celebratory luncheon following the Mass made it evident that the Trappistines of Wrentham count Sister Peter as a special blessing within their community of approximately forty nuns representing thirty countries of origin. The gift of Sister Peter was celebrated in song, story and laughter.
 
I count Saint Mary’s Abbey as a special blessing in my life as a priest serving the Parish of Saint Mary, Wrentham. The Abbey Chapel is truly a sacred space to encounter the presence of God in quiet prayer. The prayers of the Trappist nuns are certainly a continuous support for the mission of Saint Mary Parish and Saint Martha Parish. Then, there is the chocolate!
 
Recently Saint Mary’s Abbey, reflecting the respect for the environment as our common home the teaching of Pope Francis transformed a section of the fields where sheep once grazed into a provider of clean energy.

The Sisters installed solar panels that provide all the power needs of the Abbey and then they share the surplus energy with the Town of Franklin. This is a way of living out the Benedictine ideal that each abbey maintains itself as a self-sufficient community providing for its own basic needs.
 
There is another way in which Mother Maureen and the Trappistine nuns are a source of power as I often think of their lives committed to unceasing, contemplative prayer as a ‘Spiritual Power Station’ for our community and the Church throughout the world! If you haven’t paid a visit to Saint Mary’s Abbey at 300 Arnold Road in Wrentham, treat yourself to a pilgrimage to their beautiful chapel and then visit the gift shop where Sister Peter might enthrall you with the words and melody of the "simple ditty" for the Gift Shop that Sister composed on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. I guarantee you will be humming the tune the rest of the day!