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On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary we were privileged to mark the 800 years of the founding of the nuns of the Order, the 86th year of our foundation and the 80th year of our presence in Menlo Park with an awe-inspiring evening of liturgy, prayer and festivity. On fire with Dominic's enthusiasm and desiring this to be exceptional in every way, invitations were mailed, menus were tastefully planned and our liturgist selected new composition for the community to rehearse. In the spirit of jubilee, a local Stanford University graduate student, Tom O'Sullivan who happened to be a professional organist and choir director, volunteered to mentor our choir until we obtained the proper rhythm and harmony. With hymns of praise and thanksgiving he also provided the pipe organ accompaniment during the Mass.
Fitting for this special occasion was the gifted presence of His Excellency, Most Reverend George Niederauer, Archbishop of San Francisco. Presiding as celebrant and homilist for our Mass of Thanksgiving, he also led the congregation in prayer to gain the special Indulgences granted to all monasteries of the Order during this centennial year.
As evening approached, family and friends filled the monastery chapel and we were blessed to have a warm autumn October evening in which to gather. Tables and chairs were provided in the front yard and candles glimmered throughout the garden in the evening dusk. Included among the nearly 200 attendees were many representatives of local religious communities who came to celebrate and recall the many memories of our 80 years in Menlo Park. Many shared stories of how they discerned their vocations here in our chapel or how the intercessory prayers of the nuns impacted their lives during times of crisis. Guests included our Provincial of the Western Dominican Province, friars and students of the Province, rector and representatives from our local St. Patrick's Seminary, sisters from the Dominican congregation of Queen of the Holy Rosary in Fremont and the Oakford Dominican Sisters from San Leandro, members of the monastery chapter of the Dominican laity and other local convents. Most important among our guests were two new aspirants who entered our community the day before in order to begin their vocation discernment with the special blessings of our Dominican Jubilee Year.
Photo Gallery
When St. Dominic prayed for guidance concerning the new ministry that was so sorely needed, he was inspired to gather together women converts to the Catholic faith in a monastery dedicated to continual prayer. These women were the nucleus of the new religious family which would eventually be known as the Order of Preachers. The nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery are the spiritual descendants of these first Dominicans.
This monastery has been established in the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 1921. We maintain daily Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the chapel is open to the public each day from 6:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to spend some time in quiet prayer before Our Lord exposed in the Blessed Sacrament.
This year has been designated by the Master of the Order, Fr. Carlos Azpiroz Costa, as a Jubilee Year for the Dominican Order. To draw down special blessings on the Church at this time, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has granted a Plenary Indulgence under the usual conditions to all those who visit a Dominican monastery.