Visitando le monache passioniste d’Italia

Translation - Visiting the Passionist Nuns of Italy During Mother John Mary and Sr. Catherine Marie’s trip to Rome in June, they also had the chance to visit three of our Passionist monasteries. Here are some highlights of their time with the Italian nuns.

The first monastery they visited was in Tarquinia, which is also the very first home of the Passionist Nuns! They enjoyed a walk in the various small cloister courtyards where gorgeous flowers are cultivated along with kiwi and other fruits. In Tarquinia, they only have a little grass which grows along a very high section of the city wall which belongs to them, very different from the rolling green hills of our Kentucky community, but still full of Passionist spirit. They posed for some pictures on the wall, and Mother John Mary valiantly walked along it.

They were able to meet at long last Sr. Daniela from one of the Brazilian communities. She has been in contact with us for many years, and is currently in Tarquinia for a time of study and formation.

You can learn more about Tarquinia here: http://www.passioniste-tarquinia.it/index.html

Mother John Mary and Sr. Catherine Marie also saw the nuns in Vignanello. Their monastery is located in a medieval city built on the sides of hills. The Vignanello nuns sang three-part hymns for their American guests, and would have sung all afternoon if we’d let them! They have beautiful voices and harmonies, and about 50 local people join them regularly for the Divine Office.

The Vignanello community does all kinds of farming as well as vestment making. They regularly supply fruit for Sts. John and Paul, the Passionist Generalate in Rome, and we got to sample their pears and plums which were in season during our visit.

Finally, our travelers stopped at the monastery in Campagnano, where Sr. Catherine Marie was delighted to see Sr. Margaret Corona whom she had met during the Passionist Nuns Assembly back in 2015. They shared a delicious cena (supper) with pizza from Sr. Margaret’s own recipe. Then followed recreation which consisted of the beautiful singing of Panis Angelicus by the Indonesian nuns in the community, and several very peppy dances (one looked like our Virginia Reel).

Campagnano has been blessed with many vocations, including these two young women. The postulant on the left is from China; she was going to the university in Rome when she met Sr. Margaret and learned of the Passionist Nuns and entered their monastery.

What a joy it was to have a taste of how our Italian sisters live the Passionist life. We are so grateful for the warm and generous hospitality of the monasteries at Tarquinia, Vignanello, and Campagnano!