Media Nuns go to the National Catholic Youth Conference!

Hello, again everyone.

We have been busy over the past couple of months, and thought we'd share a little of what we've been up to. 

A major event that took up quite a bit of our time was preparing to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis. Two of us (Julie and Danielle), along with Sr. Rebecca and Sr. Laura got to attend as vocational witnesses. We were so excited for this opportunity, that we made a video so that people would know that we were coming!

We had a ton of fun making it, as you can probably tell. We took those "Special" stickers with us, along with some other goodies, and got involved in the NCYC tradition of "trading" items.

Another fun project we did in preparation for the convention was to create some amazingly awesome cardboard cutouts. Danielle and Putri got Sr. Laura and Sr. Rebecca (and a statue of St. Paul) to pose for some photos. After a few hours of editing, some confusion at the print shop, and a case of X-Acto knife blades, we finally had our finished product:

Putri and Julie try out the new cutouts.

Everyone wants to hang out with St. Paul!

Julie peers over the cardboard
in the back seat of the van.

Then, it was time to head out. Of course, we didn't quite realize how much of the car these things would take up, so conversation in the backseat was a little...strained. 

It didn't take too long, though, and we were there!

It was a blast, hanging out with 23,000 excited teenagers, 13 bishops, over 300 priests, and who-knows-how-many seminarians, nuns and religious brothers.


Sr. Rebecca and Sr. Laura got to spend time with young people discussing discernment and religious life, and Julie and Danielle got to spend time passing out Special stickers, checking out the booths, and even answering questions on a Q&A panel for young girls open to religious life.

Danielle, Sr. Laura, Julie, Sr. Rose, and Sr. Rebecca
Srs Laura and Rebecca are wearing the Vocations Team shirts.

We ran into Sr. Rose, who was there to give a couple of workshops on Jesus on the Silver Screen. Several kids came to find us afterward and told us how awesome her presentation was. Yay, Sr. Rose!










When we weren't assigned a place to be, we took our cardboard cut outs to a busy place in the hall, and let people go nuts. It was so much fun to see people's reactions. Some of our favorite responses were from parents: as one girl posed in the tall stand-up with the tech symbols and Media Nuns hashtag on it, her mom exclaimed, "Oh, look! My girl's a Media Nun! I'm so proud!" Ha!

While we were there, some of our peeps back home were doing long-distance support work:

And we may have spent some time with a VIP.

In all, it was a blessed, fun, awesome, and exhausting experience! Have you ever been to NCYC or a similar convention? What was your favorite part?

The Changing of the Guard

Well, hello there! It's been an inexcusably long time since this blog was updated. But, perhaps you'll excuse us, anyway. See, the old postulants have moved on to the novitiate, and there are are now three of us brand-new baby postulants! We got here about 6 weeks ago, and began our postulancy on September 8th.  It might be a little while before we really get to introduce ourselves, but we wanted to say hello, and to ask for your prayers as we embark on this awesome Pauline Adventure, as well as your prayers for the new novices, SISTER Chelsea and SISTER Carly, as they press onward in their vocations.

For now, here are a few photos. Love and prayers! God bless you all!

Danielle, Julie, Putri, and Sr. Rebecca on September 8th,
the day we officially entered Postulancy!

On the day we entered, we were blessed to visit the
Cathedral Basillica in St. Louis for Mass.

Danielle, Putri, and Julie with the Queen of Apostles.

Ask the Postulants... In Mexico!

Ask the Postulants Episode 6

Our Apologies... and what we've been up to!

Hello! Yes, we ARE alive! :)
Apologies for not updating our blog or youtube channel in the last TWO MONTHS! (Where has the time gone?)
...but seriously, we DO have good excuses!
In the last two months we've:

...found out that we're going to Mexico for the month of August for an immersion course in Spanish! (Be sure to pray for us!)

...Bishop Rice came and gave a talk in our newly renovated conference center! 

...Consecrated ourselves to Jesus through Mary with a group that met here in our BookCenter using the book 33 Days to Morning Glory. Our consecration Mass was celebrated by Bishop Herman on the feast of the Visitation. It was such a beautiful evening seeing over 40 people consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary! After Mass we had those same 40 people plus the Bishop celebrating with a reception afterwards when the tornado sirens went off! Praise God, everyone eventually got home safe!

...We took (AND PASSED!) our finals for the classes we were taking!


... JUST got back from Covecrest LifeTeen Summer Camp! What a BEAUTIFUL experience! There are some pretty epic pictures on LifeTeen's Facebook Page. (We were on "Summer Camp 2013 Week 2- Covecrest Tiger") It was such a privilege and a blessing to be able to journey with 250 high school students for a week.

Fearless! 

Carly gave a beautiful talk on prayer!

The 40ft waterfall at the camp!

We were on the belay team for
the high ropes course! 

.....AND WE FOUND OUT THAT WE WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE NOVITIATE! So that means we will move to Boston (Our provincial motherhouse) this fall and begin Novitiate in October!

...and in a little over a week we're headed off to Arizona for Sr. Maria Kim's perpetual profession!

Well, that's a glimpse of our life at the moment! 

Keep praying for us and know that we are praying for you! 

Ask the Postulants Episode 5

All creation stops in anticipation...

The Annunciation is probably my most favorite Marian Feast Day! 

This morning on reflecting on the Gospel for today (Luke 1:26-38). As I prayed through meditation, I wasn't struck so much by a word or phrase, but rather by a space.
In your missal, it will read "...for nothing is impossible with God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord..."
There. Did you catch it? That space between Gabriel's question and Mary's response THAT was the epicenter of my meditation today. That one stroke of the keyboard holds the entire weight of the universe. Once Gabriel poses the question, all of creation holds it's breath, everything stops in anticipation of this young woman's response to this earth-shattering question. No matter what Mary's response, it will change everything forever.

It is in THIS moment, this beautiful, silent, grace-filled moment that the most epic "yes" ever spoken was formed.
This space, this moment, this breath, is the precursor to the moment when our humanity was forever changed.

"Holy Mary, whose supernatural grandeur hung on a simple fiat, pray for us sinners who are always exposed, between healing and relapse, to the intoxication of words. Protect our lips from useless exaggeration. Make our voices, reduced to essentials, always begin from the realms of mystery and bringing forth the perfume of silence. Turn us, like you, into the sacrament of transparency. Help us, finally, so that in the brevity of a "yes" spoken to God, we might throw ourselves into the boundless sea of His love." 
(Prayer from "Mary: Human and Holy" by Bishop Antonio Bello) 


-Chelsea 

Holy Week Vocation Retreat

Ladies, Looking for a Holy Week Retreat? 
Come n Visit The Daughters of Saint Paul in Boston Mass -- this was one of my most grace-filled retreats I've attended. Holy week is HOLY after all ;)
:) 

Ask the Postulants Episode 4

Ask the Postulants Episode 3

Ask the Postulants Episode TWO!

Ask the Postulants Episode 1

We made a video!
Enjoy!