Traditions and Celebrations

One of the best parts of autumn for me, other than the endless football games, the changing of the leaves and the evenings on the patio making s'mores, is the community traditions which all fall in October. 

One of those family celebrations is our annual Chicken Day.  While the rest of the universal Church celebrates St. Teresa of Avila on Oct 15, it is the day that we have fried chicken for dinner in honor of our founding generation of Sisters.

Here is the story, as I remember it (apologies in advance for any mistakes or omissions which may occur in this story).  When our Sisters were still living in Creston, IA, they were moving to a new, larger convent about 6 blocks away from St. Malachy's Church where they had originally resided. Our Sisters packed everything in crates including the chickens. Someone forgot to put air holes in the crates for the chickens. So at the end of the day after the long day of moving, the Sisters discovered that the chickens had all smothered in the crates. Being mindful never to waste anything, they fried the chickens that evening and used them as an evening snack.

Our Sisters love fried chicken and use any excuse available to have a celebration. So even more than 130 years later we still celebrate this event in our history.

This year we are also blessed to celebrate 135 years since our founding day on October 28. On this date we remember Mother Paula O'Reilly and her two companions who travelled from Pennsylvania to Iowa to start a new Benedictine foundation. May the spirit which enlivened these women continue to inspire us as we progress along the monastic way of life.

What are some family traditions that are important in your life?

Sr. Catherine