St. Patrick’s Day, Feast of St. Joseph & More Snow!

Our Lent has very good this year!

With the students still unable to be here due to the pandemic, we've had the Kartause "to ourselves" - with just a handful of faculty/staff members and their families in our community.  Fr. Nick, TOR, has been incredible.  We've had daily Mass, regular adoration and confession.  Every Saturday is "kids mass" and afterwards he does a catechism class for the children 5 years old & up.  Ellie and Francis have learned so much, especially about the Stations of the Cross.  Every Friday at 3pm we've gathered as a community for the Way of the Cross.  On the last Friday of Lent (before Good Friday) the children got to lead the Stations -- Francis led the 3rd Station, Ellie led the 8th & 9th Stations!  After our 3pm Way of the Cross, the "Kartause Ladies" have been meeting for Bible Study as pray lectio divina for the upcoming Sunday Gospel reading.  All of this has made for a very blessed Lent indeed!

Also, celebrating the Feast Days during Lent has been a lot of fun!  It's a nice way to break up the fasting (for the kids - a great excuse to eat dessert!)

Right in the middle of Lent - I (Courtney) flew to the USA to spend time with my mom who had open-heart surgery!  I was able to make the trip alone thanks to Brian holding down the fort at home (with the help of our lovely community)!

Enjoy the pictures of our fun!

St. Patrick's Day:

St. Joseph's Day:

Morning Brian drove me to Vienna so I could fly home - to our surprise we woke up to a foot of snow!

Airport in Vienna - you must have a negative covid test to fly:

At home with my mom and our Fiat mugs :) (we were both blessed to be in a Fiat90 group, which extended into this Lent):

Meanwhile, back in Gaming - SNOW!!

When I returned home one week later, the snow had melted!

I had to have a negative covid test to enter Austria.  Additionally, I had to quarantine (not leaving my house or backyard) for 5 days.  The police came to make sure I was in quarantine.  On the 5th day I was able to get another covid test (or I could have chosen to stay in quarantine for a total of 10 days).  Thankfully, my test came back negative!  That was Holy Thursday.  So I was able to resume going to Mass just in time for the Triduum!  Yes, it's been a very blessed Lent indeed!!

God bless!