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The Dominican Nuns arrived at the new Saint Dominic’s Monastery on June
24th, 2008, the Solemnity of St. John the Baptist. Upon their arrival, Mass was celebrated
in a temporary chapel and the nuns’ life in their new monastery began. At the same time, the local parish, St.
John the Baptist, was also celebrating their patronal feast with great solemnity
under the leadership of their pastor, Rev. Jerome Fasano. Separated by only a few miles, there is
a bond of unity bringing together the needs of the parishioners and the
prayerful presence of the nuns.
On Saturday, October 4th and Sunday, October 5th,
from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., the nuns hosted an Open House to provide an
opportunity to tour the monastery building. On October 7th, the Feast of
the Most Holy Rosary, Bishop Paul Loverde,
Bishop of Arlington, dedicated the new monastery. The present monastic chapel can
accommodate only twenty-five guests and, consequently, this Mass will be open to
only the clergy of the diocese and the Dominican friars. The nuns regret this
lack of space, however, in Phase II
of their building project, the permanent Chapel will accommodate a larger number of guests.
As these special days approach, the nuns pray that
through these celebrations, God will
touch the hearts of many.
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