{"id":4942,"date":"2013-03-18T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T07:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/2013\/03\/18\/convent-signadou-wanganui-new-zealand\/"},"modified":"2023-05-10T02:48:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T02:48:13","slug":"convent-signadou-wanganui-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/2013\/03\/18\/convent-signadou-wanganui-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"CONVENT & SIGNADOU, Wanganui, New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n2013 took on a new apostolic
\ntwist for the Dominican Sisters of Wanganui. The beginning of our very own
\nGirls Boarding School! After a lovely sojourn in Melbourne, Australia \u201cwith all
\nthe family\u201d and a few visitors, January saw us back in NZ as busy as bees.
\nWithin the timeframe of a few weeks, there was the convent to move, rooms to
\norganise for the boarders, a pile of paperwork to finish, classes to prepare
\nfor, cleaning to be done, the survival of Teachers week and Professional
\nDevelopment sessions, and of course, time for the Good Lord. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/div>\n
\nI don\u2019t know who was the more
\nnervous about our first meeting. Sisters or Boarders? But the 1<\/span>st<\/sup><\/span> of
\nFebruary finally came and it was on a warm Friday night at around 10:30pm that
\nwe heard a car pull up carrying within it our first boarders, one from
\nMalaysia, two from Singapore and one from Auckland, NZ. Allow me now to introduce them to you.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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\n<\/p>\n

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\nFirst to step out of the car was
\nMaria Lim all the way over from Kualar Lumpar. Talented in many areas, she is a
\nwonderful Tupperware organiser and photographer, very respectful, studious and
\nobedient, plays the piano beautifully and always has a beautiful smile for you
\nwhenever you pass her.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nNext were two shy little cousins,
\nfrom Singapore, although it turns out they are not so shy after all. Anne Rosa
\nLoo and Gertrude Yeo. Anne Rosa will have you in stitches as she tells you a
\nstory which really is quite serious but her mannerisms and accent make it so
\nenjoyable you can\u2019t help but laugh. Gertrude turned out to have a sweet nature,
\nlady-like ways and a soft spot for anything in a habit and veil. Both girls, we
\nfound out, also love to sing. Sometimes we come in from our refectory to hear
\ndishes being turned into a live musical like that of a scene in Beauty and the
\nBeast, particularly when a musical Sister is on boarding duty. Naturally we
\nhave a rule that once we come in for Matins, this has to stop otherwise their
\nvoices reverberate to the chapel.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nFinally there was the docile and
\never ready to please Monica Bennett sitting quietly in the back seat.  <\/span>A lover of song and dance also, Monica is a
\nlively addition to the dishes choir and has made remarkable progress since her
\nentrance. Coming from a home-schooling background, she has tackled the idea of
\ndifferent subjects and homework with sincerity, and has not let a broken arm,
\nsprained ankle or fall off a horse stand in the way of success.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/span> <\/o:p><\/div>\n
\nAnd what of the Sisters? Well,
\nnervous at the prospect of a boarding house at first, we have found that it is
\nactually a very fruitful and enjoyable apostolate. Day by day we see the fruits
\nof our work. It is well worth it when you hear one of the girls say \u201cI sin less here\u201d<\/i> or ask to sing Compline
\nwith us when it is not the day for it or hear them mention they want to be a
\nreligious when they grow up and fight over religious names. Our boarders are a
\ndelight and have become part of the family, filling the hole, literally and
\nmetaphorically, that was left earlier last year when our Novitiate House left
\nfor Australia. On Sunday, when boarders do attend Compline, old and young
\nvoices blend their voices together to sing the praises of the Lord. Normally it
\nwould be the novices that would break out into laughter if an honest mistake
\nhappened; now it is stifled giggles from the girls.  <\/span>At rosary time, it seems that every time you
\nlook up from your contemplation to check on the boarders, pairs of eyes are checking
\nYOU, watching your every move. May we be good examples and bearers of the truth
\nand the light.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a> <\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nSo what, might you ask, is
\nboarding school like at Signadou? Like the Dominican spirit, it is balanced –
\ncontemplation and action \u2013 Love of God and of neighbour \u2013a balance of prayer,
\nstudy, domestic activities and play.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nDuring the week the girls rise at
\n6:30am every morning for Daily Mass, then follow the school schedule, after
\nwhich there is a little recreation and afternoon tea, followed by study hall.
\nTo rosary they go, then it is dinner, the dishes choir, then time for their own
\nmusic practice or free time, followed by recreation with one of the Sisters, and
\nfinally bed time with the many stuffed animals that seem to dominate the bed \u2013
\npigs, penguins, monkeys, dogs, you name it, we have it. Even a pink dinosaur
\nwas smuggled into the country and recently we were able to acquire lambs, a cat
\nand bears.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/o:p><\/span> <\/div>\n
\nSaturday morning is dedicated to
\ncleaning duties, learning the art of grocery shopping, as well as time for
\nstudy, finishing off homework or writing letters. Duties are assessed and
\npoints awarded accordingly: if you get a gold star for your efforts you are
\nsure to be in the running for a little reward. A green sticker on the other
\nhand will mean you are marched back up to tidy your room or spend more time on
\nyour cleaning duty. At present, in the afternoon, girls don their frilly aprons
\nand the house is filled with mouth-watering aromas as they learn the art of
\nbaking and taste testing. Needless to say it is quite a torture, particularly
\nduring Lent, as we go about our occupations with noses in the air and tongues
\nsafely locked away, unless of course you are a boarder and you get to taste
\nsome of your wares at afternoon tea time. Last week we learnt that one must NOT
\novermix the muffin mixture. After this little exercise there is physical recreation
\nor choir practice for those who are members of St Dominic\u2019s School Choir, free
\ntime, rosary, dinner, recreation and then off to bed a little later.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sunday, the day for Our Lord, is prayerful,
\nrestful and recreative. The morning is spent resting and attending the Sung
\nHigh Mass. Girls are allowed to talk at breakfast, other days they do not. Then
\nit is usually a special Sunday Dinner followed by activities in the afternoon.
\nThey can range from a trip to a local beauty spot, swimming, playing sports,
\nvisiting, recreating with the Sisters etc. The day ends with Benediction of the
\nmost Blessed Sacrament, supper, recreation, free time then Dominican Compline,
\ncomplete with profound inclinations and processions. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/a> <\/a><\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n

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\n<\/a><\/div>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

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\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span>Feast days are always something
\nspecial, particularly when God sends you something special. This year the day
\nbefore the Feast of the transferral of the body of St Catherine of Siena, we
\nreceived a beautiful big statue of the Saint that we are hoping will one day go
\nin our very own proper chapel. St Thomas Aquinas, our Dominican brother,
\nbrought us our very own Tenebrae Stand, for use during Holy Week. Dominican
\nRite of course. It was constructed by Brother Dominic\/Mr Guy Legrega, who is a
\nmember of the Third Order of Penance here in Wanganui and who was celebrating
\nhis first anniversary of Profession on this great Feast.<\/span><\/o:p><\/div>\n

\n<\/a> <\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nNB: Naturally we got the hint
\nfrom our Lady and gave the statues a dust before veiling them for Passion Week.<\/o:p><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\nMay God continue to bless this
\napostolate and grant us many holy religious vocations.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nUh…….Religious vocations!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/span> <\/div>\n
\n <\/span>Deo Gratias<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

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\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/o:p><\/span> <\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/span> <\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n <\/span><\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2013 took on a new apostolic twist for the Dominican Sisters of Wanganui. The beginning of our very own Girls Boarding School! After a lovely sojourn in Melbourne, Australia \u201cwith all the family\u201d and a few visitors, January saw us back in NZ as busy as bees. Within the timeframe of a few weeks, there … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apostolate","infinite-scroll-item","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5247,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions\/5247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opsisters.org.nz\/preview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}