+JMJ Religious Education Sessions have begun for the children on Saturdays at 11 AM-12:30 PM and 3-4:30 PM as well as the high school youth Confirmation sessions twice a month on Sundays, Year I at 10 AM-12Noon and Year II at 1-3PM. Please pray that the children, youth and their families will be encountered by Jesus, experience the love of the Blessed Trinity and live a continual conversion of heart!
Sister Mary Joseph together with a lay Handmaid in the state of Washington continue to research for the theological presentation of our Charism and Spirituality that we will present to our Co-Adjutor Archbishop Jose Gomez, once he assumes leadership of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in early 2011.
We are posting new photos of the construction of our convent now that evident progress is being made both on the interior and the exterior this month! Our move in date was suppose to have been the middle of this month, but now it will be in mid-October, providing everything continues to move along. We began construction February 2nd, so this is our 7th month of living in others’ home. Jeff and Maxine Mesinoff generously offered their mobile home when they moved to Palm Springs for new employment, so we have been commuting across town to the Mission parish. We have adapted our daily life by praying all of our prayers in the local parishes, but we do miss our little chapel with our Lord’s Presence under the roof, which is the hardest inconvenience we have had to endure. However, the Lord is ever faithful bestowing His graces of perseverence, patience and peace. This is the cross we are asked to carry and offer thanksgiving to our Lord for His graces.
We wish to share with all who have been praying with us for founding growth…we have someone from the state of Washington asking to begin the process of discernment to join our community! We are just in the beginning stages with this 21 year old, so please continue to pray that Gods’ Holy Will may be done in her life and in ours.
Let us remember the Angels and ask for their intercession during this month as we approach the Feasts of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Rafael and October 2nd Feast of our Guardian Angels.
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged catholic, consecrated life, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, Mary, precious blood, religious sister, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ We have settled back into daily life in San Buenaventura Mission following our vocation outreach in the summer months of June and July. The Rite of Christian Initiation process in our Parish has resumed Tuesdays from 7-8:30 PM. We are having three weeks of registrations after all the Saturday evening and Sunday Masses the bi-monthly high school youth Confirmation process, which begins Sunday August 29th and for the weekly children’s Religious Education program, which begins Saturday September 11th.
We are compiling the theological basis of our Charism and Spirituality which we will present to the Co-Adjutor Archbishop Jose Gomez, when he becomes the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles next year.
Construction of our convent seems to have moved slowly during the months that we have been out of town with electrical wiring being done and the exterior appearance remaining unchanged. However, the various inspections by the city have passed, so we hope more process can be made in the coming month.
Please pray for founding growth as we enter into our 26th year at San Buenaventura Mission living and sharing our Chrism and Spirituality through catechesis with evangelization in order to pass on the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Church. Let us call upon our Mother Mary for her intercession under her title of the Immaculate Heart.
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged catholic, consecrated life, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, Mary, precious blood, religious sister, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ July 2010 is already coming to an end! Sister Mary Rose has been out of California for vocation outreach in Beavernton, Oregon with the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows (www.olpretreat.org) where she gave presentations on Jesus’ Way of Life and Weighing in for the Lord, at Our Lady of Peace 38th Annual Institute on Catholic Teaching. She then went to spend time with the lay Servant/Handmaids in Gig Harbor, Washington and then to assist in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bremerton, Washington Vacation Bible School (www.starofthesea.net). Seeds of encouragement have been planted for others to respond to the Jesus’ call to Consecrated Life as well as to marriage or single life or for boys and young men to the priesthood. Sister Mary Rose will return to California on July 31st and to San Buenaventura Mission, Ventura, to begin the 26th year in our apostolate of catechesis with evangelization. Sister Mary Joseph has also been traveling for vocation outreach to San Diego, California and across the border to Mexico as she has assisted a young adult in discerning Jesus’ call in her life. She has also overseen the construction project as it nears the end. The contractor’s goal is to have everything completed so that we can move back into our convent some time in September. We praise the Lord for all He continues to do within our hearts and life as we seek to bring to fruition Jesus’ Prayer for Unity.
The following photo was taken today of our convent construction:
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged catholic, consecrated life, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, Mary, precious blood, religious sister, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ Our May pilgrimage in prayer for vocation outreach and mission to Chile turned out to be surprising! Instead of doing the physical hands to help after the spring earthquake, the Lord gave us the opportunity to give support in another way… We joined the cloistered Discalced Carmelites in their annual silent retreat in preparation for Pentecost. So we joined the nuns in prayer for Chile and her earthquake victims. Do you believe in prayer? We do! The Lord does listen and answer if we are willing to make the time to pray and entrust our lives to Him… He is calling us to Himself.
We are forming a new team for the Rite of Christian Initiation process in our parish this month in preparation for the RCIA process to resume in August after our summer pause. We are excited to have others join us in this continual process of conversion!
Upon our return to Ventura from Chile we found the roof on our convent had been installed, thanks be to God! We have had different meetings to make decisions about the interior details of our re-constructed home such as lighting and plumbing fixtures to complete the infra-structure. We do not have any new photos to show since little changes have been made to the exterior and the interior changes seem minute. Now we wait for the day of one of several inspections on the house that needs to be passed before the exterior stucco work can begin. Truly all is in the hands of the Lord, who is the Master Designer!
The final week of June gave us the opportunity to travel to Northern California for Sister Mary Joseph to visit family in Madera, CA and Dunsmuir, CA and for Sister Mary Rose to reunite with nursing school roommates since graduating from California State University, Chico in 1976! Both of us continue to praise and thank the Lord for how He has sustained us with His grace to persevere in the gift of our Consecrated Life! May we all continue to trust in Jesus, His Most Sacred Heart of Love and Mercy!
+JMJ The month of May calls us to celebrate Mother’s Day the 2nd Sunday of May and always on May 10th in Mexico and among our Mexican immigrants! Yet in our Catholic Church May is the month in which we also remember that at the foot of His Cross our Lord Jesus Christ gave His mother Mary to be our spiritual Mother, who continues to pray for the Church, for us and for all people. Let us unite in prayer as we pray and meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary in the mysteries of the Rosary. For myself, the meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary has led me to a deeper, more intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus especially in His suffering love.
One of our summer visitations outside of Ventura in May was to the Sanctuario of Santa Teresita of the Andes, outside of Santiago, Chile! We were able to travel there with frequent flyer miles we accumulated during our years of summer studies we had to travel to the Midwest and East coast. The Lord provided abundantly even to being received as guests for 12 days at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit of the cloistered Discalced Carmelites, the actual Community of Saint Teresa of the Andes!
The re-construction of our convent has been proceeding. The work has been the interior plumbing and electrical work, which is the most important work, just as the interior renewal of our invisible souls. Besides laying a good foundation, the infra-structure has to be correctly done in a building, so we must take the time to properly develop our intimate personal relationship with our Lord and Savior… may we all keep this in mind especially in this summer!
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged catholic, consecrated life, holy spirit, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, Mary, mother, religious sister, rosary, Sacred Heart, saint, vocation |
+JMJ Christ is risen, alleluia, alleluia! We are in Easter Season, having celebrated the Easter Vigil with our Elect and now continuing with them as Neophytes and receiving new inquirers into our Catholic Faith as well! We celebrated with 86 high school youth and adults of our parish who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on the Fourth Sunday of Easter! We are also in the midst of celebrating First Communion with 160 children of our parish! All of our catechetical efforts with evangelization are coming to an end for this year as we enter into times of summer visitations outside of Ventura.
The re-construction of our convent is proceeding quickly as you can see by the photos. We have been blessed with good weather for such a project with only a few days of light rain. Now that our home is taking on a new form, a new look, may we continue to be transformed in Christ our Lord during the remainder of this Season of His Resurrection and our new life!
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged alleluia, catholic, consecrated life, Easter, evangelization, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, Lord, Mary, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ We are half way through Lent and have begun our three scrutinies with the “Elect” of our parish in their immediate preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist! Time is passing quickly and the Easter Vigil will be April 3, 2010! Construction or de-construction is quickly happening as photos in our last blog indicate. We are posting further photos of our convent-home with the roof removed. Parishioners in our neighborhood have begun to ask what is happening to our home and where are we presently living as the construction work is very obvious now! Truly a time of stripping away as reflective of this time of Lent in which we are to strip away bad habits, vices that impede our growth in love for the Lord and others. May this Lent continue to be a time of spiritual renewal as we watch the demolition of our physical home and await the new construction…united in prayer for all of you…
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged catholic, consecrated life, Jesus, Joseph, lent, Lord, love, Mary, religious sister, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ Ash Wednesday February 17, 2010 We have settled into our new temporary home. Sister Mary Joseph had time to settle in before flying to Front Royal, Virginia to Christendom College for vocation outreach and visitation to our friends there. Her flight was cancelled due to the snow storm back there, but she was able to fly out and land safely 2 days later on February 12th.
Lent is meant to be a time of reflection on our life to see areas where we still need to be converted to the Lord and to turn away from impurity, possessiveness and egoism. Lent is an opportunity to begin with God’s help to die to such self-centeredness, selfishness and self-absorption!
What a perfect time to begin demolition and re-construction of our home! Construction is progressing rapidly as you can see in the photos.
Posted in Construction, Uncategorized | Tagged ash wednesday, catholic, consecrated life, Jesus, jmj, Joseph, lent, Mary, religious sister, Sacred Heart, vocation |
+JMJ FEBRUARY 2, 2010 Feast of the Presentation of our Lord was the World Day of Consecrated Life. Our pastor from San Buenaventura Mission came to our convent home to celebrate Mass, 
witness our renewal of vows and bless the beginnings of the construction of the 2nd floor to our convent! The contractor, Michael of Donnelly Development, his wife and his work crew as well as our construction advisor Michael Viola, my brother Paul Chinn, Sister Mary Joseph’s godson Brother John Shearer, an Oblate of St. Joseph and a representative of the Lay Handmaids, our lay associates joined in the Mass!
We had coffee and brownies after Mass followed by the actual beginning of the demolition for the re-construction of our convent!
God truly provides! Just the night before we went to dinner with Casey and Shannon Culp. 
They were not aware of the impending construction, our moving out of the convent and need for a place to live until November 2010. Once they found out, they immediately and graciously offered us a place to live as did several other parishioners and friends! We accepted their offer and moved in following the final Mass at our convent! Now we have a home away from home!
By admin | January 17, 2010
Plans submitteed, then re-submitted and approved by the city in November! Final fees and permits pulled on January 14, 2010! Construction (or demolition & re-construction) will begin February 2nd, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord…all for the Glory of God!
Here is a photo of the meeting with our contractor Michael Don
nelly of Donnelly Development and our construction advisor Michael Viola of Viola Construction.
