Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose

We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek of the making of our famous Dominican fruitcakes! Each year our Sisters and volunteers mix 3,000 pounds of batter and prepare 1,500 cakes prized for their moist, old world flavor, a holiday tradition rich in love and friendship. Available for purchase from our Holiday Boutique until November 14th - https://dsmsj-boutique.myshopify.com/ https://youtu.be/HEXRE9Os_G4

We have heard these words so often that we can easily dismiss them with a simple:of course. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time had not only the 10 Commandments to follow but over 600 other laws that their rabbis had developed over time. Jesus is able to cut through all of them to center the Pharisees, and us, on the heart of following him: love of God and love of neighbor. As we move through our week, let us be honest with ourselves: Are we so single-minded or are we, at least on occasion, trapped by extraneous concerns? #SundayReflection

Call for volunteers! We are looking for Holiday Boutique help during the month of November. Needs include packaging, inventory, and order fulfillment, and on Nov. 21 and 22 we will need drive-thru support, greeters, and order pick-up support! Due to the pandemic, many of our regular volunteers are unable to assist, so please consider lending a hand if you are able to and healthy. This is an especially great opportunity for youth to get involved! Social distancing and sanitizing protocols will be enacted so that everyone stays safe. If interested, see form for available shifts and how to sign up: https://dsmsj.formstack.com/for/holiday_boutique_volunteers Email [email protected] with any questions.

Our 2020 Holiday Boutique is live for a few more weeks! Enjoy a special greeting and a song, from our Sisters to you. Despite a year of unprecedented challenges, we have pivoted and adapted in order to continue our annual tradition in a safe manner. We send you our love and pray that everyone experiences joy and peace during the upcoming holiday season. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Throughout November, Catholics around the world unite to remember and express gratitude for dear friends and family members, as well as the community of saints, who have gone before us and blessed us by their lives of love, faith and service to others. As such, the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose would like to pray for your departed ones in daily prayer and Eucharist - remembering their deeds and how they enriched our world. We invite you to join us in this remembrance ...by using our online form to list the names of those who you would like the Sisters to pray for in our Book of Remembrance in the Motherhouse Chapel throughout November. Feel free to add something special about each person and how they made a difference in our world. May God’s blessings be abundant in our lives, and may we find hope and peace during these challenging times. https://docs.google.com//1KG4y7xGZvUhPEWe2w0p95XRKixe/edit

Aging is a process rich with joy and blessing, not something to dread. Starting on Thursday, November 12th, we will begin a four-part series exploring the topic of aging, its place within the Christian paradox of death and resurrection, and how to find freedom and new life in loss. This virtual series, hosted by the Center for Education and Spirituality, will be facilitated by S. Ingrid Clemmensen, OP and Mary Ellen Parker. See more info on the flyer and register by November ...10th here: http://bit.ly/2020_WinterGrace Also, a reminder that a week from Tuesday, Boundless Compassion, a seven-week workshop exploring ways to deepen compassion and make it a way of life, begins! It will be facilitated by S. Ingrid Clemmensen, OP and Debbie Nunes, OSSM. Please register for Boundless Compassion by Friday: http://bit.ly/BndlsCmpsn2020

The Pharisees, even as they attempt to trap Jesus, cannot help but recognize that he is not trapped either by the opinions of others or their status: You do not regard a person’s status. Is this our week to ask if we possess such freedom of spirit, allowing us to give both God and others what properly belongs to them? #SundayReflection

We look forward to the day when we can host visitors at our Motherhouse again. Until then, we can still share a piece of the Motherhouse with you through our Holiday Boutique! Our Holy Honey is harvested from the beehives that our Sisters care for, and this year we also have honey lavender soap, hand-crafted with love by S. Barbara Hagel. Place your orders from now through November 14th! https://dsmsj-boutique.myshopify.com/colle/all-things-honey

"A good Catholic meddles in politics." Pope Francis The election is just 20 days away, and early voting is underway in some states, including CA. Do you need help discerning which candidate most represents your conscience and the teachings of the Church? See this helpful comparison of the presidential candidates' positions on sacredness of life issues, alongside Pope Francis' explicit instructions on the ways we are called to defend, promote, and protect the sacredness of a...ll life, the unborn and the born. https://networkadvocates.org//08/EquallySacredScorecard.pdf #faithinaction

We are excited to invite you to a series of bible studies and workshops this Fall, hosted by our Center for Education and Spirituality! These gatherings are intended to be educational and transformational, deepening our understanding of Scripture and helping us live out its meaning. All events will be held online and facilitated by a Sister. - Tuesday mornings, from 10/27-12/8, 10:30-11:30am (PST): Boundless Compassion, a seven-week workshop exploring ways to deepen compassio...n and make it a way of life. Facilitated by S. Ingrid Clemmensen, OP and Debbie Nunes, OSSM - Every Tuesday morning, 9:30-11am (PST): Bible Study with S. Marcia Krause, OP. Sessions include prayer, reading Sunday Scriptures, and studying the historical and cultural background. - Every Thursday morning, 9:30-11am (PST): Lectio Divina with S. Marcia Krause, OP. Sessions include prayer and Spirit-led reflective readings of the Sunday Gospel. Registration is required for all events in order to receive the materials. See flyers for more info!

Great video by the Global Sisters Report about seeing the gospel in action through the lives and ministries of Catholic Sisters. Our Sister Jeanette DeYoung is featured for her care of creation work with the beehives at our Motherhouse! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7E4Bt0JqW4&feature=youtu.be

Great resource from the Catholic Climate Covenant! If you are Catholic and trying to understand the Church’s teaching on conscience and discernment as it relates to your vote ahead of the November 3rd U.S. general elections, this webinar is for you. Let us all do our part by voting and helping shape engagement for a better world. Voting is an act of love. Thank you to the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael for sharing!

There are two more days to register for this weekend's FREE workshop on psychological and spiritual ways to cope with the pandemic, hosted by our Center for Education and Spirituality (CES). Dr. Pamela Bjorklund, Ph.D. will be sharing her expertise during this thought-provoking, practical, and uplifting session. Register by Friday, 10/9 at http://bit.ly/TheseTimes2020. Also, mark your calendars for Monday evenings in November! We will be hosting a series of workshops on the t...opic of racism in the US, its history, actions we can take, and what the bible says about it. Fr. Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P., Executive Director of the Interfaith Peace Project, will be the main speaker. Register at http://bit.ly/2020Racism by Friday, 10/30. Cost is $15 per session or $50 for the four-part series. See the flyer for more info. We hope you will join us at these and other upcoming CES events!

It's an exciting day at the Motherhouse! Sciabica Family California Olive Oil & Gourmet Foods delivered 3,745 bottles of our Dominican olive oil for this year's Holiday Boutique! Olives grown in our historic Motherhouse olive grove were used to make this delicious olive oil. Thank you to the Sciabica family for your partnership! To purchase olive oil and other items for the holiday season visit: https://dsmsj-boutique.myshopify.com/