SISTERS
Desert nuns find an oasis in sisterhood
THE NIGHT before the investiture ceremony, Jennifer Meissonnier and other women in formation had a vigil procession and celebration, complete with a crown of flowers and even a rainbow.
Photos by John Bering. Text by Carol Schuck Scheiber.
John Bering is a photographer in Buckeye, Arizona, whose goal is to capture images that glorify God. Find him online at johnberingphotography.com. Carol Schuck Scheiber is an editor of VISION V oc ation G uide and HORIZON, both publications of the National Religious Vocation Conference.
The bold step of becoming a nun is nourished by tradition, ritual, symbols—and hugs.
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FTER 15 MONTHS of living among the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, Jennifer Meissonnier became a novice member in June 2015. During the investiture ceremony, she took the name Sister Augusta Mary of Our Lady of Grace, putting her a step closer to full membership with the Poor Clares of Our Lady of Solitude Monastery in Tonopah, Arizona. First, her sisters cut her hair, a symbol of detachment from worldliness that dates back to Saints Francis and Clare in the 800s. Her new sisters also helped Meissonnier don the habit of the order. Then she, her family and friends, and her new sisters emerged from the chapel into the bright light of the desert to celebrate with cake and punch.
118 | VISION 2017 | VocationNetwork.org
