The Norbertine Sisters<\/strong> are a very interesting group of women. You know they make fabulous Christmas Wreaths<\/strong><\/a> each year (we had ours by the end of November and only just threw it out because it seemed oddball to have a wreath up at Valentine\u2019s Day, but it still looked great, still wasn\u2019t dropping needles!)<\/p>\n Well, the sisters are finally established as the first Norbertine Canonesses in the United States<\/strong><\/a>, with nine in the community of 20 making their final profession of vows<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n This order is unique in that its professed members are called canons and canonesses rather than monks and nuns, mainly because liturgical prayer is at the core of their vocation.<\/p>\n The Norbertine nuns are the first cloistered nuns in the Fresno Diocese, and were welcomed in May of 2000 by the late Bishop John T. Steinbock. Locals call them \u201cthe sisters in the mountains.\u201d It was 1997 when Mother Mary Augustine, a native of French New Caledonia, and four other women took the first steps towards \u201cfull autonomy as an independent canonry of Norbertine Canonesses.\u201d Their convent is now called the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph of Tehachapi, California. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Congratulations to a lovely bunch of religious women and their thriving community<\/strong><\/a>, which supports the rest of us with their constant prayer.<\/p>\n Like so many burgeoning monastic communities, the canonesses have some building to do:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.patheos.com\/community\/sites\/7\/2011\/02\/norbertines-300x188.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n