Archive: by Paz Vital, OSB

A New Candidate... by Sr. Paz

Knocking on the door--Zentangle art by Candidate Hieu On April 10, we were happy to receive Hieu Pham Dang as a Candidate at St. Placid Priory. Our custom is to have a new candidate knock on the Priory door. When she comes in, the Prioress asks her, “What do you seek?” The candidate answers in her own words, and then we all go into chapel together to pray. I first met Hieu in November, 2024, at a vocation retreat.

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Posted at 6:00AM on May 2, 2026 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, discernment, candidate, vocation, religious, ritual. • Comments: 3

Discovering Benedictine Life... by Sr. Paz

The Benedictine Explorers program started on June 23 and continued through August 16. This program was designed to offer an opportunity for discerners to have a deep monastic experience. It is amazing to observe the many ways God is calling diverse women to religious life. During this time four young Christian women followed their call and experienced the Benedictine way of life.

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Posted at 1:15PM on September 12, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, Benedictine Explorers, summer fun, ora et labora, monastic life, community, prayer and work, Mt. Rainier, recreation.

Mission to the Border ...by Sr. Paz

Benedictine Sisters ministering at the border May 19 through 30, nine Benedictine sisters from different Monasteries around the United States joined Benedictine Sister Ursula in her ministry “Caridad de Corazón,” sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, in Eagle Pass, Texas.

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Posted at 12:15PM on June 8, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, mission, Mexico, border, orphans, migrants. • Comments: 2

Benedictine Spiritual Support Group ...by Sr Paz

May 1 was the last meeting of our St. Martin’s Benedictine spiritual support group before final exams and the holidays. Benedictine spiritual support group is the way the students have renamed our Bible study group. I say our group, because I mean it, I am a member of the group which every Thursday now for two years has met at the St. Martin’s University Library. We do Lectio Divina with the coming Sunday Gospel.

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Posted at 5:00PM on May 3, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, Saint Martin's University, Benedictine Spiritual Support Group, young women, SMU students, Retreat. • Comments: 3

New Houses ...by Sr. Paz

A lot of things are happening at St Placid. We have three new houses, an Instagram account and a renewed Facebook account. One day at lunch, the sisters were talking about how good it would be to have an owl house on the grounds of St. Placid Priory. We listen to the owls hooting all year long and specially around the time of the full moon.

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Posted at 6:00AM on April 4, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, nature, birds, birdhouses, owls, duck, bats, friends, building owl houses. • Comments: 4

Benedictine Explorers ...by Sr. Paz

I am playing with the idea of offering a Benedictine immersion program at St. Placid Priory. I envision young Christian women learning about the Benedictine way of life. Praying and working like one of us. Living in an inter-generational environment, focused on spiritual and personal growth. I would call it the cave of diversity. Where women of different ages and cultures, for the love of Christ, live together, praying and working to become better humans.

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Posted at 12:30PM on March 14, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, discernment, religious life, women religious, sisters, nuns, vocation, exploring religious life, monastic experience. • Comments: 6

My Psalm ...by Sr. Paz

Last year for the Priory Spirituality Center's Prayer Practices Certificate program, I prepared the topic “About Psalms. ” One question that came to my mind was, why are we singing and reciting the same psalms to God from more than two millennia ago over and over again? Our current understanding of the Universe and the whole of God’s creation is so different. Can we create new psalms? My relationship with God is more intimate.

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Posted at 12:00PM on February 8, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, Psalms, Hebrew Scripture, Writing your own psalm, how we pray. • Comments: 5

Jubilee of Hope, a Time to Restore Hope and Trust ...by Sr. Paz

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door My baby brother Diego and his wife Lili just returned from their Vatican pilgrimage. He told me about the Jubilee year. Last year Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica on December 24 as a symbol of the opening of the Jubilee year of Hope, and called on all Christians to become pilgrims of hope. This Jubilee year will end on January 6. 2026.

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Posted at 6:00AM on January 4, 2025 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, Year of Jubilee, Pope Francis, 2025, pilgrims of hope. • Comments: 1

El Dia de los Muertos | Day of the Dead ...by Sr. Paz

The Day of the Dead is here. I am really excited about it. It is a bittersweet celebration. It is like sugar, salt, lime and tequila, which sounds like a weird combination, but tastes great as a margarita! I am so excited because finally this year I am facilitating a retreat about my favorite celebration. This celebration reminds me of my colorful culture with their smells of food and flowers to honor the memories of our deceased loved ones.

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Posted at 3:45PM on November 2, 2024 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos, All Souls Day, honoring our ancestors, remembering the deceased, Celebration.

Knocking at My Door: The Bible and Autumn ...by Sr. Paz

Fall colors I cannot say what is my favorite season. I certainly love Spring and somehow Summer--but when I remember the difficulties of sleeping in the heat, hmm, I think I don’t like Summer so much. However, Autumn in Washington State is amazing. I grew up in Mexico City. There we don’t have the drastic changes of the seasons, and people cannot experience the beautiful tapestry of Fall colors.

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Posted at 3:45PM on September 6, 2024 by Paz Vital, OSB • Tagged Benedictine Sisters of Lacey, St. Placid Priory, fall, autumn, colors, Saint Martin's University, Women's Bible study, SMU. • Comments: 3