The Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will
Italiano

Photographs

Home Sweet Home…Casa Tomasetti

Exterior of a large pale stone building with dark shuttered windows and a central arched doorway, a car parked in front.
Arched wooden double doors set in a stone-framed entrance with a fanlight window above.
La Casa Tomasetti...
The main piazza of a small Italian hill town with a stone clock tower, a church, parked cars, and a central fountain.
...located right in central Talamello
A dim vaulted entrance hall with grey metal doors on either side and a heavy wooden door straight ahead, lit by a single overhead light.
Front entrance
An arched entrance hall with grey-painted doors, a small antique dressing table with mirror, and a staircase visible through an archway.
Main entrance hall...BEFORE
A vaulted room mid-renovation with a stepladder at centre, scattered paint buckets, tools, and a glass-fronted cabinet along one wall.
Let the work begin!
A vaulted entrance hall with terracotta tile floor, small side table with a cloth, and religious images on the walls.
Main entrance hall...AFTER
A plain empty room with fluorescent lighting, two wooden windows, bare white walls, and a door at the far end.
The chapel...BEFORE
A sister in a black habit and white veil stands on a stepladder, working on a damaged ceiling during renovation.
Everyone chips in to get Jesus' room ready first
A sister in a brown habit and white apron stands smiling in a partly renovated room, holding a paint roller, with a ladder behind her.
A simply decorated chapel altar with a tabernacle, yellow flower arrangements in vases, red candles, and a lace-trimmed white cloth.
The chapel...AFTER
A sister in a white veil kneeling alone in a pew before a small chapel altar with a monstrance and red candles.
A large arrangement of pink lilies in front of a small wooden shrine holding a relief image of the crowned Christ.
A corner of a corridor or room showing a Divine Mercy icon on a wooden stand, with a small cross visible on the wall beside it.
A simple whitewashed chapel interior with stations-of-the-cross icons and small crosses spaced along the wall, chairs arranged for prayer, and a small side altar.
A small corner shrine with a statue of the Child Jesus dressed in white and gold, flanked by yellow tulips in a vase and a red vigil candle, on a white linen-covered shelf.
Our Lady seems pleased
A bright room with a small altar holding a statue of Our Lady, an open window, two chairs, and potted flowers.
A dated kitchen with a gas hob, large extractor hood, a table set with plates and glasses, and cardboard boxes stacked near the window.
Kitchen...BEFORE
A sister in a grey apron and white veil uses a long-handled brush to scrub a tiled wall in a kitchen or utility room.
A sister in a white habit standing at a kitchen counter, back to the camera, amid basic kitchen equipment and shelving.
Kitchen...AFTER. Something smells good!
A large room on moving day with a long wooden table buried under cardboard boxes, suitcases, and other belongings.
Refectory on moving day
A cluttered interior room filled with cardboard boxes, loose furniture, and stacked cabinets awaiting clearing.
A simply furnished dining room with exposed wooden ceiling beams, a long table set with a colorful cloth, religious images on the walls and a sideboard along one side.
Refectory...AFTER
A sister in a white habit hugs a small toddler in a domestic kitchen, with a sunflower-print tablecloth and a wood-burning stove visible.
What better way to warm up the place
A group of sisters in black and white habits smiling with several children and young women around a candlelit table.
Stripped bathroom walls down to bare plaster, no fixtures, with a bucket and debris on the floor.
Downstairs bathroom...BEFORE
A narrow corridor under renovation showing bare plaster walls, a new white door at the far end, and a bucket of materials on the floor.
Getting there...
A narrow bathroom with a pedestal sink, toilet, striped shower curtain, and tiled floor.
Downstairs bathroom...AFTER
An empty room under renovation, with scaffolding erected against white walls and exposed wooden ceiling beams.
Time to get the bedrooms ready
An empty room with bare white walls, paper garland strung across the ceiling, a sheer curtain, and a single wooden chair.
BEFORE
A cluttered room with tiled floor, a large wardrobe, a ladder, and various items stacked against the walls before renovation.
BEFORE
A bare room with an old wooden table, a large antique metal cabinet, and mismatched furniture awaiting clearing.
Lots to clean out
A sparse, run-down room with peeling walls, a chest freezer, old cabinets, and mismatched furniture awaiting clearance.
A truck-mounted crane lifts a large flat object over a narrow village street while two workers watch from below.
Out with the old
Tall wooden bookcases with glass doors lining one wall, a long table in the foreground, and a corner cabinet near the doorway.
Community library
A room with a large table, mismatched chairs, a wooden sideboard, and a window with a radiator underneath.
A large bare hall with tiled floor, stone window surrounds, and assorted old furniture and boxes piled along the walls before renovation.
Upstairs hall...BEFORE
A bare, tile-floored room with wooden-beam ceiling, colourful streamers hanging from a light fixture, and sparse old furniture.
Little by little
A sister in a brown work habit crouches on a drop-cloth and paints a door frame with a small brush, smiling at the camera.
A bathroom before renovation, with white tile, an old bathtub, and exposed copper plumbing visible through a doorway.
Second floor bathroom
View through a round arch up a bare stairwell landing, with rough plaster walls and a metal handrail, looking toward a doorway.
Wanna see the third floor?
A narrow wooden-panelled alcove with a long shelf and a small crucifix mounted on the wall, with a chest of drawers visible in the adjacent space.
A narrow hallway under renovation with bare brick floor, wooden door at the end, loose boards leaning against the wall and a cardboard box on the floor.
An unfinished attic or loft space with exposed timber ceiling joists, bare stone walls, and old wooden boards and debris on the floor.
Hidden treasures...
Exposed roof joists and rubble in a derelict attic space, with broken plaster and debris on the floor.
A bare, unfurnished room with damaged lower walls, a white cabinet, and grab bars already installed near the corner.
An empty attic-style room with fresh pine tongue-and-groove paneling on the wall and a rough-hewn ceiling beam.
A small wood-pellet stove in the corner of a room, with a doorway opening into an adjacent empty room.
A sparse, dusty room with peeling walls, an old table, a wooden chair and shuttered windows, awaiting renovation.
More bedrooms to fix up
An empty room with white walls, bare floorboards, and a single window with thin curtains.
An empty room with peeling walls, bare floorboards, and a single red sofa beneath an open shutter window.
A plain whitewashed corridor ending in an arched doorway, with a bare hanging bulb and a wooden chair to the right.
A tiled bathroom with a toilet and bidet installed but otherwise unfinished, with exposed rough masonry visible above the tile line.
Third floor bathroom
A worker's hand holding a trowel inside a rough arched opening with exposed brick and plaster, showing renovation in progress.
Let's head to the basement
A low stone-vaulted cellar room with rough masonry walls, scattered wooden boxes and an old barrel in the corner.
A vaulted stone cellar in rough condition, filled with debris, old wooden boards, and discarded furniture.
A derelict shower or utility enclosure with crumbling plaster walls and corroded pipework, before renovation.
Garden entrance...
View through a crumbling stone window opening onto dense overgrown trees and a valley landscape beyond.
...or should we say jungle
Exterior of a multi-storey stone building viewed from below, with dense ivy and shrubs covering the lower walls.
A wide sunset view over mountain silhouettes and a valley town, the sky streaked orange and purple.
You certainly can't beat that view!

Entrance Day for Sister Alessandra, February 2013

A sister in a white habit and a young woman in a brown coat standing together and smiling indoors.
Just moments away...
A sister in a white habit and a woman in civilian clothing standing before a priest at a table laid as an altar in a small room.
A sister in a white habit holds a piece of paper while a younger woman in dark clothing reads from her own paper, with a bookshelf-lined room behind them.
"Alessandra, what do you desire?"
A sister presenting a book to another sister who is being received; a priest and bookshelf are visible in the background.
A sister in a dark habit bowing to kiss a medal being placed around her neck by another sister's hands.
Armored with the Benedictine medal
A black veil being placed on the head of a sister in a dark habit by another sister's hands, in a small room with a lit candle.
A priest placing his hand on the head of a kneeling young woman during a ceremony, with a lit candle and draped table visible.
A sister in white adjusts and pins a black veil onto another sister who is bowing her head during the receiving of the veil.
Receiving of the veil
A sister in a black habit adjusts the veil or habit of another sister by candlelight, with an altar table in the background.
A priest in a white alb stands facing a small altar inside a room, while a sister in a white habit and a sister in a black habit stand before him with heads slightly bowed.
Two sisters embracing warmly; a third sister in white looks on from behind.
Two people embrace warmly in a small room lined with bookshelves, one wearing a white habit and the other in dark clothing.

Vows of Sister Maureen Christine, January 2013

Two sisters in white veils kneeling side by side in a church, reading from a text together.
"I, Sister Maureen Christine of Divine Mercy, responding to the grace the Lord has given me for the glory of God and with the will to live more perfectly the Gospel of Christ, vow to God..."
A priest in a green chasuble raises a red-covered book during the Liturgy of the Word at an indoor Mass.
A priest in a green chasuble reads from a book at the ambo during a Mass celebrated in a small chapel.
A sister at a lectern and a priest in green vestments at the altar during a vows ceremony, with an icon of Mary and Child displayed prominently.
A bishop in purple vestments and mitre standing at the altar with an icon of the Mother of God on the ambo.
A sister prostrate on the floor of a modern church, arms extended, while a priest and ministers stand at the altar.
A sister in a white habit kneeling and writing in a book, her head bowed, in a church pew.
A sister in a white habit bent over a pew or chair, signing a document or book.
Close-up of a person in a white habit signing a document with a pen, the paper resting on a wooden surface.

Ora et Labora…et LOVE!

Three sisters in white habits standing together smiling outdoors, arms around one another.
...but let's take a look back at the past two years.
Exterior view of a yellow-walled Italian baroque church with a large dome, set against a clear blue sky.
Sanctuary of the Most Holy Cross, Urbania Italy...
Three sisters in white habits standing outdoors in front of an Italian church with a dome and bell tower.
...our first home
A side-altar altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion with the Virgin and saints, framed by gilded columns and banked with red carnations.
Miraculous image of the crucifixion
A close-up of an ornate gold monstrance surrounded by red roses and white flowers, flanked by two lit candles.
Daily adoration
A sister in a white habit seated alone in a nearly empty church, facing the decorated sanctuary during adoration.
"Each time we look upon Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, He raises us up into deeper union with Himself..." -Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
A smiling sister in a white habit works at a sewing machine, with fabric and a rosary visible on the table beside her.
Getting those habits ready!
A sister in a white habit smiling while rinsing dishes at a kitchen sink.
Three sisters in white habits, a bishop in purple, and a vicar general pose around a conference table in an office with a diocesan seal on the wall.
Warm welcome from the Dicocese of San Marino-Montefeltro...Bishop Luigi Negri and his Vicar General
A sister in a white habit stands on broad stone steps in a piazza, with a hillside village and bare trees behind her.
Greetings from Talamello...our new home.
Panoramic view of a hilltop Italian village with terracotta rooftops and a church tower, surrounded by rolling hills.
Two sisters in white habits stand on a scenic terrace overlooking a wide valley of green and brown hills under a blue sky.
Does everywhere in Italy have a view like this?
A stone church with a terracotta-trimmed portal and a square bell tower, surrounded by bare trees in winter.
The Church of St. Laurence in Talamello
An elderly man in a dark jacket and a sister in a white habit standing side by side smiling in a room with red drapery.
Meet the pastor...Fr. Armando
The interior of a small chapel with red curtained arches, a monstrance on the altar, a gold statue, and a veiled figure at prayer.
Saturday morning adoration in the chapel of St. Laurence Church
Two sisters kneel in prayer before a tabernacle flanked by red candles and a carved relief panel in a small, bright chapel.
Daily adoration in our own chapel
A priest in white vestments stands at an altar with arms raised during Mass, a crucifix and a statue of Our Lady visible behind him.
Latin mass celebrated daily
A sister in a white habit seated in a chair, reading from a large open book, a rosary visible at her side.
An outdoor stone grotto set into a garden wall, housing a white statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, surrounded by plants and a small stone path.
Backyard grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Two sisters in black and white habits stand on either side of a wooden dining table set with candles, glasses, and food for a meal.
A young woman in lay clothes and a sister in a white habit smile at the camera across a wooden table in a bright, freshly finished room.
Preparing for more vocations
A sister in a black and white habit sits at a desk working on a laptop computer.
A young woman in a grey apron washes dishes at a kitchen sink, smiling over her shoulder.
Aspirant Alessandra Hernandez, learns her way around the kitchen.
A sister in a black habit carrying a mop and bucket descends a staircase with metal banisters.
Two sisters in white habits and a woman in a sun hat pose together in a cloister garden with leafy trees behind them.
Aspirant, Leah Trudo, looks forward to the start of her religious life on February 2.
Three sisters in white habits smile together in St. Peter's Square, the facade of St. Peter's Basilica visible behind them.
Click on the "Vocations" page if you think the Lord may be calling you to become a Benedictine Daughter, too.

Blizzard of 2012

The snow-covered hilltop village of Talamello under a clear blue winter sky.
Talamello, February 2012
A wide panoramic view of snow-covered hills and valleys under a grey winter sky.
A yellow house and neighbouring buildings seen from above in a snow-covered hillside village, with a rocky peak beyond.
A yellow three-storey building almost entirely buried by deep snow drifts, with heavily laden tree branches in the foreground.
Ever wonder what 9 feet of snow looks like?
A sister in a black coat and white habit stands smiling beside a large mound of snow nearly as tall as she is.
A two-story building exterior with balconies heavily laden with snow and large icicles hanging from the roofline.
A sister in a black habit and cape standing before a massive snow drift piled against a building exterior.
Deep snow piled along the side of a building, with heavily laden pine trees beyond a garden fence.
Sunlight breaking through bare branches onto a snow-covered path running alongside a building, with a valley and clear blue sky beyond.
The sun never fails to come out after every storm.
Two figures shovelling a narrow snow-bound path between high snow walls outside a building, with a hillside visible beyond.
"Almost done and then we can leave..."
A van almost entirely buried in deep snow, its windshield and roof just visible above the drifts.
"...but has anyone seen the car?"
A view from inside a car looking down a narrow village street with walls of ploughed snow towering on both sides.
Yes, this is a two-way street.
Snow-covered rooftops and a street scene viewed through a windshield, with a rocky hillside in the background.
Two sisters in dark habits stand beside a deer-warning road sign, with snow-covered mountain ridges rising behind them.
A snow-lined road flanked by bare trees stretches through a village blanketed in deep snow, hills visible in the background.
A large mound of plowed snow piled in a town square, with pale yellow and ochre buildings visible across the street under a clear blue sky.
A sister in a dark habit stands at the open boot of a van in deep snow, with a snow-covered building visible in the background.
The road to Sant'Igne is blocked, but we can still admire it from afar.
A stone building sitting atop a snowy hillside beneath a bright blue winter sky.
A sister in a black winter coat and white veil stands smiling on a terrace or balcony with a wide snow-covered valley and bare-branched trees stretching behind her.
A sister in a white and black habit walking through a deep narrow path cut between walls of snow, arms outstretched.

Heading South for the Winter…

A large modern basilica with a stone facade dusted in snow, with a sister in a dark habit walking across the forecourt.
San Giovanni Rotondo...home of Padre Pio
Interior of a small Italian church with wooden pews, frescoed arched ceiling, and an ornate gilded altarpiece at the far end.
An ornate church altar with a large painted apse fresco of Our Lady with angels and a saint, flanked by fresh flower arrangements.
A wooden confessional with the label "Confessionale-Pio" enclosed behind a glass barrier in a church.
Padre Pio's confessional
Three sisters in white habits smiling inside a chapel, with a large religious mural of Our Lady and angels on the wall behind them and a crucifix to the right.
A large crucifix mounted against a painted arch in a church apse, with a devotional mural of saints visible in the lunette behind it.
Crucifix in the choir loft where Padre Pio received the stigmata
A narrow monastic cell with a metal-framed single bed, white pillow, a wooden nightstand with a lamp, and a crucifix on the wall above.
Padre Pio's cell
A Capuchin friar and three sisters in white habits stand before a small altar with a statue of Our Lady and floral arrangements.
Chapel where Padre Pio celebrated private mass during the years of his persecution
Two sisters and a man seated at a glass-topped table in a room with a large framed photograph of Padre Pio on the wall behind them.
Padre Pio's seat in the refectory
A large institutional building and pine trees blanketed in fresh snow under a grey sky.
House for the Relief of Suffering
Exterior of a two-storey stone building with ornate iron balcony, green shutters, and a commemorative plaque beside the entrance.
House of Luisa Piccarreta, Corato, Italy
A simply furnished bedroom preserved as a historical room, with a white-draped bed, green shuttered window, wardrobe, and a chair.
Luisa's bedroom
Three sisters in white habits smiling beside a wooden chair inside a small room; a sign reading "Anima Aiutami" is visible on the wall above.
Three sisters in white habits flank the marble tomb of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta inscribed with her name and dates.
Tomb of Luisa Piccarreta, Church of Santa Maria Greca
A sister in a blue-and-white habit kneeling at the tomb of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, her name and dates inscribed on the marble.
Praying for her intercession

Vows with Bishop Negri - December 11, 2011

A bishop in purple vestments at the altar with two concelebrants, flower arrangements flanking the sanctuary.
Three sisters in white habits standing at a pew reading from papers held in their hands, with lay attendees behind them.
A group of sisters in white and red habits singing together in a church nave, with a man standing to the right.
Three sisters in white habits stand in a row in a historic church, holding booklets and singing or reading aloud.
Three sisters in white habits and black veils stand in a row holding open booklets during a vows ceremony in a church.
Four sisters in white habits holding yellow and white flower bouquets standing in a row inside a church before the ceremony.
A bishop in purple choir dress and pectoral cross presents a bouquet of flowers to a sister in a white habit inside a church, with other religious and laity looking on.
A sister in a white habit greets a woman holding flowers inside a church, with other attendees visible in the background.
A painted altarpiece of the Madonna and Child flanked by two angels, decorated with fresh red and white flowers in vases.

Investment Ceremony - July 16, 2011

Three sisters in white habits kneel facing the ornate high altar of a historic church while a priest in green vestments celebrates Mass.
Three sisters seated in a church pew, smiling, two in white habits and one in an older dark habit holding white roses.
Two candidates in white veils kneel before a priest at the altar during an investment ceremony, with a sister standing to the right.
Several sisters in white habits and black veils kneel with heads bowed before an ornate golden altar during a liturgical ceremony.
Close-up of a young woman with her hair up, head bowed, receiving her veil during an investment ceremony.
A sister in a white habit assists a woman bowing her head over a table during the investment ceremony.
A woman bowing her head as a sister in white places a veil over her during a ceremony in a church.
Close-up of a woman's hair being cut with scissors by hands in a white habit during the investiture rite.
Black-and-white close-up of two white cloth slippers resting among scattered rose petals.
Three sisters in white habits kneeling with their backs to the camera before a frescoed altar in a dimly lit church.
A priest and two servers stand behind an altar set with candles and a missal in an ornate historic church during Mass.
A sister in a white habit receiving a blessing or greeting from a priest in green vestments inside a church.
Three sisters in white habits and veils stand outdoors holding bouquets of white flowers, smiling for the camera.