Abbey of Regina Laudis: Final Profession of Mother John Mary

As we come together today to witness Mother John Mary’s Solemn Profession of Vows, may we rejoice in the whole miraculous arc of her life, as the Holy Spirit led her from Christ Church, New Zealand to the halls of Oxford University in England, to the high-powered marketing world of New York City and finally to Bethlehem, Connecticut. May we pause for a minute to wonder at how the remarkable gifts she received from her family, her education and professional life—all the best the world has to offer—awakened her to search for still more, until like Job, she could see God with her own eyes, in her flesh, in her daily life in community as a contemplative nun of Regina Laudis.

Mother Abbess' Prayer of the Faithful at the Profession Mass

On Saturday, October 1, 2022, the feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux, Mother John Mary Adshead made her Final Profession of Vows to God through the Community of the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Monsignor Robert Tucker was the celebrant and homilist at the Profession Mass. Mother John Mary was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and after attending boarding school in England, read Classics and Modern Languages at Christ Church Oxford. With a Masters in European Studies from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Wharton Business School she had a rich career in politics and marketing. In her monastic life she has put her talents at the service of the Community as a Latin teacher and translator and as the Manager of our Monastic Art Shop. Mother Abbess's Prayers of the Faithful beautifully express the wonder at the path of Mother John Mary's life that led her to Regina Lauds and this joyous day. When Mother John Mary became a United States citizen in 2016, she reflected:

Making Vows is a declaration of love. We make these vows not to an abstract notion of monastic life, but to a particular people and community. Moreover, the vow of stability means not only staying put, but staying in relationship with each other, and as you all know, that isn’t easy, and depends on staying power, or grace. But I made the leap, and have landed on the other side, and it’s starting to feel a lot like home.

We rejoice that Mother John Mary has found her home at Regina Laudis!

Mother John Mary shows the Monastic Community and guests her Chart of Profession from
which she pronounced her Vows. The chart has been written and signed in her own hand
on vellum and will be kept in the archives of the Abbey in perpetuity.

Mother Abbess Lucia's Prayers of the Faithful at the Final Profession Mass

From the Book of Job:
I have heard of you by word of mouth,
But now my eye has seen you.
As we come together today to witness Mother John Mary’s Solemn Profession of Vows, may we rejoice in the whole miraculous arc of her life, as the Holy Spirit led her from Christ Church, New Zealand to the halls of Oxford University in England, to the high-powered marketing world of New York City and finally to Bethlehem, Connecticut. May we pause for a minute to wonder at how the remarkable gifts she received from her family, her education and professional life—all the best the world has to offer – awakened her to search for still more, until like Job, she could see God with her own eyes, in her flesh, in her daily life in community as a contemplative nun of Regina Laudis.
In gratitude, let us pray to the Lord.

Thus, the Lord blessed the latter days of Job
More than his earlier ones.
Though we know we are not quite ready to be visited by 14 thousand sheep and six thousand camels, may we share with Mother John Mary in the blessings of fertility and joy that we hope will come to her in her latter days, making them the best days of all, as her many gifts are now put at the service of others. And may we pray that the riches of the community, the work of our hands and fruits of our land, will go out to the ends of the earth as more and more people are drawn by the abundance and beauty of the renewed Monastic Art Shop, which Mother John Mary has, with the help of many, brought to a new splendor.
Let us pray to the Lord

May we all take the words of St. Luke’s Gospel to heart and become ever more childlike in our capacity to open our eyes to the goodness of God and to the goodness of those he sends us, not focusing so much on what great things we hope to achieve or accomplish in this life, but with the help of St. Therese, whose feast we keep today, rejoice that we have been called to participate in the life of the Trinity by practicing the “little way” accessible to each of us every day.
Let us pray to the Lord

May St. Therese be there to help guide Mother John Mary if ever she should falter when encountering the thorns of the dura et aspera, the inevitable trials, of monastic life, and may the Little Flower see that she never lose touch with the elemental experience of roses, which by virtue of their unfailing beauty, fragrance, variety and the sheer gratuitousness of their existence offer the most perfect praise to their creator and ground us in his love.
Let us pray to the Lord

In gratitude to all those who have accompanied Sr. John Mary on her journey, those who were able to join us today and those who are with us in spirit. May these relationships of love and support continue to grow ever deeper as we help each other to find the life-giving stream of grace that alone can slake our unquenchable thirst for the divine.
Let us pray to the Lord

Gallery of Mother John Mary's Final Profession Ceremony