"Angels and Saints at Ephesus" by The Benedictines of Mary

This afternoon I listened to a short report from NPR on the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and their music.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/02/11/274686955/monastic-life-at-the-top-of-the-charts

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. - photo via NPR

Here is a bit of the accompanying article:

When the sisters of Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles aren't hard at work on the monastery grounds, they're topping the charts with albums of sacred music. The group's Angels and Saints at Ephesus topped the Billboard classical charts, and now it's releasing its latest,Lent at Ephesus. Mother Cecilia, prioress of the abbey in rural Missouri and the group's arranger, tells NPR's Renee Montagne, "We're not fabricating anything; this is just music we're pulling from our life, our everyday life."

What beautiful music they make!  I really enjoyed the video on the community (below).

NPR mentioned that they've just released an album for Lent, and I'd certainly love to hear it, so of course I went looking.

Lent at Ephesus album cover via Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Lent-Ephesus-Benedictines-Queen-Apostles/dp/B00HAH7HG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1392159365&sr=1-1

love this photo - must be during a recording session, as I believe that's the producer on the left

Now, here at our convent, things are a bit different from their life.  We have the Great Silence from 9PM till 8:30AM, but we aren't in silence all day. No cows here, either. Most of us at SSM wear street clothes most of the time (we have a choir habit for chapel that goes over them), and only a few wear veils, but we, too, pray the daily office and enjoy chant.  There is just enough similarity for me to see in the life of these nuns things I love about our life here. I hope you too will enjoy watching the video.