We rejoice with Sr Julian

August 9, 2026 | Current News

The celebration of the feast day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop took on extra joy for the Benedictine Sisters of Jamberoo Abbey this year, with the solemn monastic profession of Sr Julian Grigor OSB.

A former nurse from Melbourne, Sr Julian entered the Benedictine Abbey at Jamberoo in 2017 and made her temporary profession of vows in 2020.

On Saturday, August 8, Sr Julian made her lifetime monastic commitment in a centuries-old liturgy originating in England and France.

Sr Julian made her solemn vows before the presider, Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB and Jamberoo Abbey Prioress Sr Mary Barnes OSB, and both she and Sr Mary signed the chart of profession at the altar.

She then lied prostrate before the altar during the Litany of the Saints, with two Sisters holding a pall over her, in a gesture of complete surrender to God’s mercy, followed by a rising to a life ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Col 3:3).

In accordance with monastic tradition the newly professed Sr Julian then went to the back of the church and sang the Suscipe three times – each time moving further down the church. The sisters in the choir repeated the Suscipe each time. Sung in Latin, the English translation is: “Receive me, O Lord, according to your Word and I shall live. Do not disappoint me in my hope.” (Psalm 119)

Following this, she received the cowl, signifying the monastic habit and then Abbot Christopher prayed the prayer of consecration over Sr Julian, after which she was presented with the insignia of her consecration, the veil, the ring, and a copy of the Divine Office.

Earlier in the liturgy, during his homily, Abbot Christopher, who is the former Abbot, of Worth Abbey in England, and recently retired President of the English Benedictine Congregation, to which Jamberoo Abbey belongs, had invited Sr Julian to focus on the joy of the Benedictine vows of Stability, Conversatio Morum, and Obedience.

He said Stability works at three levels: stability of the heart, stability of the community of people, and stability of place.

“But the most important level of stability is stability of the heart, that personal stability, where our hearts are focused on God in Christ and focused on living with purity of heart,” he said.

Secondly, Abbot Christopher focused on the vow of Conversatio Morum, saying that while Conversatio is often translated as ‘conversion of life’, in its original meaning, it is ‘to live with other people’. “So, the first part of this vow, Conversatio Morum, is to live with other people, and the Morum is derived from the Latin word mores, which we still use in English, meaning customs. So, it’s to live with these people, with these monastic customs, and I like to say, actually, I think the best translation of it would be a vow of conversation,” he said.

He said the ongoing conversation of monastic life involves both the community itself, but also the welcoming of visitors, which is so central to the Rule of St Benedict and the life of Jamberoo Abbey.
Finally, Abbot Christopher spoke about the joy of Obedience, saying it was a greatly misunderstood concept in the modern world because it was usually seen as blind obedience.

“This is a great misunderstanding. Obedience is a great act of freedom,” he said.

He said monastics first must choose which voices they are going to listen to in their life and then they must choose whether they will do as those voices say.

“You are choosing freely today, to choose to listen to this community and to the community of the church as your first point of listening, but even then, you still have the freedom to decide whether to do what those voices say,” he said. One’s conscience remains inviolate, he said. But conscience must be formed in conversation with others.

“I rejoice today, Sister Julian, that you are engaging in these joyful vows, which give you a unique framework within which to live life,” Abbot Christopher said.

“The joy of Stability, first of all, the joy of Conversatio Morum, and the joy of true Obedience are all gifts that the Lord is giving you today, and which the whole community here rejoices to share with you.

“It is our privilege for those of us who are engaged in the Benedictine life to celebrate these vows day by day and to find in them increasing joy and, above all, increasing freedom of the children of God. So, Sister Julian, may God continue to build up in you the good work that he is beginning today.”

Later, Sr Julian was joined by Sisters of Jamberoo Abbey, clergy, her friends and family, Religious, including Sisters of the Good Samaritan who share a Benedictine heritage through Archbishop John Bede Polding, and Oblates of the Abbey, for a celebratory lunch.

During the celebration, she thanked all who had accompanied her to this point of her vocational journey, especially her family and friends, the Jamberoo Abbey community and her formators.

“A vocation is not a dramatic thing. It’s just every little moment that we have together. So, I thank you for all of those moments,” she said to the Sisters.

“But I’m also deeply aware that today only came about because of God and God’s work in me. And I do know that today is not the end of my journey, but just the beginning to my much deeper yes, and I know that I am still going to need all your prayers, and I will also be praying for all of you.”

 

This article was written by Debra Vermeer, an oblate and friend of our community.