Benedictine values

June 13, 2013

Benedictine Harmony and Balance: Day 5

By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB

“Benedictine harmony and balance require a respect for time. … Time is to be spent in prayer, in sacred reading, in work, and in community participation … It is public as well as private; it is private as well as public. It is balanced.” (Joan Chittister, OSB;  Wisdom Distilled from the Daily)

In other words, no one thing should consume our lives! We should never spend an inordinate amount of time on, say, watching TV or scrubbing the floor. All dimensions of life should be in balance, making up the whole. They should fit together as a puzzle (which is what Sr. Jackie and I are piecing together in this picture!). And each piece, when of the proper size and weight, should help make us fully alive. Continue Reading

June 12, 2013

Community life: The good, the bad and the … adjustments

By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB

When I was a postulant, I struggled to adopt the monastic daily schedule. They get up before the sun, for heaven’s sake. Aaargh!

If you can’t tell, I am not a morning person. I walk around in a daze, barely aware of my surroundings. Coffee helps, but still.

So every day, I’d somehow end up in chapel for Lauds at 6:30 a.m., dressed and ready for school (I had to leave right after prayers). On the way to the chapel each day, I’d set my backpack on the bench outside the vocation office, often passing a Sister who was heading for her own office to drop off her purse. Continue Reading

June 17, 2012

Gifts for the Journey

Gratitude has gripped my mind and heart.

The whole of life:

The continuous journey;

The following of others gone before,

The following of those in the lead,

The keeping step with those at my side,

The helping hand that reaches out,

Those behind who challenge me to lead;

Who challenge me to make ready the way;

For those who choose to join the journey,

For those who cry out from the wayside,

Cry out, reaching for help,

Help to know the way, to see further than today,

With hungry bodies, hungry minds, hungry hearts. Continue Reading

June 7, 2012

The Path to Holiness as Lived Out in Profession

That’s a mouthful of a title! Although the path to holiness can be lived out in other ways – marriage, singlehood – we Benedictine Sisters have chosen religious life (St. Scholastica, left, founded the women’s community to follow her twin brother’s Holy Rule, which we follow 1,500 years later).

Today, Bishop Joe – a member of a religious community himself – reflected on the promises we make in our Monastic Profession. (Sister Stefanie also reflected on the Promises today!) Continue Reading

May 12, 2012

St. Ambrose Church: Where Sister Claudia is Supposed to Be

Benedictine Sister Claudia Scharf, OSB runs the administrative office at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Milan, Ill.

Although she loves the people and enjoys the variety of tasks the job presents, it wasn’t too long ago that she found herself wondering whether it was the right ministry for her.

“You don’t always get much feedback from people,” she says. “But I got my answer recently when a parishioner who had lost her sister called. Her sister had been ill, and she had cared for her. She just wanted to talk. At the end, she said, ‘Oh, Sr. Claudia, you are so easy to talk to.’ She was crying.

”I got off the phone and cried,” Sr. Claudia says. “I said, ‘Okay, Lord, I guess I’m where you want me to be.’

Here’s an inside look at the place, the job and the Sister who is where she’s supposed to be. Continue Reading

April 15, 2012

Softening Our Hearts Benedictine-Style

By Prioress Sister Phyllis McMurray, OSB

In the Prologue of the Rule, St. Benedict urges us to continue to practice answering the calls we receive.  He quotes from Scripture, “It is high time for us to arise from sleep,” “to open our eyes to the light that comes from God,” and “our ears to the voice from the heavens that every day calls out this charge: ‘If today you hear God’s voice, do not harden your hearts.’” Continue Reading

January 14, 2012

Sisters' Identity a Matter of Reverence, Not Habit

By Sister Charlotte Sonneville, OSB

In a recent article on contemporary religious life, the author asked young Sisters, priests, and brothers what attracted them to religious life.  They answered: “The group’s clarity of vision, a common life, ministries that respond to absolute human needs, a common focus, and the fact that the gospel message and a life of prayer are the foundation for the group’s life and work together.”

For many years, we recognized Sisters by their religious habit. It symbolized, for many, dedication and being set apart for service. Continue Reading