In her 40’s, Jackie Walsh (far right) was happy. She had a great job as a business systems analyst, a comfortable home in Bloomington, Ill., and a new Ford Focus. She had lots of friends. And she belonged to an active and wonderful parish.
So why did she chuck it all to jump half-blind into the counter-cultural, misunderstood and little-known world of a Benedictine monastery? Because God called. Continue Reading
Parting the clouds like water, the sun shone brightly this morning for the first time in 2 days. As we gather now for our conference, it slips behind the clouds, dimming the diamonds in the grass. From the top of a nearby sapling, a cherry red cardinal calls out. No answer. He tries again. Below, our chipmunk continues her looting operation beneath the bird feeders, darting to her nest again and again, cheeks full. Continue Reading
Thunderstorms crackled and roared through the area early this morning, leaving puddled walkways, downed branches, and, for the moment at least, no breeze at all. Our resident chipmunk darts past as if the sun were shining brightly. Overhead, flat-iron gray clouds are pocked with wisps of light. More thunderstorms are forecast. Continue Reading
Another warm, breezy morning greets us as we gather in the dining room for our conference. Thunderstorms have been forecast for the afternoon, but the sky looks benign right now. Haze tints the horizon a pale white and a few tufts of wool pass lazily overhead. Down to earth, a chipmunk races between the bird feeders and her nest, cheeks bulging with her loot. Abbot John brings us back to our immediate purpose, saying, Good Morning. Continue Reading
We enjoy late Lauds during retreat, beginning at 8 a.m., then gathering afterward in the dining room for the morning’s conference. Sister Anne’s finches and cardinals pass through dappled sunlight to visit her feeders, wings glinting as they catch the sun’s rays. A vigorous, young river birch waves its leaves in the warm summer breeze just overhead. Abbot John begins. Continue Reading
Life is very quiet around here this week. We are on retreat, a time of silence and reflection, prayer and rest. A time when we can watch Sister Helen’s velvety pink petunias bob in the warm breeze … listen to the chickadees chatter as they flit from branch to branch … smell a tangle of scents rising off the lake and passing through the brush to the path … a time to sit and do precisely nothing.
But nothing means something profound during retreat. It means opening ourselves to God and God’s work within us. Also, we have help from a wonderful retreat director. Continue Reading
The other morning I awakened to see a dense fog. Then I realized we were completely surrounded by it. Sometimes I have wondered how it would feel to be in the clouds, now I could have the experience. Continue Reading
It has been a very loooooong month for me. As Lent ended I got bumped off course when I agreed to give a faculty in-service program. It was a last minute invitation that I accepted and the amount of preparation through me over the top, so to speak. Then I gave a student retreat at a local university. Then I was gone for ten days to a conference that I helped direct so it was a mountain of work.
The point I would like to share is that the reality of life is that we get unbalanced. Continue Reading
Benedictine Sister Catherine Maloney was never known for her cooking… Find out why! 🙂
Enjoy this 2-minute video of Benedictine Sister Catherine Maloney, OSB – recently recovered from a stroke and celebrating her 60th jubilee – sharing about new Catholic Benedictine Sisters!
Sr. Catherine Maloney, OSB reflects on New Benedictine Sisters
monasterywisdomvocationblog.smmsisters.org 