Sacred Heart Monastery Student

Monastic Chapter

2012-01-15T16:31:00.000-06:00

Greetings,
This weekend we gathered at the Monastery to pray, discuss, and do a bit of business...Monastic Chapter. The most joyous part of our Chapter was one particular vote. When considering new members, the Rule of Benedict says "If after due reflection she promises to observe everything and to obey every command given her, let her then be received into the community" chapter 58, 14. Our Sr. Jill stood before the whole community to request our permission to celebrate her perpetual profession in our community. She shared a beautiful letter telling of her growth, prayer, and love in our Benedictine community. While listening to her gentle voice, I looked around the room to the faces of our Benedictine family; sisters' faces were shinning in the reflection of Sr. Jill's joy, some grinning ear-to-ear, others tearing up, or remembering this moment from their own request. After she finished sharing, the junior sisters left the room and the chapter then discussed and voted on the junior sister. Later when Sister Junior Director brought Sr. Jill back into the chapter, we greeted her with applause and hugs of joy. The Monastic Chapter had accepted her! We will be celebrating the Perpetual Monastic Profession of Sr. Jill within a few weeks!

Blessings,

National Vocation Awareness Week

2012-01-10T07:30:00.003-06:00

Greetings!

As the Church in America celebrates Vocation Awareness Week, we've been trying to consider different ways of sharing that invitation with our boys here at school. You'd think it would be easy since I teach at an Order school and there are monks and priests all about, but when the focus is high class academics, the students sometimes forget to see the monks who teach them as men of prayer and service, the nun who teaches them as a woman consecrated to prayer and ministry to the Church, and the lay men and women who teach them as husbands, wives, or single folk striving to follow God. As a way of reintroducing the familiar I went to the USCCB sponsored vocation website for some awesome videos, prayers, and other info! We're going to use a variety of these short videos as openers to class or discussion. It has been a bit different to focus on the vocations for men; in my previous teacher life, I would talk vocations to mixed classes or classes of women. However, I do remind them that as friends, brothers, and dads, they will have a responsibility to support the women in their lives.

One interesting discuss popped up after yesterday's video.
"So, Sister, what would you call the perks of being a sister? And you can't use all that churchy stuff," one junior asked. Before answering, I asked him what he meant by perks.
"You know, what do you get! You got a car, phone, lap top...what else do you get?"
"Ah-ha, I see," I pondered for a moment, "I get a community--a family of sisters who will support me and help me out no matter what, I get to be challenged every day to look at who I am and try to be better by seeing Christ in me and you, and I get to learn and have the chance to study at the monastery, graduate school, and everywhere. Those are my non-churchy perks."
The junior responded with a raised eyebrow, "Hmmm..."
Then I continued, "By the way, it isn't MY car, but the car my community has given me to use to travel to school and home to the monastery. It isn't MY phone, the phone is for my use since I'm living away from the monastery. It isn't MY laptop, but while I'm teaching the Prioress wants me to have what I need to do my work well. None of those things are specifically MINE."
A few more juniors raised an eyebrow and looked a bit skeptical, and the best part...they asked another question.

It was a good challenge, but I'd never looked at our life for the 'perks' before. The call to be a Benedictine Sister was such a draw of the heart and soul that visits felt like coming home. I'd visit, then go back to school (purposefully on the other side of the state) and try to prove to myself that I really wasn't called to be a sister. Then God would draw me back to the monastery. Perks? Not a part of the consideration, I just wanted to be where my heart had found a home.

Blessings and Keep Searching!

Celebrate Epiphany!

2012-01-07T23:21:00.006-06:00

Greetings,

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Tomorrow night at the monastery the sisters will process out of Vespers to bless the main entrance of the monastery. In the midst of a simple prayer the prioress chalks the ancient inscription above the doors "20+C+M+B+12". Sister and I will also be blessing the entrance to the Convent Apartment. A reminder that our Benedictine Hospitality is extended to all those who come through our doors.

This welcome to strangers is also reflected in my favorite reading
from the Mass on Feast...Isaiah 60: 1-6...

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!
Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

It is a joy-filled reading of the promised savior to come...Isaiah so long ago shared this vision of hope for everyone. But it is as vibrant in its promise today, we are all called to gather in the radiant light of the King. An amazing reminder that we are called to all come together
and share in the blessing of Christ.

Blessings,

Anniversary of Entrance

2012-01-03T13:57:00.010-06:00

Greetings,

Fourteen years ago, I stood in the bitter January night with my parents and knocked on one very imposing door. The door swung open and I was asked a question, "what do you seek?" This was the beginning of my life as a Benedictine sister in Sacred Heart Monastery.

Rule of Benedict, Chapter 58
When anyone is newly come for the reformation of her life, let her not be granted an easy entrance; but, as the Apostle says, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God." If the newcomer, therefore, perseveres in her knocking...and the difficulty of admission, and that she persists in her petition, then let entrance be granted her, and let her stay in the guest house for a few days.

After that let her live in the novitiate, where the novices study, eat and sleep.
A senior shall be assigned to them who is skilled in winning souls, to watch over them with the utmost care. Let her examine whether the novice is truly seeking God, and whether she is zealous
for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials.
Let the novice be told all the hard and rugged
ways by which the journey to God is made.
(illumination of Ruth & Naomi by St. John's)

In our community, the entrance ceremony for the postulant has always been a favorite of mine because of the memories it tenders for me. I can remember that cold, clear night very well. My parents stood with me on the steps of the old monastery, steps that had graced the trembling feet of postulants for over 100 years; my Mom was a bit uncertain, while my Father beamed a bit more confidently. After I knocked at the door, Sister Prioress swung it open with the whole warmth of the community gathered behind her and asked me "What do you seek?" Each postulant is to formulate her own answer (with a little guidance), my response had something to do with seeking God with the support and love of the community. The whole community then sang a response as Sister Prioress opened the door wide and brought us inside.

The date of entrance isn't an 'official' anniversary in our community, we count jubilees from first profession (this August is my 12th jubilee). However, I commemorate this anniversary in my private prayer. It has become a day that I remind myself of the young 23-year-old that entered the monastery that day and all that has happened since then. The development of my reflections has revealed one of the most surprising changes for me...I'm learning to love the quiet and solitude. Opening up to the silence (a surprise for my family and friends), is more than the result of getting older; it's the result of slowly growing in my listening in quiet for the voice of the Lord in my Lectio and other prayer.

Blessings,

Praying for Peace

2012-01-02T10:32:00.005-06:00

Greetings and Happy New Year!

Times Square was packed with party-ers, fireworks were going off hour-by-hour world wide, and here at Sacred Heart Monastery, were spent a holy hour in silence broken only by occasional song or chanted Psalm.

Sunday, January 1st, was the World Day of Peace. We gathered in the semi-dark of our chapel to begin our prayer for peace in vigil. We began the holy hour with two of our sisters lighting the altar and dedication candles about the chapel (quiet organ accompanied them). Then we sat in silent prayer before God. My assignment was to call us from our silence to the next part of our prayer, Sister Liturgist gave me a bell to sound in calling us back from our recollection. Other 'parts' in our prayer included a song calling us to live in peace, a Psalm asking God to bring us peace, a reading about peace from Thich Nhat Hanh to remind us of the universal call to live for peace, and then we concluded with the Magnificat and a blessing from the prioress. But each of these moments was surrounded by silence, a silence that was filled with the our sisters prayer. A silence that was overpowering in its being so full.

Pope Benedict XVI also spoke for peace and the need to teach our youth to seek and strive after peace...I found his closing lines especially powerful.

All you men and women throughout the world, who take to heart the cause of peace: peace is not a blessing already attained, but rather a goal to which each and all of us must aspire. Let us look with greater hope to the future; let us encourage one another on our journey; let us work together to give our world a more humane and fraternal face; and let us feel a common responsibility towards present and future
generations, especially in the task of training them to be people of peace
and builders of peace.

Blessings,

St. John, Community Customs, and Wine!

2011-12-28T20:42:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Tuesday night, our Vespers (and Lauds too) celebrated St. John the Evangelist and Apostle. It is the custom of our Monastic Community to begin the supper with a special blessing of wine in the refectory! According to tradition, St. John survived drinking a cup of poisoned why because he had blessed it first. In some European cultures, the Feast of St. John is a day to make peace with enemies over a glass of wine.

The monastery celebrated the Feast of St. John with a blessing of our gifts of Christmas wine: boxes of white zinfandel next to bottles of Merlot and even a stray bottle or two of Mogen David. The blessing began with a call and response, a reading from the first letter of John, and then the prioress sprinkled all the wine and sisters with holy water. Finally, the Prioress completed the blessing with a prayer that closed with a toast!

The meal was our simple Tuesday fare, but with a glass or two of wine, we all lingered at our tables. The refectory was filled with stories, chatting, and laughter...the sound of sisters catching up as family. As one of the sisters who works away from the monastery, these long meals are a gift to hear about all the stories from home and each sister has so many tales to tell!

(The Blessing Prayer)
Almighty and ever-living God,
You loved us so much,
that in the fullness of time
You sent Your eternal Word, born of Mary
to make His dwelling among us.
We ask You to bless this wine
which You have given us to cheer our hearts.
As we share this fruit of the vine,
empower us to become Your children.
Make us one in love
that we may share in fullness the life of Your Son,
Your Word made flesh,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
in the splendor of eternal light,
God for ever and ever.
(The Toast)
"Taste and see that the Lord is good! Amen"

A Blessed and Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T14:55:00.002-06:00

Greetings,

I pray that we are all celebrating a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

I haven't much to share; it is just wonderful to be home at the monastery for this Christmas season. Our schedule? Well, we relax a bit to celebrate this ongoing feast; Lauds isn't until 8:30 with Mass following at 9:00. Then off to morning work and charges for those sisters who live full time here at the monastery (or their volunteers) but we can also use it as free time for visiting or some games (dominoes, cards, etc.). Today, I worked a bit on curriculum planning for next semester. After lunch and noon praise, it is the mirror of our morning time. However, I do plan to take advantage of our unusual 50 degree weather and go for a walk without needing a jacket! Finally, we gather for Vespers and supper followed by recreation.

Exciting? Nope. Fulfilling? Yup. Nothing is better than just living this daily horarium with my sisters. It's in the little moments and quiet times like these that the familial bond is strengthened. Now, I'd love to stay, but it's time to grab a quick cup of coffee and find my walking partner for a stroll and chat along our Sorrowful Way and grottoes.

Blessings on all your Christmas celebrations!

Psalm 84

2011-12-22T22:23:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

I've finally made it home to the monastery for 10 days time to celebrate Christmas with my sisters. Tonight, we chanted the O Antiphon to the "King". I had not forgotten how much I missed this simple ritual; we reverently recite this at our convent apartment, but I had forgotten how much I loved to chant it. So as we sang our ancient praise to the King of Kings, I was reminded of a Psalm that was not sung tonight.

Psalm 84 ~ "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, God of Hosts! My heart longs and yearns for the courts of the Lord...for a day within Your courts, O Lord, is better than a thousand spent elsewhere."

It is so good to be home with my sisters.

Blessings,

Gaudete! How did we get here?

2011-12-13T14:52:00.005-06:00

Gaudete! Rejoice!

Wait a minute! How did we already get to the week of gaudete and rose candle colored candles! Advent is one of the most beautiful times of the liturgical year for scripture reflection, music, and the monastic heart of my Benedictine community. We are encouraged to take time to reflect deeply on Isaiah's promises of the coming messiah. Our chant reflects the anticipation that fills this Church season. Advent is beautiful in its simplicity and can deepen each sister's call to come sit at the feet of the Lord.

Unless your a teaching sister! My favorite season of the Church year falls on the busiest time of a high school teacher's semester! I do try to keep up on grading, lessons, and contacts...but this time of year it all my best intentions seem to fly out the inbox! There are piles of freshmen and sophomore homework to grade; I finally got the semester review pages written for each of the classes, but the finals aren't written yet; I've contacted a few parents (they have been getting notes, but one last warning or blessing can't hurt) and checked in with the principal; and in 11 minutes I can assure you there will be a knock at my door and a young man on the other side who is very surprised at the grade he earned isn't the one he imagined.

Don't get me wrong. I love teaching. I love working with teenagers and learning from them and occasionally laughing with them. But there are days that I wish I was a bit more organized and wouldn't feel so rushed at one of the most reflective times of the Church year. I do take a bit of extra time these days. My favorite 'breather' is my shift in noon praise...I pray it quietly by myself in the Reservation Chapel here at the Abbey Church, but during Advent I decided to chant it using some of my favorite tones from home. It makes me slow down in prayer and reminds me of the monastery and all the sisters at home (miss you!). The blessing of my current teaching ministry is our two week Christmas break! I will be home before The Eve and able to be at home in the Monastery all throughout the main celebrations of the Christmas Season! It will be wonderful to delve into our deep quiet those last few days before Christmas.

Blessings,

A Morning of Advent Prayer

2011-12-03T09:47:00.006-06:00

Greetings,

The prayer schedule since I entered the monastery has changed very little. Oh sure, a fifteen minute difference here or there, but when we're talking around dawn, noonish, and around sunset what's a few minutes here or there. Currently, the set times for the Liturgy of the Hours at the monastery are 6:30AM, 12:45PM, and 5:15PM. Here at the convent apartment we try to follow a similar schedule.

But we also live the quiet moments of prayer
that present themselves in opportunities throughout the day! This morning I awoke to the first snow falling in our fine city. So I settled in with a mug of steaming coffee, a warm cinnaminny breakfast treat (made by Sister) and some time with God. This unhurried Saturday morning is a wonderful time of reflection. Usually, I have places to go after our scheduled prayer or I'm coming in from somewhere else before prayer...this morning, I'm just watching the snowfall and pondering all the good God has done in my life.

A pretty good way to pray in Advent.

Blessings,

A busy day of being...

2011-11-29T21:16:00.002-06:00

Greetings,

Theology classes paused for the day. Period, by period, each teacher brought their classes to the Chapel for 30~45 minutes of Advent quiet and a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for Christmas. Admittedly, I was a bit concerned about 20 to 45 teenage boys corralled into church where they would have to be quiet after the initial 10 minutes of the communal aspect of the reconciliation service. My doubts were put to shame.

Each group from Freshmen to Senior was quite respectful. The youngest were a bit fidgety as they stopped by to 'check in' so I could take role and remind them to "sit at least one chair apart." Settling into their places in Chapel there was some rustling of the paper liturgy aides and copies of examination of conscience...one kiddo dropped his Bible, its slam onto the ground echoed off the walls, and he looked up to me with eyes that mimicked Bambi in the headlights. After we started prayer and settled in, they were attentive and participated well in the communal prayer, and many (average of 80%) of the young men quietly qued up confess to one of the priests (monks of the community). They returned to their places and reflected on scripture, sat quietly, and seemed to truely take advantage of this rare opportunity for silence in their lives.

Overall, I'm quite proud of my boys today.

Blessings,

Flurry of Feast Days

2011-11-21T20:29:00.009-06:00

Greetings,

The end of November is a wild run of Church feasts and celebrations.

16th ~ St. Gertrude the Great
17th ~ St. Elizabeth of Hungary
18th ~ Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul
19th ~ St. Mechtilde
20th ~ Feast of Christ the King
21st ~ Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
22nd ~ St. Cecilia

Whew...Every day my class has been started with a reminder of the feast or memorial, a story of how the feast came to be, or a memory of how my Family or Benedictine Sisters celebrate the day. Tomorrow, I will tell about standing on St. Cecilia's tile floor. During my 2010 summer of Benedictine study in Rome, we spent an afternoon at Sancta Cecilia with one of the Benedictine Nuns as a guide. She took us below the basilica (and its famous leaning bell tower) to the what is believed to be Cecilia's 3rd century home. We silently followed this British-Italian sister of ours listen to her tell the the martyr's tale.
Suddenly, I just stopped.

I looked down and realized that I was standing on the tile floor from somewhere in the 200's. I was standing on a floor on which some of the earliest Christians had walked. Realizing that I was obstructing the flow of tourists, my roughly clad pilgrim feet stepped to the side and I meditated in wonder at a simple tile floor. (I checked my journal and) My main thought from that moment was "how can I see every tile floor as the ground of saints and martyrs?" A desire to keep that moment of reflection alive sprung up in my heart and I snapped a quick photo of my toes on that ancient tile.

Continuing down the hallway, I discovered my Sister Pilgrims in the chapel. Originally, it had been a humble house chapel, but somewhere along the line it had been done in jeweled tile. Above the altar Sancta Caecilia is pictured in the glory of a gold field, hands raised in prayer to God. Another image of Cecilia (above) was in a niche; there she was flanked by the two men she had brought to conversion, her husband and his brother, and the form of her martyrdom, the sword, at her feet. This glory filled chapel was an amazing reminder of her faith in, hope for, and love of God. Here we Sister Pilgrims had time to pray for her intercession
and inspiration. It was an amazing experience.

Blessings,

Happy Anniversary!

2011-11-17T09:14:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Sacred Heart Monastery celebrates our 131st anniversary today! We were founded on November 17th, 1880 at MariaZell in the midst of the Dakota Territory. Our pioneering sisters came from the majestic Swiss Alps to the grand plains of the Dakotas. Their faith in God and perseverance guided by the Spirit still amaze me when I consider all the challenges of their early days in our founding. Including a rattlesnake that would sneak into their first dugout 'covent' and drink up the fresh milk overnight!

At home, the Monastery will be celebrating with special commemorations in our Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, and meals. Here at our Convent apartment, we too are celebrating in the Liturgy of the Hours, but we've moved a bit of festivity to Saturday. Sister and I invited some of the other Nebraska Sisters to our new apartment for a celebratory meal and prayer to commemorate the founding. No rattlesnakes invited!

Blessings,

St. Gertrude the Great

2011-11-16T14:50:00.003-06:00

Happy Feast Day!

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Gertrude the Great of Helfta. This Benedictine mystic was graced with visions of the Sacred Heart of Christ and wrote of His Divine Love for those who seek to follow Him. At the monastery, this feast is given special honor, beginning with Vespers on the eve of the day, because we are members of the Federation of St. Gertrude, our foundress was Mother Gertrude Leupi, and our founding date is tomorrow and at one time was celebrated with the feast of St. Gertrude.

One of the hymns sung during this feast is a based on the "Gertrudis Area" and set to a monastic antiphonal through an arrangement by one of our Musician Sisters.

O Gertrude Loving friend of God,
A dwelling place and chosen shrine!
Tell how in love you did remain
In union firm with Heart Divine.

You loved and savored God's own word,
You praised God's name in holy prayer;
You served the needy and the poor,
You saw God's imprint everywhere.

O Jesus, you our friend, we greet;
May Gertrude with us sing your praise;
The Father and the Paraclete,
This glory share for length of days.

Blessings,

"Every Little Thing You Do"... A song to celebrate all that my parents, sibling sisters and sister sisters do to keep building family & faith!

2011-11-04T08:36:00.002-05:00

FeastDay!

2011-11-03T18:57:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Happy Feast Day, Happy Feast Day, Alleluia! May the Giver of gifts give unto you that which is holy and that which is true...

Charles was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret Medici, sister of Pope Pius IV. He was born at the family castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore, Italy on October 2. He received the clerical tonsure when he was twelve and was sent to the Benedictine abbey of SS. Gratian and Felinus at Arona for his education.

In 1559 his uncle was elected Pope Pius IV and the
following year, named him his Secretary of State and created him a cardinal and administrator of the see of Milan...was ordained a priest in 1563, and was consecrated bishop of Milan the same year. Before being allowed to take possession of his see, he oversaw the catechism, missal, and breviary called for by the Council of Trent.

When he finally did arrive at Trent (which had been without a resident bishop for eighty years) in 1556, he instituted radical reforms despite great opposition, with such effectiveness that it became a model see. He put into effect, measures to improve the morals and manners of the clergy and laity, raised the effectiveness of the diocesan operation, established seminaries for the education of the clergy, founded a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the religious instruction of children and encouraged the Jesuits in his see. He increased the systems to the poor and the needy...He encountered opposition from many sources in his efforts to reform people and institutions.

He died at Milan on the night of November 3-4, and was canonized in 1610. He was one of the towering figures of the Catholic Reformation, a patron of learning and the arts, and though he achieved a position of great power, he used it with humility, personal sanctity, and unselfishness to reform the Church, of the evils and abuses so prevalent among the clergy and the nobles of the times
Borrowed from http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=212.

Over my time in the monastery, I've been learning more about my patron St. Charles Borromeo. At first, I was a bit uncertain about receiving a patron I'd never heard of (some Italian guy). After some time, I was amazed as I learned of his work in caring for the poor. Later I needed his prayerful help through illness. Today, I've been relying on his support and inspiriation more and more now that I'm teaching high school Theology.

Saint Charles of Borromeo keep up the prayer for your little namesake!

Blessings,

The Feast of All Souls

2011-11-02T08:39:00.005-05:00

Greetings,

Today we remember and commemorate our beloved dead. The reading from the Old Testament for this celebration are an inspiration for those of us who mourn. Three of our sisters have died since the last Feast of All Souls: Sisters Verena, Harriett, and Bennett. I love to imagine them as pure gold sparks dancing about God's field of glory with all of our sisters who have gone before.

"The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead...but they are in
peace...they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them
worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial
offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall
shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble...those who trust in him
shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because
grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect." ~
Wisdom 3: 1-9

Our cemetery is a beautiful place to reflect on Benedict's admonition to keep death daily before our eyes; not as a threat or out of fear, but as a hope-filled promise of what is to come. It is a powerful meditation to walk among these sisters in our cemetery, ask them for their prayer and support, and remember that as we are all part of this Communion of Saints, they are still with us today.

Blessings,

All Saints Eve

2011-10-31T22:23:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Tonight, Sister and I began celebrating the Eve of All Saints Day here at our convent apartment by reciting the same prayer our sisters are chanting at the Monastery chapel. Our two, small voices in distant union with those at home. There are some days that I'm more homesick for these parts of our family-life at the Monastery.

"Let us keep festival in honor of all the saints giving God the glory
for the grace bestowed on humankind." ~ based on Gaudeamus

Benedict! Help keep me balanced!

2011-10-30T16:49:00.005-05:00

Greetings,

Whew, October is almost over and I'm ready for a break. The joy of returning to my students in August gave way to new materials and introducing ideas in September, but October is when the school kicks into high gear and my reaching for balance in my Benedictine life can be almost out of grasp.

This month has been filled with essays, discussion projects, a few arguments, and flurries of papers. On top of it all, I'm trying to keep starting class with a brief sharing about the Catholic saint or Church feast of the day. Phew. Oh, the school improvement committee has been meeting weekly to prepare for our continuing accreditation process; I just keep hoping that we do well for the teachers. My stopping into chapel for an early noon praise helps keep my heart in balance with Christ during the day.

I've also been trying to attend more of the school events this year. A couple of weeks ago, Sister and I went to a traveling production of "Much Ado About Nothing" one evening. We sat in the midst of some of my boys. Last week I joined the a small group of the teachers to chaperon the Halloween dance. They recommended we all dress up at least a little bit for the event. The teachers ranged from pirates, lumberjacks, and TV characters to a victim from a slasher movie. Yup, for a $1.50 of cheap red and black makeup pencils; I was able to become a slasher movie victim without changing clothes. The boys, who were everything from teachers to the Pillsbury dough-boy, enjoyed the teachers efforts and had a blast dancing with the girls who came to join us for the evening.

With all the world picking up the pace, I'm most excited for the beginning of November. The Feast and Saint days during this last month of our Church year are some of the most interesting. I have litanies and prayers planned for my classes, but more importantly, I also have time set aside for my own quiet reflection as well. Those periods of quiet are what help keep the Benedictine balance in the busy dailiness of my life.

Blessings,

Retreating with Jesus the Teacher

2011-10-15T18:08:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Today Sister and I traveled to the Benedict Center in Schyler for a retreat day. The presenter led us through various scriptures from the Gospel of Mark, prompting us to look for what we learn about Jesus and Jesus' ministry as teacher as well as what we can apply to our own ministries as teachers, directors of religious education, or catechists. There were many beautiful reflections on the Gospel readings throughout the day. However, two of my own will need some further reflection and application in my teaching.

The Mark's Gospel retelling the Temptation of Christ in the desert after His baptism (Mark 1: 12-13) is a story I had read many times. Today, I noticed the final line about the 'wild beasts' and the 'ministering angels' and found it interesting that they were listed in the same sentence. Then the challenge rose to the surface of this quiet time...during struggles in the classroom, do I choose to see my students as the 'wild beasts' or 'ministering angels'?

I thought this was enough challenge for the day; however, the presenter's next Gospel assignment continued to call me to growth. Mark's few verses on the initial call of the disciples (1: 16-20) has been used as a vocation reflection for years, but a reflection for teachers? Yup. Jesus looked past the rough exterior of these fishermen and saw their hearts filled with possibility. By calling them to discipleship, he challenged how they saw themselves. This call to look deeper is also mine as a teacher. No matter the coursework I teach, I need to continue to challenge my students to see their own possibility, to strive for who they could be. To do this well, I have to look past the goofy, gangley, occasionally ornery exterior of my own students to encourage what gifts might be.

Jesus has given quite enough homework material to keep me 'growing' for a while.

Blessings,

A Thought from the Theology Institute

2011-10-13T09:37:00.007-05:00

Greetings,

Last Saturday, the Monastery hosted our fall Theology Institute. Each fall and spring, a speaker is invited to talk on a theme that usually covers a year or two. Saturday, the title was "Searching for Sold Ground." And one of the speaker's main points is still resonating with my heart.

He compared our current time of anxiety in the world today to the story of the disciples walking away from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were hopeless; I hadn't noticed it before, but he pointed out that they say, "...we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel..." Luke 24: 21. Past tense, they are no longer filled with that hope. They were not able to see or believe the Truth in their life without this hope. Jesus had died and was buried, the disciples had scattered, the apostles were in hiding; their world was filled with uncertainty and anxiety. It took Jesus re-entering their life, their world and revealing the Truth to them in such a way that their hope was
so deep that their hearts burned.

The speaker connected those hopeless, distracted disciples to each of us. When I let distressing circumstances distract me from the Truth, I am forgetting to keep that hope deeply rooted in Jesus. When I forget that the 'real' world is truly God's world, I am forgetting to keep my hope deeply rooted in Truth of God. This hope in Christ and God's presence will keep my heart burning. Trusting that no matter where I am (or how lost I am), God always knows where I am and can deal with wherever that may be.

The image?...Our sisters take their early heritage from the monks in Einsiedeln. This window in our chapel honors those early sisters and monks who hoped in Christ, drew strength from Our Lady of Einsiedeln, and followed the Gospels from the Alps of Switzerland to the Plains of the Midwest. The trust and hope in the Truth of God and Christ must have burned deeply in their hearts to take such a leap of faith.

Blessings,

Home!

2011-10-11T07:50:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Last weekend, Sister Roommate and I went home for the weekend. On top of a hill at least 5 miles out from Yankton, I spied our steeple. "We can see home!" I exclaimed. Shinning in the autumn twilight was the steeple of Bishop Martin Marty Chapel, and my heart rose a bit. It was good to go home. Not in the sense of Dorthoy clicking her heels 3 times, but like Ruth declaring her desire to follow Naomi.

Ruth said, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! for wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Wherever you died I will die,a nd there be buried. May the Lord do so and so to me, and more besides, if aught but death separates me from you!" Ruth 1: 16-18

This is the essence of our Benedictine vow of Stability. The Monastery is home. It is where our postulants and novices are formed; it is where our prioress lives and leads; it is where our elders are cared for and supported; and it is where we are buried next to our sisters.

As one of about fifteen of our sisters working on 'mission', a common cliche comes true in our Stability, "Home is where the heart is." I live and serve and pray during my time away from the Monastery, but it is not home. It was so good to be home. The Theology Institute was good, but being with my Benedictine family was even better.

Blessings,

Our Lady of the Rosary

2011-10-06T19:19:00.009-05:00

Greetings,

Tomorrow we celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary. It is a memorial celebration of the Church and not a major feast of the community; however, it does allow me to take a moment to remember the gift of faith passed down in my family.

The Rosary was the 'go to' prayer of my family. If we arrived at church a bit early, we knelt for the remainder of the Church Ladies leading the Rosary. When we were driving a half-hour or longer, there was time for a Rosary (sometimes I wonder if this was to encourage peace in the backseat filled with 3 little girls). Mom kept an extra set of beads in her purse for use at visits to the hospital, nursing home, or to pass on to the antsy kid at Adoration. I also remember hearing the rhythmic rise and fall of Mom and Dad praying this together at night...a pretty comforting way to fall asleep as a kid.

This family reinforcement didn't stop with Mom and Dad. Grandpa and Grandma made it a nightly requirement when we would stay over at the house on the farm. I remember wondering why they got to stay in their comfy chairs while we were kneeling along the edge of the couch like ducks in a row. Here the Rosary picked up in pace. The German nature of my grandparents didn't dwaddle between Hail Mary's. They had a Mary, Our Lady of Grace statue (bolted to a stand) with some faux pink flowers arranged at her feet and a glow-in-the-dark Rosary draped over the back of the stand. She was passed on to me after Grandma died and Grandpa moved to the nursing home. He wanted his granddaughter the nun (he was a little proud) to have her. Now she hangs on the wall of my cell no pink flowers at her feet but that same glow-in-the-dark Rosary glimmers in the night.

The Rosary continues to be a prayer of comfort for me. Dealing with a rough bout of insomnia, I pray the Rosary from my pillow and search for the beads the next morning (Mom always said my guardian angel would finish it for me). Needing some quiet time to clear my head, I pray a Rosary to focus and let go at the same time. Last Christmas I asked for a Rosary on CD to make the commute home a time of prayer rather than frustrating traffic. I still say a Rosary on long car trips and find peace in the prayer before or after Mass.

However, I think this quote from Pope John Paul II's 2002 Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae says it better:

...Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to "read" Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message.

This school of Mary is all the more effective if we consider that she teaches by obtaining for us in abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit, even as she offers us the incomparable example of her own "pilgrimage of faith." As we contemplate each mystery of her Son's life, she invites us to do as she did at the Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word" (Luke 1: 38).

Blessings,

Celebrating Teachers

2011-09-30T19:13:00.002-05:00

Greetings,

It has been a wonderfully exhausting day. The theology department took part in the Archdiocesan wide gathering of Catholic school teachers. We represented pre-school through senior levels from the little towns on the prairie to the metropolitan heart of the Archdiocese. In total, there were between 1,200-1,300 teachers gathered to celebrated our call to serve the students entrusted to our care.

We began with an informative instruction about the deeper meanings of the celebration of the Eucharist and then moved into the Eucharistic celebration itself. The Archbishop presided with many of the priestly principals, presidents, and teachers from the schools in attendance; two of our own monks were among the mix. It was quite a rich service for a gymnasium; incense was wafted about, a student choir of about 20 led the teachers in song, and the Feast of St. Jerome on top of it all! While we processed to receive communion, I was struck at the quiet that 1,300 talking-teachers can achieve! Such a mix of humanity, a wide cross-section of diversity, all gathered to celebrate Christ in our lives and as the center of our service. It was a powerful moment for me.

There were many sessions offered to meet the various needs of the teachers assembled and a whole cafeteria of vendors to peruse! I ended up gathering more catalogs to seek out new textbooks for next years Theology curriculum and nabbing a few pens and freebies in the mix. Both of my session were focused on implementing the curricular framework from the USCCB. Our Archbishop has given us a year-by-year installment process. We will begin with freshmen next fall and then slowly add the various levels of kiddos. I'm very grateful for this slow implementation since there seems to be quite the shakeup for many of the teachers in the diocese with all the change. So far our folk are transitioning okay, there is a lot to consider and classes to shift and decisions to make with teachers teaching backgrounds...ah...change.

The day ended with a powerful yet humorous presentation about passion in our lives. The speaker reminded us that our passion as teachers should come from Christ the teacher and passion of us all. After a few laughs and a call to serve, he bowed out to our Archbishop. The wrap up was a commissioning. Some singing, a reading about wisdom from Sirach, and a blessing from the Archbishop on all the faculty, staff, and students in his care...let's hope it sticks!

Blessings,

Making Connections

2011-09-27T07:53:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

School has moved from 'great to be back' to its standard horarium~regulated schedule. The new has worn off and the boys are a bit ornery, the teachers a bit restless, and we're all a bit distracted...the fall days have been gorgeous here. In fact, I've just felt fragmented from the kids with work demands and demanding their work. There are days I'm pretty sure they are been shipped in from another planet just to test my patience. I've been praying for wisdom and guidance in seeing Christ in them in our midst, but I've needed more of a reminder.

This marble work is on the side of an enclosed 'ambo' where the gathered community used to sit in a venerable old basilica in Rome (whose name escapes me right now). The emphasis of all the panels surrounding the congregation was on the Christian unity and connection to Christ. The Tree of Life symbol was my favorite. Christ is the Vine and we the members are all bound to him through the smaller vines; these vines connect us not only to Christ but to each other.

A reminder from the early centuries of the Church in Rome for me in my classroom in the Plains. We are all connected... I made this my 'desktop' so I would be reminded every day, throughout the day of this connection to my students, co-workers, family, friends, sisters. These visual reminders are important.

Yesterday, one of the sophomores asked what 'that' was as he pointed to the projection from my desktop to the smart board. I explained a bit about the basilica's pew space and the importance of the symbol. I went on to tell him that it was a good symbol for us too, that we also need to remember that connection to each other. We aren't just a classroom, we're a community of believers all linked by those vines to Christ. After my theological treatise, he replied, "Huh," and turned back to his previous conversation with a classmate. And I looked back at the image to remind myself yet again.

Blessings,

Our Lady of Sorrows & A Swiss Pieta

2011-09-16T22:31:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Yesterday, I opened my theology classes with a slide show of many different ways Our Lady of Sorrows has been depicted throughout the centuries. The freshmen and sophomore gentlemen were invited to look for the key symbols that made the various icons an honor to Our Sorrowful Mother. It was amazing what they noticed once they started looking into the slides for special signs or empty spaces.

This particular image of a standing pieta I kept for myself. On the rolling foothills of the Swiss Alps, our sisters of Marienburg honor this statue, which according to tradition, is older than the castle that was their Abbey's first home on the hillside. I was drawn back to her several times during the few days we were there in the summer of 2010.

Her eyes are locked on her son's face. Her hands brace his body against hers. This moment of deep love and sorrow of a mother; it was an invitation to step into that moment myself. I think it was her hand on his shoulder that touched me the most; a simple motherly gesture, a touch I myself have been blessed to feel, a touch I hope to pass on to another in need. Mostly, I love the statue because it reminds me that she understands; all the struggles, prayers, pleas...she understands.

Blessings,

Compline with Community & Creation

2011-09-09T20:22:00.008-05:00

Greetings,

A Friday evening to relax and take time with God; it's a quiet night in the city. Sister and I sat in the living room to visit after Vespers. The weather was cool and lovely so we left the door to the porch open for fresh air.

Soon I realized that we really weren't alone. Watching the folk come and go from their homes, walking their dogs, and bringing the children in from play, I listened to the first choir came from the birds in the trees nearby as Sister shared about her day. The cheerful praise of the birds bounced between the trees of the park of apartment complex. They sang through the sunset and then slowly quieted down.

The second choir came in with a slow hum from the now empty park. The moon rose and the crickets and cicadas filled the air outside the balcony. The rhythmic rise and fall of their wings was the perfect accompaniment for our time together this evening. As we started to tell stories of how we came to community and talk of sisters who helped us along the way, the moon was beginning to rise.

This Compline with Community was a very wonderful to wrap up the week. The chiming of the crickets continued after Sister said good night and I turned to compline in our prayer book. I finished this evening of prayer with the Canticle of Simeon. The refrain which introduces the canticle "Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace" brings a relief from the day and a trust that God will keep me and all those I love close to his heart.

Blessings,

The Heart of the Convent...Apartment

2011-08-31T21:42:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

In the past year, I've learned that every inch of space is valuable in a city apartment. Growing up, my sisters and I enjoyed our home with big yards in the both the front and back of the house. The monastery at home has wonderful spaces both public and private for the sisters to enjoy. But now that I'm sharing my second convent apartment with Sister, the rooms in our apartment have various roles. My bedroom is also my office, the kitchen is also the laundry.

This simple arrangement is the heart of our convent apartment. The dining room table is framed on one side with a picture of our community. Above the picture are three little mirrored 'word' boxes: live, love, laugh. On the other wall are drawings of Benedict and Scholastica done by one of our Sister Artists back home at the monastery. The beautiful buffet holds all our prayer books, music books and CDs, and other spiritual reading. We also use the buffet to display our Bible (we use for prayer) that Sister received from a friend before moving down to our new apartment.

We gather at this table at least three times a day... We pray Lauds at 6:30 AM, the same time as our sisters at the monastery, before going out to our various ministries for the day. We return home for the evening and share our supper together. After taking time during the meal to visit about the day, we clear away the dishes. Then we return to the table to pray our Vespers, thanking God for the blessings of the day.

Blessings,

Crazy Daze

2011-08-26T14:58:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

It has been a crazy few weeks since my last post! With the help and support of my sisters, the convent has relocated to a new apartment, my school office has been set up in a creative new corner, and school has begun! There have been times I thought I was going to go a bit crazy, but thanks be to God, my sisters pulled me back out of the daze and pointed me in the direction we needed to go.

A new sister has joined me this Fall. This Spring Sister DRE was called home by the newly elected prioress to lead us in liturgy planning and guide new postulants in the monastery. However, it is not in our Benedictine nature to live alone. About a week after unpacking the new convent apartment, Sister Searcher moved to town! "Searcher" because she is still seeking out a new ministry here in the city. The first week allowed her to focus on unpacking, settling into our home together, and exploring our corner of the city. The second week began her search for ministry. She has a wide variety of experience in her years of Benedictine life and so I hope and pray this will help her find some service that she finds very meaningful.

We are starting to settle into life together. The first discovery was her unfortunate status of being a MORNING PERSON! As a NIGHT OWL, I have always struggled with the early mornings that are a part of religious life. But we have come to an understanding, she won't take offense at my lack of response until a cup (or two) of coffee, and I will nod and smile when she is chipper before Lauds (6:30 prayer) in the morning. Speaking of coffee; apparently, I make mine a bit more deeper than hers...we've agreed that it is easier for her to dilute it than it would be for me to concentrate it...I get to brew the brew : )

School has just finished its first full week! It has been wonderful to greet my returning students and hear their tales of summer vacation. I've also enjoyed meeting and learning about the freshmen and those transferring into our school family. But with four or five new teachers, a new principal, and so many new students, I'm ready to settle into the Fall schedule and get these folk into the daily rub of Benedictine life.

Blessings,

Retreat Week

2011-07-21T11:24:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

Our community asks each sister make at least a week of retreat once a year. To support the sisters in doing this, two conference retreats are held each year at the monastery. This week Br. Benet from Blue Cloud Abbey is guiding us through a retreat based on the stories of Benedict from the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great. If you know of Br. Benet, these ancient tales are supplemented with those he has gathered from his own con-friars, other Benedictine's and religious, family, and friends...the stories all center around a particular teaching or idea for each conference.

Outside of the conferences, I am enjoying the freedom to sit in the silence, read from the Dialogues, pray, and be with the Lord. Unfortunately, the heat wave has created temperatures of over 110 degrees (with humidity) and praying outside has become close to impossible (I wilt easily). So I have found a variety of quiet places about the monastery...of course I use my cell (monastic bedroom) but no pictures of that : )

Up in our choir loft of Bishop Martin Marty Chapel, there is a lattice wall of windows depicting the various works and prayers of our sisters. I love to sit on the cool floor and, leaning into the sandstone walls, stare up at our history in glass. These two remind my of my own ministry to teaching and studying. Each time I go up to the loft, I notice something new in this stained artwork...it is an awesome place for quiet reflection on our lives here in the Dakotas.

This side chapel to Our Lady of Einsiedeln is also our chapel for the Reserved Sacrament. Opposite this altar is a series of stained glass windows dedicated to Mary; usually the lights aren't on (except for the tabernacle candle), and the colors from her window spill down on any sister who is sitting in the pews before her. The quiet of this monument to our Swiss heritage is occasionally broken as a sister comes into chapel, bows, and continues on her way into the church. Those small breaks in the solitude are a loving reminder of why I'm here.

The Peace Chapel, aka the lower chapel or student chapel, has two more of my favorite places to pray on these hot summer days. This niche was once used for storage! The gate is original so I have no idea what it was before that! Now, it holds an icon of Mary of the Disappeared, the Crucifix with a red drape, and a chair with prie dieu. It is a place to consider the wider world and pray for the needs of those in sorrow.

The Peace Chapel's space for the Reservation of the Sacrament is designed for quiet reflection and contemplation. The stained glass windows to the right are lightly colored so that the focus of those who pray here is on the Christ present among us in the Sacrament, Community (the Icon of the Blessed Virgin), and Scripture. During the retreat, many of my afternoons have been spent in quiet prayer here in the cool of the reservation chapel. The only sounds that drift down here are the bells chiming the hours, the soft whisper of a sister praying the stations in the body of the church, and the gentle rattle of my own beads...it is wonderful place to pray.

Blessings,

The Commonplace Divine

2011-07-08T14:35:00.009-05:00

Greetings,

Today is another commonplace Friday. One of many summer days that have been slipping away while I'm home at the monastery. Nothing extraordinary, nothing amazing, but it is in these average days that Benedict calls us to make the commonplace a taste of the divine, and I will miss it a great deal when I return to teaching away from the monastery in the fall.

7AM Lauds followed by the Eucharist is celebrated in common. The same sisters sit in nearly the same spots arriving nearly at the same predictable times every morning. We settle into our places in the Peace Chapel; a collection of commonplace women who are far from common when seen in the eyes of the divine. Each of us bringing the prayers of our heart, the community, and those we love to the Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharist. Each of us adding our voices (tired, bright, sharp, flat, or shinning) to the musical lilt of our chant. Each of us listening for the voice of God and the call of Christ during the silent lulls between Psalms.

8AM Breakfast for those who eat after Mass and the break of our morning silence. A very common act in the meal, but it is also a time to share.
We share the plans for our day, the hopes of what it might be...
in this it can become a time of the divine, seeing Christ work in one another.

My work of the morning was simply reading and reviewing my plans for teaching this fall. This varies between the tedious and the inspired depending on the day and topic. Today was somewhere in between. Those texts can be the divine when I remind myself it is reaching out to support the next generation of those who believe, blessing our future together.

Noon Prayer is celebrated after lunch in our small groups. This little hour is only ten minutes long at the most. A Psalm or two, a short reading, a period of silence, and the Lord's Prayer to close. A reminder of God's presence throughout our day.

My afternoon work was chapel cleaning with two other sisters. Sweeping the marbled floor in aisles and between pews, shinning a bit of brass, and some dusting. Repeating the same work that has been done on a weekly basis for over 50 years. Repeating the same work that has been done by postulants, novices, and student sisters from foreign lands. This quiet manual labor is a silent gift of love in caring for our sisters and our monastic home of worship. While moving up and down the rows of pews, I pray for those who have called for our support, family, friends, and my sisters too. Cleaning is commonplace work, and it seems mundane until you begin thinking of all those who came before and who will come after. This little revelation occurred while I was on a step stool reaching the high places of Our Lady of Einsiedeln's side altar with my duster. Hmmm.

Soon it will be time for Vespers and supper. Our sisters will file into chapel following a similar pattern to Lauds, our commonplace gathering of Love. In the repetition of the horarium (schedule) and dailiness of our lives we are called to see the divine shaping and molding us slowly, deliberately...from the common to the divine image. How do you see the commonplace shaping you?

Blessings,

The Feast of the Sacred Heart

2011-07-01T22:11:00.004-05:00

Happy Feast Day!

Today we celebrated our Patronal Feast at Sacred Heart Monastery. My favorite part of these times of festive Liturgy of the Hours is our shared prayer dedicating the community to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the end of Vespers this evening. It's a powerful reminder of our call to carry the love of the Sacred Heart to the world. The readings at Mass, the music, and the psalmody all kept bringing me back to the love God has for us and the love Christ embodied for us in the world. But the key line from my Lectio was simply "...learn from me..."

Ah Lord, a simple request with such challenges for a sister who still struggles with the vow of Obedience. I do strive to be open to learning from my sisters, co-workers, and students; however, to call to learn from Christ involves an the greater risk of letting go of my own expectations of learning and being open to the lessons of life to which He wishes to lead me. When I am learning from other, I still have an element of control (ahem, still letting go of that one) ... learning from Christ is not simply letting go of control; it is giving it back to Him whom I love and live for.

Blessings,

ps...The icon is The Sacred Heart as written by Sr. Mary Charles, a beautiful symbol of our community.

The Feast of Corpus Christi

2011-06-25T14:26:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Tomorrow, we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, The Body and Blood of Christ. I found Pope Benedict XVI homily filled with an important reflection for all. He connects the celebration of Christ's self-gift of in Eucharist to our being continually transformed to Christ through that gift and how it should affect our every way of being; unifying us all as a community in faith.

...Everything starts, you might say, from the heart of Christ, who at the Last Supper on the eve of his passion, thanked and praised God and, in doing so, with the power of his love transformed the meaning of death which he was about to encounter. The fact that the Sacrament of the altar has taken on the name "Eucharist" - "thanksgiving" - expresses this: that the change in the substance of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is the fruit of the gift that Christ made of himself, a gift of a love stronger than death, love of God which made him rise from the dead. That is why the Eucharist is the food of eternal life, the Bread of life...

...Thus, while the Eucharist unites us to Christ, we open ourselves to others making us members one of another: we are no longer divided, but one thing in Him. Eucharistic communion unites me to the person next to me, and with whom I might not even have a good relationship, but also to my brothers and sisters who are far away, in every corner of the world. Thus the deep sense of social presence of the Church is derived from the Eucharist, as evidenced by the great social saints, who have always been great Eucharistic souls. Those who recognize Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, recognize their brother who suffers, who is hungry and thirsty, who is a stranger, naked, sick, imprisoned, and they are attentive to every person, committing themselves, in a concrete way, to those who are in need. So from the gift of Christ's love comes our special responsibility as Christians in building a cohesive, just and fraternal society. Especially in our time when globalization makes us increasingly dependent upon each other, Christianity can and must ensure that this unity will not be built without God, without true Love. This would give way to confusion and individualism, the oppression of some against others. The Gospel has always aimed at the unity of the human family, a unity not imposed from above, or by ideological or economic interests, but from a sense of responsibility towards each other, because we identify ourselves as members of the same body, the body of Christ, because we have learned and continually learn from the Sacrament of the Altar that sharing, love is the path of true justice...

In our Benedictine family, this concept of Eucharist bringing us into one Body in Christ is celebrated not only in the Mass but also our times of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. This unity that is celebrated in our prayer together helps us bridge the difficulties that may arise in disagreements between sisters or when discussing important matters during Chapter meetings. Those celebrations of unity challenge us to reach out to each and all, within and outside of our Benedictine family. In his Rule, Benedict asks us to greet all guests as Christ. All those who come to our door, all those whom we minister to, and all those with whom we serve...these are all unified with us in Christ.

These sacramental celebrations of unity also enrich our dailiness together; our service to each other in the big and small ways are more than simple work or chores, it is serving the Christ in each other. This morning it was my turn to clean the bathroom area on my floor/wing of the bedrooms. Six toilets, four showers, two tubs, several sinks, and one vast tile floor later, I surveyed my service to my sisters. The space was fresh, clean, and ready for all...it wasn't just a chore...it was a chance to reach out in ministry to my sisters in the dailiness of our lives. While I was moping and scrubbing, other sisters were sweeping the stairwells, dusting the statues that grace our halls, washing dishes, and distributing the mail. The unity we share in our sacramental celebrations can bring a sanctity of service in the mundane.

...Through the consecrated bread and wine, in which his Body and Blood is truly present, Christ transforms us, assimilating us in him: he involves us in his redeeming work, enabling us, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to live according to his same logic of gift, like grains of wheat united with Him and in Him. Thus unity and peace, which are the goal for which we strive, are sown and mature in the furrows of history, according to God's plan.

Without illusions, without ideological utopias, we walk the streets of the world, bringing within us the Body of the Lord, like the Virgin Mary in the mystery of the Visitation. With the humble awareness that we are simple grains of wheat, we cherish the firm conviction that the love of God, incarnate in Christ, is stronger than evil, violence and death...

Ah, too true; in Benedictine community, we do not live in a utopia! We live as family, and family not only loves and supports but also challenges and disagrees. During one of my novitiate classes, a teaching sister called it "rubbing the rough edges away." This rubbing away of sharp edges takes some time and may not always be the easiest experience, but it is how saints are formed in those elders that live in our midst. Unity isn't easy, but with the gift of Christ's love through the Eucharist, Unity is the blessing of community.

Blessings,

Prayer...

2011-06-18T10:34:00.008-05:00

Greetings,

Prayer in central to our Benedictine life. We gather morning, noon, evening, and night to pray as a community for our needs and the needs of the world. Lately our prayer has been very urgent and focused on the needs of those along the Mighty Mo. The flooding from the rains and snows on the far away mountains and plains of Montana is reminding us lowly land dwellers of the power of water.

The usual water level and calm below the Gavins Point Dam by this time of the year.

The 147,000 cubic feet per second release of water from the Gavins Point Dam!
This was taken by the Army Corps of Engineers on June 15, 2011.

The turbulent water from the Gavins Point Dam as it begins the flow downriver!
This was taken by the Army Corps of Engineers on June 15, 2011.

While we are blessed to live at the top of the bluffs on the South Dakota side of the Missouri River safe from harm, many of our family, friends, and folk (we only know through prayer) live in the dangerous flood zones of the growing Missouri. We pray for those endangered and evicted by the raging waters and for all those who seek to offer protection and aid. We also join in that offer of aid through cookie baking and other good will donations. The flooding is predicted to continue for many weeks as the snow continues to melt in the mountains...so to our prayerful intercession will need to continue.

Blessings,

More Monastic Works...

2011-06-09T14:43:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

I have been working with our Sister Gardener for the last few days. Another Sister Teacher and I have been assigned to help while on break for the summer. Unfortunately, the spring and early summer has been quite a strange season of weather and it is taking the summer produce some time to catch up. Tuesday we weeded through the kale, onions, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, et al. on one heck of a hot day...90 degrees with sweltering winds whipping up dust.

Wednesday morning it had cooled down to 75 degrees (or so) and it made for a wonderful day of spot watering and mulching the tomatoes. With the flood of the Missouri, our pump house by the river has been shut down. It is unusual for us to use city water, thus the 'spot' watering only. I know it will be surprising to hear, but while the river flows with powerful flood waters from Montana and Canada, the flat lands away from the river are quite packed and dry;
we could use some rain. Until then I will remain the 'water fairy' of the Monastery garden ;)

Today the temperatures sunk into the fifties! We bundled up in sweatshirts and flannels to continue our Monastic works. We began with picking chamomile for our sisters to dry and make teas and blends that we sell in our gift shop. It was cold, but wonderfully scented morning of quiet service. Our morning in the chamomile typifies why I love my summers in the various Monastic work assignments...the quiet service together allows time for prayerful reflection on the school year and years of life in community. We do have time to visit and tell stories throughout the work, but this sharing often leads back to time of quiet again. It is an enriching preparation to return back to our ministries at the end of summer.

Blessings,

Summer Charges

2011-06-06T11:30:00.002-05:00

Greetings,

The Monday after our June Monastic Chapter heralds the beginning of the summer charges (chores) here at the monastery. My Monday charges include produce preparation from the monastery's garden and orchard. (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings I'll be IN the garden.) We are currently between seasons in the garden. The asparagus,lettuce and radishes are slowing down, but the other veggies and fruits aren't yet in season. However, rhubarb seems to create a timeline of its own. The morning began with cleaning and trimming a few boxes of rhubarb from our garden! Tomorrow the sisters will move to chopping it for pies, jams, and sauces!

It is a wonderful charge when we gather around the counters in the serving hall and begin to visit and tell stories as we work. There is a place for all the sisterly crew rinsing the stalks by the sinks, sitting on stools, or collecting the trimmings for our composting around the garden. We even had one of our wandering elders join us for a while in the trimming and stories, and when she was ready to move on, she rinsed her hands and wandered along.

It is a wonderful change of pace and focus from the school year. These daily exchanges are what settles my soul.

Blessings,

A Final Profession Party!

2011-05-31T19:17:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

The weeks have flown by! I have been hustling and bustling about the end of the school year, celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary, cleaning-packing-moving our sister from the apartment convent back to the monastery, visiting my family on the western edge of Nebraska, and whew...celebrating one of our own junior sisters!

Sister Junior has gone through many steps in preparation for her Perpetual Monastic Profession (aka Final Vows). After four years of temporary monastic profession, she wrote the Prioress her letter requesting permission to profess her final vows. Then Junior Sister met with the sisters who are members of the monastic counsel.

This weekend she will take the final step in being accepted to full, perpetual membership in our order is to come before the whole community. This is one of the most amazing moments we share in our Chapter Meetings...the Junior Sister stands before us and shares her desire to live perpetually as a Benedictine sister in our monastic family. Some state it simply, others tell a story, some laugh, and others cry as they share their hopes and dreams. After she makes her request, we discern, pray and then solemnly vote on her acceptance. If she is accepted, the Juniorate Director brings the Junior Sister back to the Chapter and she is received with applause, hugs, and tears of joy.

To celebrate our upcoming joy, all the sisters who have been missioned to serve in Nebraska gathered for an F.P. Party. That would be a Final Profession party...all done in fuchsia pink : ) We shared a meal of favorites brought from each sisters best recipes. Played some games...a word search based on our Junior Sister, Apples to Apples, and a few hands of rummy! After our game playing, we shared gifts based on the "F.P." letters of her celebration: flashy prayer beads (hand knotted rosary), flowery push-pins, finger paints and the like. We wrapped up with some Festive Prayer...some celebratory Psalms, readings that illustrated our Profession of Stability, Obedience, and Converstatio, and a sung Magnificat. All in all a wonderful community celebration was had by all...we love her dearly and it will be wonderful to have her as a perpetual member of our monastic family.

Blessings,

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

2011-05-14T20:36:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

This weekend the Church focuses her attention on praying for all those called to follow Christ through vocations to the Church. Pope Benedict XVI's address "Proposing Vocations in the Local Church" reminded me that while it is God who calls women and men to serve, it is up to us to offer prayer, invition, and support.

"We should pay close attention to the way that Jesus called his closest associates to proclaim the Kingdom of God. In the first place, it is clear that the first thing he did was to pray for them: before calling them, Jesus spent the night alone in prayer, listening to the will of the Father in a spirit of interior detachment from mundate concerns. It is Jesus' intimate conversation with the Father with results in the calling of his disciples." This is a reminder to keep praying for those who are discerning their call to serve. As a community, we commit every Tuesday to praying for women and men who are considering a Christ's call to life in the Church. Individually, many of us continue to pray especially for women who may be considering our community. One of our Elder Sisters asked the three of us who when to Rome last summer to light candles at statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and pray for vocations. We dutifully knelt at many statues and shrines of the Sacred Heart, dropped our Euro into electric candles, and prayed for Christ's intercession.

The invitation to those who seek is given in a variety of ways. We share our stories with catechism classes and youth groups; we send out flyers offering week long monastic visits and weekend come & see stays, but most importantly we live our Call as Public Witness. "...the Lord called some fishermen on the shore of the Sea of Galilee: "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He revealed his messianic mission to them by the many "signs" which showed his love for humanity and the gift of the Father's mercy. Through his words and his way of life he prepared them to carry on his saving work." Pope Benedict XVI reminds us all that how we live our daily life is an important part of the invitation, and it has been an important aspect of our community living as well. Our Benedictine call to a life of prayer and community is shared as witness to the world. At the Monastery, our Lauds, Eucharistic, and Vespers celebrations are open to the local community of college, hospital, and city of Yankton. For those of us living away from the Monastery, the stories we tell of home, our commitment to sharing life with our sisters at the covent, and our returning home to the Monastery for holidays, holydays, and summers are all living witness and invitation to those answering a call to Vocation in the Church.

As to offering support for those discerning a vocation to the Church, there is always a sister willing to offer a listening ear, a quick prayer, and some wise advice. My Sister Spiritual Director was a wonderful help while trying to decide how to respond to the call I felt. Her best words were "You don't have to decide 'FOREVER', but can you give God one year. After that, can you give another year, soon it becomes forever." I started with one year, then a second...thirteen years later I can't imagine any other home. Pope Benedict XVI's words were also inspired.

It is essential that every local Church become more sensitive and attentive to the pastoral care of vocations, helping children and young people in particular at every level of family, parish and associations – as Jesus did with his disciples - to grow into a genuine and affectionate friendship with the Lord, cultivated through personal and liturgical prayer; to grow in familiarity with the sacred Scriptures and thus to listen attentively and fruitfully to the word of God; to understand that entering into God’s will does not crush or destroy a person, but instead leads to the discovery of the deepest truth about ourselves; and finally to be generous and fraternal in relationships with others, since it is only in being open to the love of God that we discover true joy and the fulfilment of our aspirations. “Proposing Vocations in the Local Church” means having the courage, through an attentive and suitable concern for vocations, to point out this challenging way of following Christ which, because it is so rich in meaning, is capable of engaging the whole of one’s life.

Blessings,

Breaking News...

2011-05-02T13:02:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

Teaching Theology has been challenging me to grow. The news of Osama bin Laden's death brought a topical and challenging dimension to our class discussion about capital punishment. This afternoon I found this article which included a statement by the Vatican. A couple class periods to late for me today, but I believe I will bring it to class tomorrow...it has also helped me to frame my own personal emotions about the news.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman,
released a brief written statement reacting to the news.

"Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading
divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable
people, and manipulating religions to this end," Father Lombardi said.

"In the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects
on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and
hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth
of peace and not of hatred," the spokesman said.

Blessings,

Silence Begins...

2011-04-21T20:33:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

Prayer began at 5 o'clock with a foot washing service for the Monastic community. The Prioress, Sub-prioress, and Procurator sat on the floor of our Chapter Room and washed the feet of the sisters...from this simple and humble reminder of service, we gathered in the refectory for a agape meal, a joyful celebration of our love for each other. This meal stretched on into 6:30 when sisters began to filter out to prepare for our celebration of the Lord's Supper.

We sang the Pange Lingua as we processed from Bishop Marty Chapel to our small St. Joseph's chapel near the care center. This year I noticed a line in our translation from St. Meinrad's that I hadn't noticed before. Verse 3: At the last, the paschal supper, with the friends before they fled, first he ate the meal of passage; Paschal lamb and Paschal bread; then himself as food he offered, so that many might be fed. I had never noticed the mention of this being his last meal with his friends before they fled in the garden. When I returned to the Upper Chapel, the doors of Our Lady of Einsiedeln are closed, the tabernacle doors beneath her are open and empty, the candles and altar cloths are carried away, and even the curtains are drawn back from behind the high cross. I don't want to flee from this emptiness...

The Triduum silence has begun at the Monastery. The procession with the Blessed Sacrament to be reposed in our St. Joseph chapel brought close to our joyous agape and has begun the subsequent time of adoration and prayer.

May God Bless your Triduum,

Anticipating Triduum

2011-04-21T10:31:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

The Monastery is abuzz with preparations for our Triduum celebrations!

I awoke early to get ready for the day, but not earlier than our Sister Baker. When I opened my curtain at 7AM to look out on the world, I could see right across the courtyard into the brightly lit bakery. She already had dough on the table and the 'proofing' room filling up with breads special for the feasts: the round loaves of sweet, soft agape bread and the rings of cinnamon laced sweet bread.

After morning prayer, the sisters in charge of environment (candles and cloths) began to take down the purple in the Peace Chapel. Since we will be praying the Upper Chapel (Bishop Marty Chapel) through all of Triduum and through the Easter Octave, the sisters might not set out the new candles and cloths just yet...but we will be preparing the Upper Chapel this afternoon. Holy Thursday's environment needs to include clean space in the sacristy to place all the goods of the Sanctuary after the altar is stripped as well as adding new environment to the smaller St. Joseph Chapel (for our care center sisters) where the reserved Sacrament will be taken tonight. Helping to prepare our Chapel for these sacred celebrations allows me to move from the busyness of my school days to the centering on our celebrations of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection during this Triduum.

This afternoon also includes some community fun. The sisters in our care center dye the Easter eggs for the whole Monastery! Those of us who can join them in this colorful community collaboration have some good old family fun. It is interesting to see which sisters favor which colors and the artists that come out of each one of us. I also love to hear the stories the sisters tell of their childhood memories of Easter egg coloring at home or how they celebrated earlier in community life.

However, I am most excited for...our silence...I know, you're shocked. I really am looking forward to our time of deep quiet and reflection that begins with the transfer of the Sacrament at the end of our Holy Thursday Mass and continues through Good Friday and only comes to an end after Lauds on Holy Saturday. The whole Monastery is focused on this deep awareness of God in our midst. My students and the faculty both seemed a bit surprised at this quiet that I was excited to be joining. One of the Junior boys joked that he didn't think his mom or sister could go a few hours much less a whole day and a half without talking. I told him that he might be surprised at how much those same folk might love a bit of silence in their day...he didn't believe me.

Blessings,

2011-04-14T13:07:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

As the end of Lent begins to draw near and Holy Week approaches, I find myself thinking back to the time I was able to spend in our Benedictine study in Rome last summer. I keep returning to our time in St. Peter's Basilica and statue commemorating Veronica's compassionate care for Christ. It was always an image that captured my imagination while growing up, and to see her towering above the pilgrims with the sign of her gentle tending of Christ's needs unfurled before us all but took my breath away. I just wanted to share with you the Veronica that has been foremost in my thoughts as we journey through our Lent.

The Chapter of Election

2011-04-04T12:52:00.005-05:00

Greetings,

Chapter 64 of the Rule explains that "In choosing an abbot, the guiding principle should always be that the man placed in office be the one selected either by the whole community acting unanimously in the fear of God, or by some part of the community, no matter how small, which possesses some sounder judgment. Goodness of life and wisdom in teaching must be the criteria for choosing the one to be made abbot, even if he is the last in community rank."

We spent four days in prayerful discernment during our Chapter of Election. It was an amazing experience to consider all the sisters' gifts & talents, and how those could be shared as the prioress of our community. All throughout the prayer and discussion and prayer and balloting and prayer and more voting, I found a great peace in the faith that Jesus Christ was guiding our discernment through the gift of the Spirit (for which we prayed at every celebration of our Liturgy of the Hours). The culmination of these days was our 'canonical' election which is the decisive balloting for prioress. Our sister Penny Bingham was chosen as prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery.

Following the election were the two most enheartening parts of the whole process (for me). We all approached Sr. Penny, placed our hands in hers or hugged her, and offered our support. I have to admit to a few tears in my eyes as our elders would come up to her and offer their prayers with great love in their voices. The agape with wine and homemade bread was a wonderfully joy filled time as well. The sisters celebrated in the Chapter room with Sr. Baker's fresh bread in one hand, a bit of wine in the other, and greeted each other with hope, joy, and faith-filled anticipation for our future. It was beautiful to listen to the blessed sound of laughter fill the room.

Blessings,

Dear God...what the heck!

2011-03-28T19:06:00.009-05:00

Greetings, Well, Sisters, family, and friends be warned! God is laughing at Nebraska! One week ago it was over 70 degrees, last Tuesday we had tornadoes; then it got cold, wet and snowy for a couple days. All of the snow melted over the weekend, but now...now...it is hovering just around 40 and SNOWING again! So, I return to my heading. Dear God what the heck is going on? The high school boys were a bit more despondent about the weather forecast. Apparently, snow isn't conducive to running miles of track, shooting trap, passing soccer balls or playing baseball, and they expressed this discontent all throughout the morning classes. I did greet them all cheerily and blessed their "good Monday mornings". I pointed out the beauty of the fluffy snow against the evergreens on the school and monastery grounds. I considered (aloud) the blessing of the nutrients in the snow for the farmers fields. They listened a bit grumpily, and decided that they still weren't happy about the snow. I may be befuddled by it, but watching it now outside of our convent windows...it is lovely. Blessings,

Chapter of What???

2011-03-25T12:50:00.005-05:00

Greetings,

Our service to high school boys has been keeping me on the go! I have been trying to keep a few days ahead of my fast thinking Junior Boys and energetic Freshmen while writing out my curriculum and reading up on the theology framework changes that will be implemented in just a year. On top of it all, I've begun planning for my absence at school for our Chapter of Election. (How did it get to be only a week away?)

I recently sent out my e-mail all-call for help in filling my class times during my absence. Without thinking, I simply named my reason for being gone as our Chapter of Election. The first e-mail noted my lack of clarification by responding with the subject heading "Chapter of What???" Ah...this needed a bit of explanation.

The folk here were amazed at the process, time, and prayer that we spend on choosing our Prioress! They were even more surprised to learn that not only do all of us have a vote and voice in the election, but that so many of us are eligible for nomination by our peers. I kept returning to Benedict's recommendation that all the members of the community be gathered for important decisions so that all the wisdom from the eldest to youngest could be heard. The Junior boys thought this was a great idea and wanted to know if they could "send in" recommendations too; I reminded them this was a 'members only' meeting.

All have promised to keep us in prayer during the discernment. In this manner, I've asked them to petition Our Lady, Maria of Rickenbach...a good way of sharing our Swiss connection and prayer all at the same time.

Blessings,

Feast of Saint Benedict

2011-03-21T12:42:00.005-05:00

Happy Feast!

Today, we celebrate the feast of Benedict's death. This feast is a bit more subdued since it is in the midst of Lent; our solemnity is celebrated with the Church feast on July 11th. However, we do remember his passing with story and song. My boys at school were a bit unsure of creating a feastday for someone's death, but I did try to point out it could been seen as his birth to new life...they didn't buy it. So I added this story from St. Gregory the Great to illustrate.

"In that same year when he was to leave this life, he foretold the day of his most holy death to some disciples living with him and to others living some distance away. He told the former to keep silent about what they heard and explained to the later what kind of sign would be seen when his soul would leave his body.

Six days before his death, he ordered his tomb to be opened. Soon he was attacked by fever and was weakened with severe suffereing. As the illness grew worse every day, he asked his disciples to carry him into the oratory. there he strengthened himself for his departure by receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord. While the hands of his disciples held up his weak limbs, he stood with his hands raised to heaven and breathed his last breath amidst words of prayer."

We will be commemorating the feast a bit simply here at our apartment convent. Prayer for the feast with special Psalms and responsory, steak on the electric grill, and maybe a game or two of Bannanagrams or Perquacky! I think Benedict would approve of the balance between prayer and play within community.

Blessings,

Joy and Sorrow

2011-03-18T08:19:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

There is a mix of sorrow and joy as our elders grow old.

The joy is in their wisdom from a lived spiritual experience that spans many decades of peaks and valleys in community life as well as their own. Whether she is the baker, professor, or former prioress, her voice of experience of God's love can be both a challenge and a comfort. This is a joy I have grown to appreciate more and more. When I was away at university, I missed the wisdom from our elders and tradition...the sisters I was living with had good wisdom and offered support, but there is just something about our family way of helping each other.

The sorrow grows slowly as our elders grow old. During my last year at university, Sister Baker died and I felt the loss of my confidant and counselor. Now that my ministry is closer to home, I try to take advantage of the distance and visit more often. However, time marches on. Sister Professor doesn't always recognize me even though we have spent countless hours puzzling way at crosswords together and sharing stories of family, teaching, and prayer. Another Sister Professor has been slowly slipping away these past years and we miss her wisdom dearly. We care for them with tender love, wait with them for their Beloved, and cherish their presence while they remain.

There is a great joy in these wisdom figures, elders of our Benedictine family.
I cannot imagine our growth in learning to live in Obedience, Converstatio or Stability without them.

Blessings,

Ashes...

2011-03-08T22:34:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

Tomorrow, I will be at home in the Monastery for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our Lenten celebration. After being at school or university for the past many celebrations of this day, I am excited to be home as we settle into our Lenten observances. Yes, excited to be home for Wednesday soup night, morning silence, and the sisterly support of additional prayer and reflection. I'll even be home in time for the Mass we share with the college students and the Vesper's collection of the sisters personal observances for Lent.

Benedict had encouraged his monks to live their whole monastic life as a Lent; however, if it cannot be done, the monk was to consult with the Abbott about special offerings during this season of preparation. Reflection on chapter 49 from the Rule has lead me to ponder on my own "offering to God with the Joy of the Holy Spirit something of the measure required..." I have come to some conclusions of offerings of heart that I will pray will help me offer better service to God. When I return home to my convent apartment, I pray that we can discern some community Lenten observances to bring from the Monastery to convent to help each other continue to live this offering in the spirit of Benedict.

Blessings,

Spring Break...and Bingo

2011-03-07T11:06:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

Happy feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity! Women who bravely claimed the name Christian when threatened with death. The noblewoman and her serving girl were both mothers, or soon to be so, and knew they would be leaving behind their children to the care of others in the love of the Lord. They are a reminder for me of the blessing I have had in my family and especially in how my parents have shared their faith over the years.

The one of the surprise blessings I have discovered at my new ministry is the gift of spring break. This is the first high school I've served at that plans for a week of time off during early March. This is how I find myself at home with my parents for a few days at the end of my 3rd quarter of school!

Sunday was time for Church, Brunch, grocery shopping, and bingo! The parent association at our elementary school was holding a fundraiser and social gathering, and Dad and I dragged Mom off to play some bingo. Six dollars bought you one card for twenty games of bingo. The space was filled with old and young, alumns and parents, as well as friends old and new. I caught up with parents of classmates, met a few of my Dad's students, and greeted a few of the Church elders who were more than happy to see me home for break. Mom patiently waited through our twenty games while Dad played, silently bid on a few prizes, and considered buying raffle tickets...such a social butterfly. In the end, we won nothing but had a great time.

This time at home is wonderful. Time set aside to visit family and friends has long been a part of our community's tradition. Once, sisters could visit home every FIVE years! Now, we are allowed two weeks each year for vacation time. I usually break this up to a week during the summer, a few days over Christmas break, and now a few days over spring break. This helps me in the balance between my Community of Sisters and my family. Well, I'm off...Mom has tidbits to share from all the extended family news!

Blessings,

We Celebrate a Chair?

2011-02-22T12:27:00.003-06:00

Greetings!

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of Peter the Apostle. The "Chair" being the place of leadership that has been handed down through the centuries. However, I did have to do some explaining for the gentlemen in class to help all understand that we were remembering more than the bronze chair designed by Bernini. The boys were a little relieved to know that the Church was remembering and celebrating all those who have been "Peter" for us in the past, our current "Peter" Pope Benedict the XVI, and those who will be "Peter" in the future.

After my visit to Rome this summer, I understand this celebration more. The importance of remembering our Apostolic connections to the past and looking hopefully to those Shepherds yet to come. Through all the changes and upheaval, pendulums and confusions, the Church has continued to rely on the leadership that has been passed down through the centuries. As I stood before the amazing sculpture that is the Papal Chair, I felt dwarfed by the history that surrounded me.

So~~Oh God, I ask your blessing on our current "Peter" and pray that you continue to guide him as he shepherds the Church through this time and this day.

Blessings,

A Home Town Game

2011-02-18T12:14:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

I finally attended my first ball game here at school. I LOVED it! After teaching in a big school for a number of years, I had forgotten how a small school can take over a building and with fewer folk offer amazing crowd support.

Imagine if you will...

Our gym is the size of the court with bleachers up 5-8 rows; there are also bleachers on the far end of one side of the court. I believe 'tight fit' is a avid description.
100+ high school boys all dressed in black filling one side (3/4 of it) of the court.
Parents, former parents, grand parents, former students, and teachers from our school and parents/kiddos from the other school flowing over the remainder of the bleachers.
2 local teams of 6' ?" boys; ranked 6th and 7th in the state right now.

If you've got all this in your head, you've realized that the game was bound to be tight. Now add these events to the background...We began with a prayer to bless all the players, students, and fans. Immediately after, the boys began to cheer; all the boys in unison while being led by the "Yell Leaders" who were also dressed in black for the night. The leaders take this role very seriously. The cheers from the boys were constant, loud, and chanted with a precision that left the words deafeningly clear (don't worry they were appropriate). The other school's cheer leaders (while the girls did attract attention) were unable to be heard over the din of our boys. During a few questionable calls, the leaders did exercise their control and quiet our boys down to keep anyone from overly vexing the referees calling the game. The varsity game was held to a 5 to 10 point game throughout the night. But it was the speed that amazed me. I hadn't been this close to a court in over a decade. The boys from both teams were relying on a fast paced game. The others were fast on pressing down the court, but our boys passed with a force that made me flinch when the slap of their hands on the ball felt too close to my personal space.

During one of the time outs, while our yell leaders were leading the student crowd in an imitation of a roller coaster ride, I began to chat with the folk around me. Only one couple had a son on the floor. The rest of the crowd around me were parents of non-basketball students, pep band parents, former students, and even folks whose kids had graduated years before. This was a home town game in the sense of the 'home town' coming together to watch the boys play a tough match. I had forgotten how much fun this could be.

Blessings & Go Knights!

Oh! The half-time show brought immediate silence to our side of the bleachers. The Yell Leaders had the students and parents seated in moments, the lights turned off, and a certain monks black lights and ropes arranged. The cowboy monk wore neon covered boots and hat, and did rope tricks with his lassos, which were also coated in neon paint. He received as much cheer support as the boys on the court. It was wonderful to see.

The Feast of Saint Scholastica

2011-02-10T12:32:00.005-06:00

Happy Feast Day!

Today, we Benedictine women are celebrating the feast of Saint Scholastica as a Solemnity. It began last night with first Vespers and will continue through this evenings night prayer. The readings, Psalms, and even the antiphons offer a rich blend for reflection during and after our celebrations for the Solemnity.

My favorite of the antiphons and readings overlap each other. Our Sr. Jane wrote a simple, yet beautiful tone to "Love is a fire, no waters avail to quench, no floods to drown it; those who love will give up all that they have in the world, and think nothing of their loss" (Song of Songs 8:7). Even as I record the words here, I can hear my sisters chanting this tone in our Chapel; voices blending as they float up to the peak of our Gothic ceiling. The full reading that matches this antiphon reflects Scholastica's love and devotion.

"Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away. Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love, he would be roundly mocked." Song of Songs 8: 6-7

However, I am not at home in our lofty Chapel; I am teaching a batch of boys in the crypt below the monks' chapel. The Junior and Freshmen boys joined me in praying on this feast. I shared about the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours =Divine Office in our lives as Benedictine women and men, and then we prayed the festive Lauds from my community. The boys did well...it was odd to hear their booming tenors and basses proclaim the Psalms I have grown so accustomed to hearing in sopranos and altos. A few looked through the 5 page prayer and ask, "So which of these are we saying?" They seemed a bit shocked and concerned that we would be praying ALL 3 Psalms, 2 Readings, Intentions, an Our Father, and an Extra Canticle! Once we started the choir style praying, they mellowed out and seemed to settle into the calm of the prayer.

The Juniors & Freshmen did enjoy the DOVE chocolate in the shape of a HEART a bit more than the prayer. As they ate their treat, I told them the story of Scholastic and Benedict and her great love for God, her brother, and their Rule of life. My hope is that the DOVE will remind them of her symbol and how she ascended into heaven, and the HEART will remind them of her great love which permeates the only story we have of her. A couple of my guys made good use of their candy wrappers...little origami cranes to set on our prayer table for the day.

Ah well, I will be happy to return home to our apartment Convent and share some prayer with Sr. Marietta. A late supper and some time with community will be a great way to end this festival day.

Blessings to you on this festive day!

P.S. The Scholastica statue stands in the courtyard of Monte Cassino, the location of Benedict's final Monastery, at the base of the steps that begin a long ascent to the Basilica. Her weathered hand seems to be extending a blessing, while holding to tight to the Rule with the other. Her dove perches atop the Rule. She was worn, but beautiful on that sunny day on the mountain side.

Celebration with Basketball & the Archbishop

2011-02-05T22:43:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

Tonight the area Serra club hosted all the sisters, monks, and order priests of the Archdiocese at a Mass celebrating consecrated life. All was set to be a great evening of worship and fellowship, and then it rained...in February...in the cold. However, Sister Marietta and I are adventurers and we set off into the misty rain to first support the women's basketball team from our college and then to the Mass. I am very glad we went to both!

The women played against the local Lutheran college (God loves us all) and even there we met a few surprises! One of Sister's parish families has a daughter not only attending the opposing school, but playing on their opening line up! We joyfully joined their extended family to watch the game and cheered on their daughter as well as our own team. In good fun, we groaned a bit when she would make a good shot or rebound; however, it did get a bit tense toward the end. All in all, it was a wonderful game (our women won). We stayed to meet a few alumni, but there was no time for dawdling in the hallways because we needed to party hop to the next town for Mass.

The Serra hosted the Consecrated Life Mass in one of the smaller towns outside of the city. I love the idea of this mobile meeting to celebrate, but with the rain and cold weather, many of our sisters did not make it out to the Mass. 25 to 30 sisters from religious orders, apostolic institutes, and secular congregations joined with our Archbishop to thank God for our gift of consecrated life in the Church. I am so grateful we Benedictines were there.

The Archbishop's main homily was a wonderful reflection on the universal call of the Baptized to be salt and light for others. He challenged the whole congregation to be aware of their effect as salt and light on their home, work, and school in the upcoming week. He reminded us all that to be an authentic Catholic we must do more than build a personal relationship with God, we must go out and actively seek to have an affect on our world. Then he thanked the members of consecrated life for our generous living as salt and light for the Church; for all that we do that is both seen and unseen. I felt both challenged and humbled by his message this evening. It will lead to much reflection in the upcoming days.

The Mass was followed by a reception with the sisters, priests, Serrans and Archbishop. We snacked, laughed, and visited while the mist continued to fall... As we finally went to our cars, I was grateful for one last thing; the temperature stayed above freezing. The strange February weather made the day gloomy, but it didn't dampen our joy-filled day one iota!

Blessings,

Our Lady of Rickenbach

2011-02-04T15:36:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

I was sorting through some of my favorite photos from my trip to our "grandmother house" this summer. I came across these pictures from the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Rickenbach. We Swiss foundations celebrate her on the same day as Our Lady of Carmel in July. Our foundress felt called to establish a Benedictine presence on the mountain after visiting the shrine, and later she established our house in America following the call of a Benedictine Bishop.

I love the stories these pictures bring back from my days in the Novitiate...

Blessings on this wintry day,

The Presentation & Consecrated Life

2011-02-03T13:22:00.006-06:00

Greetings,

Yes, I know I'm a day behind the world, but ice, snow, and bitter cold kept me from my computer.

When Pope John Paul II instituted a world day to celebrate the gift of Consecrated Life in the Church, I am grateful that he choose the Feast of the Presentation at the Temple to commemorate it. The feast is so rich in both symbol and tradition that support and enlighten our life in the Church.

This celebration of consecrating the infant Jesus to the service of the Temple is a wonderful reminder of my own consecration to the Church. At my final vows, the religious community witnessed my vows, the prioress received the vows, but the Church is the one that holds my vows in trust all of my life. Yes, yes, they are stored in the archives of my monastery; but they are promised to God and the Church. When students ask if I am "married to Jesus," I point out that the WHOLE CHURCH is Christ's Bride and that means everybody! My sisters and I are consecrated to the service of our Beloved in the Church.

The Feast of the Presentation is also a feast of light as we remember Christ as light of the world. The monastery follows in the tradition of blessing our candles for the chapel and places of prayer during this feast. However, I see this fitting our commemoration of Consecrated Life. We are supposed to be lights as well. Consecrated and set apart we should light the way for others. Not always the easiest call to fulfill, burning brightly on the lamp stand, but a needed role within the Church.

I am grateful for my life as a woman living the Consecrated Life as a Benedictine Sister. I am grateful for my community of sisters who help support me in the daily successes and struggles of our life together. And I am grateful for Pope Benedict XVI blessings and prayer for us yesterday.

O Mary Mother of the Church,
I entrust to you Consecrated Life,
So that you will obtain for it the fullness of Divine Light:
That it may live in listening to the Word of God,
In the humility of the following of Jesus Your Son and our Lord,
In the acceptance of the visit of the Holy Spirit,
In the daily joy of the Magnificat,
So that the Church is built by the holiness of life
Of these Your sons and daughters,
In the commandment of love,
Amen.

Blessings,

Catholic Schools Week

2011-01-31T12:22:00.003-06:00

Greetings,

Today we celebrate St. John Bosco's dedication to reaching out to youth in need; a fitting beginning to Catholic Schools Week. While I grew up with a fine public school education in my hometown and even attended a public university for my undergraduate, I have learned to appreciate the freedom of sharing my faith in both word and action.

Back in my day, even the public school teacher could (and often did) offer to pray for a student if they knew something was wrong. The principal allowed the Catholic kiddos (okay my sisters and I) to come to school late after attending morning Mass on Holy Days of Obligation. The school hosted a baccalaureate for the seniors and the local clergy worked out a schedule for who would lead each year, but each graduating kiddo received a simple cross from the representatives of our Christian faith.

Now...well, I know I am blessed to be at a Catholic school. I gratefully send each kiddo out my door with a "God Bless" and often call them my "Children of God." We pray for each other's needs and the needs of the city and world. I am Blessed...

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

2011-01-25T12:22:00.009-06:00

Greetings,

Today the Church celebrates second chances! Chapter 22 of the Acts of the Apostles contains one of the accounts of Saul's conversion to new life as Paul. It isn't the dramatic scenes with the bright light and Christ's call that struck me today. Instead, the gentle but encouraging voice of Ananias has stayed with me.

"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and stood there and said, 'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.' And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors designated you .....(St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome)
to know His will, for you will be His witness before all to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon His name.'"

Ananias knew of Saul's past persecutions, knew of Saul's work against the Church, but he also knew of Christ's power to change the hearts of others. He welcomed Paul as a witness to Christ and encouraged him to be baptized...all this support from a man who simply allowed God to give a second chance. If Saul the persecutor can become Paul the Apostle, I too can become someone new in Christ! This fits well with our Benedictine vow of Converstatio Morum (Fidelity to the Monastic Way). Within Converstatio, there is the daily opportunity to fully live the call to follow Benedict in seeking Christ. Every day is a second chance to be converted and more fully live washed and baptized in Christ. Everyday is also the opportunity to be Ananias for my sisters, co-workers, and students; to take on his role of welcoming and encouraging those who need a second chance.

Hmm...that leaves much to do this day...

Blessings and Happy Feast,

God in the Ordinary

2011-01-20T15:58:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Part of my life as a Benedictine sister is to seek God in the ordinary events of life in community. The daily horarium (schedule) within the monastery doesn't vary too often and it shouldn't. The repeated hours, the routines allow me to stop wondering what I should be doing or where I should be going, I know; and instead I can focus on God in the midst of those daily events. In fact, many of God's lessons have come through the daily life lived with my sisters or from the classroom with my students.

A recent lesson while I was home for our Monastic Chapter (community meetings) led me to a reflection on the Rule. "The brothers should serve one another. Consequently, no one will be excused from kitchen service unless he is sick or engaged in some important business of the monastery, for such service increases reward and fosters love" Chapter 35: 1-2. With all of the sisters home, there were interesting combinations of dishwashers, servers, and the like. Those of us who lived away from home found ourselves filling in duties for those sisters at home who were helping to organize the Chapter. There was laughter as we tried to remember where certain items were stored for meals or put dishes away into new and inventive locations, but it was also love. Love for those whose duties we shared; love for those we served.

Now that I have returned to our little convent of two...I'm trying to remember this lesson of loving service for one is loving service of my whole community.

Blessings,

They Can Surprise You!

2011-01-11T13:05:00.003-06:00

Greetings,

Last week I assigned a project to help my gentlemen connect the Cardinal Virtues of our textbook and the reality of our lives. "Virtues in the News"...to self define one of the four Cardinal Virtues and then find an item in the news that illustrates someone or some group living that virtue in our world today. With a the weekend and a snow day between the assignment and our return to school, I assumed that they would forget or just do the least work to get the project done. Wow, they sure can surprise you!

The gentlemen found articles of Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice...some of my favorites are:

Justice: A woman in Afghanistan who is helping other women speak out against domestic violence despite threats to her own safety. A local woman who will be 100 and is still volunteering for an area hospital by knitting caps for newborns.

Fortitude: Many of their news stories were connected to the violent attack in Tuscon, Arizona. Muslim Egyptians acting as living shields for the Coptic Christian Egyptians during the Christmas services.

Prudence: A dancer who returns to his native country to reach out to youth through teaching dance. A teacher (from our school) retires after 40 years of teaching and guiding high school students.

Temperance: George Clooney and other famous folk working to help others in South Sudan and countries in need; they use not only their fame but also their money to reach out.

The gents did a great job of seeking out and finding news that connected to our Cardinal Virtues and then discussing them with each other...this may have to be a reoccurring assignment format. It was wonderful to see them making their own connections and pointing them out to their classmates. And all this on a bitterly cold day when all the other schools were called off for weather!

Blessings,

Snow Day

2011-01-10T11:00:00.003-06:00

Greetings,

Today, I am luxuriating in God's gift of a snow day! A rare occurrence when one teaches at a boarding school! It is a day for many things...

There is time for grading homework, reading ahead in my textbooks, writing letters to friends...and time for prayer. I began the day with our community prayer with Sister Marietta and then continued my private prayer with a cup of coffee and watching the snow continue to fall. A wonderful way to share my lectio time with God in the quiet of a snow day.

If you are sharing in this snow day, take a moment to thank God for this gift of time. It arrives unexpected and unasked for (except by students) on a day we cannot predict. All we can do is luxuriate in its gift and return the gift back to God through our gratitude!

Blessings,

Boys

2011-01-07T12:00:00.002-06:00

Greetings,

I have traded in my two first semester sophomore classes for three second semester junior classes. A whole new batch of boys to learn about. The first week has gone well...today made me chuckle.

As juniors, the boys have been clear about expressing their maturity over the other classes I have taught. The other classes are ONLY freshmen and sophomores, they are juniors. Okay, they have expressed a different form of focus and concentration. They also seem a bit more secure in their own personality and sense of self.

Today I assigned them to small groups to read small sections of the textbook and prepare the notes they want to give the class. The boys broke into their groups quickly, settled into the text with a little laughter and goofiness, but got down to work. I turned away to work on my computer for a moment, and when I turned back, at least one group in each of the three classes had assembled on the FLOOR! Yup, dress shirts, ties, slacks, and shoes all sprawled on the floor, tummy down, while reading their books to decide what notes to give. I stood nearby one of these groups and observed them for a bit. When a member of the group asked me what I was doing, "Pondering your study position," I answered with no little laughter in my voice. They looked up, smiled, and explained that it was easier to work and think while 'relaxed' on the floor.

Who am I to argue with a boy's inspiration.

Blessings,

New Year's Celebrations

2011-01-01T16:21:00.003-06:00

Greetings & Happy New Year,

Our celebrations here at the monastery are a unique blend of religious and relaxed. Last night we shared a community holy hour to pray for peace. Our hour of silent prayer was marked into quarters by occasions of vocal prayer: a reading to focus our reflection, a chanted Psalm, a reading of St. Francis' peace prayer, and our closing Magnificat and blessing by the Prioress. The silence between these events was powerful for me...our contemplative, silent prayer for peace in our world, nation, state, city, monastery, and hearts seemed all the more intensified as each vocal form of prayer was shared.

This holy hour was followed by an early new year's party in the chapter room. A small group of sisters had prepared egg nog and treats to share as we began our celebration a few hours before 2011 rang-in.

This morning we honored Mary the Mother of God and continued our prayer for peace. Our Divine Office and Mass helped us focus on Mary's path to peace through reflection.

This afternoon, to celebrate the new year, we gathered in the chapter room for treats and games from two to three-thirty! Sisters young and old played and laughed together. There were a few serious tables of pinochle and hand & foot and one table of 'Scrabble' players consulting a dictionary more than needed, but a good time was had by all. The tables near me were joining in games of 'Apples to Apples' and 'Rummy cube', but had a new game. Sister Elementary teacher had received the gift of 'Quirkle'...sort of like domino's but with shapes and colors. We had a marvelous time learning and teaching this new game.

Next? Why Vespers of course...to complete our day of prayerful focus on peace in the world.

Blessings and Happy New Year!

Choir...

2010-12-30T09:53:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

Today, we had some new choir members join us for our sung prayer at Lauds and the Mass following. They were a bit high, but their enthusiasm made up for the loss in pitch. There were, however, a few members of our community who were less than excited that these new folk joined us on this gray and drab December morning...some of the sisters don't like bats.

Yup. Bats. The chapel was filled with sisters reflecting in silence before Lauds began, but after the first verse of the call to prayer antiphon with organ accompaniment, the bats decided to join in our song of praise. One or two started out fairly quiet and unless you knew, they sounded like a squeak in our ceiling fan high above on the Gothic ceiling. But as our prayer progressed, those one or two began to sound like a few and grew louder. The bat choir chirped, squeaked, and chattered from the choir loft down to the sisters in our pews. They were quite respectful and did settle back down during the Eucharistic Prayer. I imagine we disturbed their winter rest.

Those of us sisters in the back of the choir looked across the aisle to each other with a smile and then up into the choir loft. We knew that a few of the sisters would gather their Divine Office (prayer book) and make a break for the chapel door if they knew who was singing with us this morning. However, there is not much we can do. The bats can creep into a building using the very smallest of spaces, and it's cold out there in the South Dakota winter. Besides...Daniel's canticles remind us that all of God's creatures, the great and the small, bless the Lord. Even some of the Psalms reflect on all of creation praising God. Maybe our bats decided it was time to join us for a little Christmas prayer : )

Blessings,

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:38:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

The morning silence of Advent was dashed with bright exclamations of "Merry Christmas!" As we met each other in the hallways, refectory, and spaces in between, the quiet greetings of a nod and smile were replaced with cheery wishes of a "Merry Christmas" or "Christmas Blessings" and hugs . The joy of the day flowed into our prayer at Lauds; the simple chant tone for the Benedictus was replaced with a festive mode. Smiles were contagious as we faced each other 'in choir' singing the Psalms and praises of the Benedictus to each other and God. The celebration of our Christmas Eucharist continued the prayer of praise as our guests of family, friends, and visitors from town settled into the Chapel to join us in prayer.

The remainder of our day is fairly open to allow for sisters to gather for games, retreat to their rooms for prayer, and just rest in the blessings of this day. We will come together this afternoon (after the sisters return from singing at the Christmas Mass for the Federal Prison in town) to sing Christmas Carols, share some treats, and open some community gifts. A celebratory supper will be followed by a solemn Vespers for our evening prayer. It is simply a gift to be together as a family of Benedict in Christ.

Merry Christmas...May God Bless you during this new year of life in God's Spirit.

Christmas Eve Day...

2010-12-24T11:22:00.006-06:00

Greetings,

The Nativity is ready to welcome guests, but there is still much to do as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Christmas!

However, the jobs are accompanied with humming of Advent and Christmas songs, laughing with sisters, and happy chatting of sisters catching-up. It is a wonderful time to be home and working to together to prepare our celebration.

This noon will be our main meal here at the monastery; however, I'm waiting for supper tonight, we have a simple meal of soup, sandwiches, and pie! Christmas Eve supper is a tradition here: potato soup (my favorite) & oyster soup, cold cut sandwiches, and cherry (my favorite) or Christmas cream pie!

It is after supper that our Christmas liturgical celebrations begin. We have a special Vigil prayer for our Vespers tonight. The readings and Psalms combine to lead us in our hope-filled wait for Christmas morning Mass tomorrow. The prioress (or a sister chosen by her)
also shares a special Christmas message during our prayer tonight. Ah, it's Christmas and there is no place like home.

Blessings,

The Eve of the Eve

2010-12-23T21:04:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

There are always certain works that must be completed on December 23rd. Most importantly, this is the day that we take down the Advent liturgical colors and symbols and decorate the Bishop Marty Chapel (known as the Upper Chapel in-house) for the Christmas season!

All the purple banners hanging from the pillars of the Chapel are replaced with gold and white. This can be a delicate operation considering the sister wielding the staff used to wiggle the pole and its banner stands on a pew looking straight up into our high Gothic ceiling while trying to balance the banner pole on the staff and not drop it onto the sister below...who is waiting to catch the pole just in case. The purple brocade curtain behind the high altar is drawn back and the white is revealed to celebrate the feast.

There is a whole crew of sisters and our Chaplin the monk assigned to tree assembly as well. Four to six trees between 7 and 9 feet tall are arranged on either side of the high altar. The evergreen stands out beautifully against the sandstone walls and gilded carvings in the altar. However, those trees need to be assembled first...and this has proven a challenge. The tree I tackled with sister grade school teacher and the Chaplin monk was all contained in one box (luckily). We fluffed our 9 and 1/2 foot giant into beauty, branch by branch. Some of our fellow tree workers were not so lucky. One tree assembled well, but its stand left it kitty-wampus and needing the support of a wall. Another tree began with a sturdy base, but the sisters soon realized that their tree in a box was really two or three different trees--a hybrid! It took some time, but the final four trees in the Upper Chapel are beautiful and tomorrow they will be framed with brilliant red and white poinsettias before afternoon prayer. Sister liturgist floated between groups to help with trees and locating needed supplies and step stools. Her work continued after we left as she arranged white Christmas candles set off with gold material where the Advent wreath once stood.

The final group of sisters set up the Creche in our gathering space outside the Upper Chapel. This year's Creche is a wood carved setting with beautiful, yet muted colors and form. As it goes with artists' eyes, it took a few turns of rearranging and standing back to observe the affect before all the sisters were in agreement over the final design. Evergreens with white lights frame the back and sides of the Creche and a bench is set nearby for those who wish to sit and pray with the Christ child. It is lovely; a wonderful pray to reflect on the wonder of this celebration of our faith. And you will have to wait until tomorrow to see it too...

Blessings,

Advent-ageous Days

2010-12-22T15:57:00.021-06:00

Greetings,

These final days of Advent are a mix of busy silence here at the monastery. The mornings are still filled with silent waiting in the halls and refectory until after breakfast. The daily chapel is still unadorned except for the stained glass lights marking our time through Advent. We are still waiting for the coming of the Christ child...however...

The preparations for the celebration have begun, and it would only be advent-ageous of our sisters here at the monastery to take advent-age of the sisters coming home from teaching or serving away from home or those on break from teaching or serving at the college! Today's goal was to decorate the long hallway past the refectory to the care-center sister's recreation room with hundreds of satin covered Christmas balls. Sister In-Charge explained that we have been bedecking the hall in this way since 1987--twenty-three years of tradition. I love the final affect. The ceiling seems to dance with the swaying and bobbing movement of the ornaments.

The crew of hallway elves included one sister into her diamond jubilee years (overseer or supreme snooper-visor), one sister past her golden jubilee (director of scaffold pushing and ball placement), two teaching sisters in the 'teens' of their profession (one ceiling worker and one scaffolding pusher), and one student sister from Korea (ceiling worker and artistic director).

I admit we had a good time telling tales of hallways past and singing a few Christmas songs
made up to fit the event of day. We also enjoyed the SNOOPER-visors that stopped to visit and check our progress down the hallway. The joy-filled decoration seemed to bring a smile to all that happened upon our work for the day. A few had suggestions about how far to space certain colors or where to fill-in an empty space or two, but all left with a bit more bounce in her steps.

Tomorrow we will begin decorating the upper chapel for the Christmas season. My favorite is the crib scene that we display in the gathering space outside of chapel...and all the poinsettias that brighten our chapel with brilliant reds and whites.

However, it isn't Christmas yet. Our O'Antiphon wreath is still in the main hallway, reminding all who pass by that we still await our King!

Blessings,

Listening

2010-12-18T20:08:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

The Rule of Benedict begins with a phrase that condenses how we Benedictine folk approach prayer, God, and each other... "Obsculta, o fili, praecepta magistri, et inclina aurem cordis tui" ... "Listen carefully, my child, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart." This includes listening to my dreams like Joseph in the Gospel for this 4th Sunday of Advent; "an angel of God appeared to him in a dream...When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him."

Hearing what others have to say is simply not enough. Listening with the ear of my heart calls me to set aside my own preconceptions and try to understand God's call in the wisdom that another is sharing with me. I should be open to this listening not only to the prioress or superiors, but also listening to my sisters, family, coworkers, and students; there is no telling from where God's wisdom might come to me if I'm open to it.

My first year in community I learned a lot from one of the most unassuming of folk. I was in a funk and unsure of why I was staying and felt that all my choices were being taken or that maybe I had left all my choices at the door. Then one very wise junior sister cornered me and shared her wisdom, "There are always choices, there are always decisions that we can make...it starts with one decision, do you stay or do you go?" I will be forever grateful that I was able to hear her with the ear of my heart. Since then I've often brought myself a little guidance when in a confused funk by using her words, do I stay or do I go?

You never know who your wisdom will touch or what effect it will have on those who are listening.

Blessings,

Anxiety & Anticipation

2010-12-16T08:57:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Classes moved into finals preparation on Monday; the anxiety level of freshmen and upper class men could be palpably felt in the hallways. Teachers also began to exude a vibe of increased focus as tests were written and rewritten. The only folk immune from the end of the year jitters were the sophomore boys, go figure; but even they began to carry extra books, type notes into outlines on laptops, and talk to themselves in study hall.

Wednesday, the finals began with the 'short' periods being combined into one longer test period. I started with all of my freshman in a combined test period...one hour to complete five essay questions. This was their first 'major' test for finals week and I thought it might be best to teach them a little bit about pacing during their time with me. As always, I included a few cartoons (a Calvin & Hobbes Christmas mix) to create natural breaks between every two essay questions. About every fifteen minutes, I would remind the boys of the time remaining and ask them to rest their brains for a minute and enjoy a cartoon. Once, I skipped the cartoon recommendation and asked them to pray for one minute instead. The point? Relaxing or pausing to de-stress every so often would help them work on the test in the long run...I hope they consider that as they continue their finals week today.

Anticipation also floods the halls this week. We begin a two week Christmas break on Friday afternoon! The 5 day boarders will be going home for an extended visit, and the 7 day boarders (many of them students from distant states or countries) will be going home for the first time since school started! I asked one of our students from Korea what his first plans were going to be and he broke into a broad grin, "Hug my mom and eat everything she cooked for me!" The same question posed to one of our boys from way out of state was answered a little differently, "My sisters and I are going to have a Christmas movie marathon." The anticipation of getting to go home and be with family seems to be the focus of the excitement...and I'm excited for them as well.

Me? I'm excited to be going home to the Monastery for two-weeks too! The first week will be the end of Advent and the air of silent preparation will still be settled over the halls of our monastic home. While I could hardly stand the quiet at the beginning of my life with the sisters, now I find myself craving the intentional silence that fills our refectory, chapel, and bedroom hallways. I will also be arriving at home just in time to begin the preparations for Christmas: setting up the trees in the carcent for our elderly, decorating cookies in the bakery, and replacing our advent purple with Chrsitmas white and gold in the chapel. I won't be alone mind you, there are always a few of us from the schools that are excited and willing to volunteer when we come home for the holidays. It will be good to be home.

Blessings,

Gaudete! Rejoice!

2010-12-12T13:39:00.007-06:00

Greetings,

Advent grows rosey as we reach the third week of our waiting for Christmas! This week of Gaudete! Rejoice! reminds me that I need to be filled to overflowing with the joy of the coming season. It is not only a time of hope and faith, but also a time of celebrating the anticipation of our Savior's coming again.

This video of a 'flash mob' mirrors our own soul's overflowing with rejoicing!

Advent Blessings,

The Mundane

2010-12-10T15:02:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Mundane: relating to, characteristic of, or concerned with the commonplace; ordinary.

The daily events of life can be mundane, but it is the mundane horarium (schedule) that Benedict says will transform our lives. To live the daily with an awareness of God brings my prayer out of the oratory and into the world in which I serve.

My service takes me out to the world of high school teaching; what could be more unpredictable than a courses filled with freshmen and sophomore boys. Yet, the mundane filters into my life here too. The schedule of courses, the responses of each student, even my own responses to certain gentlemen can become so predictable, so everyday that the mundane has slid into a very unpredictable environment.

However, it is in the mundane that I can push myself to look into that dailiness to see God. God laughs in the silly humor of my freshmen boys and celebrates the variety of life in their interests. Recently, they poured down the steps at full-tilt, hit the tile and slid into the classroom, ties flung over their shoulder and bookbags dangling from their hands, laughing as they compared how far they could slide. God reveals His loving care as the boys support each other in times of sickness or academic crisis. We begin class with prayer and the freshmen share the concerns and intentions of their life. God's flexibility is evident in the sophomores as they continue to grow and change so quickly day by day. There are the guys that show up right after the bell to visit and banter; others linger after the bell for one last word or two before they go to the next class.

I continue to teach my boys and daily grow in my knowledge and care for them. I begin to see God in them and find that the mundane reveals the diversity that is hidden within.

Blessings,

The Immaculate Conception

2010-12-09T12:33:00.007-06:00

Greetings,

Yesterday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Our school celebrated with Mass and music for the monks, boys, and staff. I spent a good deal of my theology class time with a Q & A session about the feast of the day. I had forgotten how many folk misinterpreted this celebration of Our Lady.

I have recently grown in my own understanding and love for this feast. I realized that God's seeking to prepare Mary for the coming of Christ was also God looking forward with anticipation to becoming more active in our lives. God's forethought shows his desire to be with us in the dailiness of our lives. The commemoration of the 1854 declaration of Mary's sinless nature from the time of her conception is not only a feastday for her alone. We celebrate God's love for us and the spark of the divine which is within each of us.

It was a beautiful day to remember Mary and her pure love for God. It was also a beautiful day to see God's love for us in the desire to make all things holy.

The picture of this simple statue of the Virgin was snapped by my sister Lisa on her trip to visit my last spring. Marquette's Joan of Arc Chapel hosted this 16th century bronze...my favorite place to pray on all of the campus. Her gentle, rounded shape with the infant
Jesus propped up on one hip seemed so natural and real in it's depiction of her motherhood.

Blessings,

Merry Advent

2010-12-06T08:05:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Advent is a time of joy-filled waiting for the Lord. So, I believe it is a time we should make merry and set some time aside for holy laughter! Enjoy this video that was shared with me a couple of years ago...

Praise God with Laughter!

Advent Begins with HOPE!

2010-11-28T13:31:00.004-06:00

Happy Advent,

Today is the beginning of my favorite Church season. Advent's hope-filled waiting and melodies have always been a time when I find the most peace in the music, readings, and prayer of the season. The music of the monastery's chant is a bit more simple in both rhythm and melody which brings out the harmony of voices, Isaiah calls out to us to be aware and look about for the Messiah of God, and the prayer of the Church and her people directs us to a new awareness. The new year has begun in hope, and I hope to keep this focus throughout the year.

We have set up our Advent Wreath here in our convent apartment. The candles in a spiraling brass stand, set off with a few faux greens and a purple sash, but an Advent Wreath nonetheless, and our only decoration until we reach Christmas! As the lights climb, I hope that you will all be filled with the hope of this new season as well!

Blessings,

Balancing the Hyperdrive

2010-11-18T14:27:00.005-06:00

Greetings,

Yesterday, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of the founding of Sacred Heart Monastery! I happily shared with all of my classes about our community's travels from the Swiss Alps to the vast flat lands of South Dakota. It was a wonderful day.

Then I realized something quite startling...our founding celebration is in the middle of November! If we were celebrating our founding, I was almost done with my first semester at school!

Balance, one of the central virtues in our Benedictine life, has been lost in the hyper-drive of my growing into this new ministry. Between figuring out how to teach a whole room of boys, relearning (or learning to teach) my catechism, navigating a new city, and trying to be a good partner to my sister, I've lost my balance. A good way to visualize my momentum is to consider the picture of the tiny cable car that took us up to the top of the Musenalp of Rickenbach, sliding down the mountain took only a fraction of the time that it took to get to the top of the mountain! The view was amazing, but it was hard to take the time to be aware of God in all the beauty.

I'm learning a lot from my boys, books, and the brothers (I love alliteration) of my new school, but it is all happening so fast that it is hard to bring it all into balance. I'm trying to keep my prayer and call to reflection on scripture and other holy reading in some equity with my work; however, my textbooks are on the desk more often than my candle is lit. I keep trying to slow the speed of my cable car as it rattles down the mountainside, I want to take time to be aware of God in the midst of my classroom and convent and commuting. I am most grateful for those I know are supporting my balance or making up for it from home...I remember with gratitude a whole monastery full of sisterly support .

Blessings,

Feast of St. Gertrude the Great

2010-11-16T08:23:00.004-06:00

Happy Feast!

Two Prayers...maybe a story later...

O God of love and gentleness,

O Heart that abounds with loving kindnesss,

O Heart that overflows with charity,

O Heart that radiates pleasantness,

O Heart full of compassion,

We thank you for your heart full of love for us.

Invite us into your heart

that we may be totally transformed into love.

~Adapted by Sister Ruth Fox, OSB from the Exercises of St. Gertrude, VII

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life,

Your Heart is a glowing furnance of Love.

You are my refuge and my sancutary.

O my adorable and loving Savior,

Consume my heart and with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces with flow from Your love.
Let my heart be untied with Yours.
Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things.
May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.

Blessings,

The Burning Bush

2010-11-12T14:14:00.004-06:00

Greetings,

I love the first hard freeze in the autumn.

Stepping out into the crisp autumn morning, breathing in the air; so clean and new that it bites the back of my throat and lungs. I had to stop and just breathe in autumn.

Leaving the hard cement, I strode onto the lawn, listening for the soft snap of each blade of grass. It was a marvelous, miracle to behold such simple creation painted with a delicate shimmer of God's glory.

Driving to school, I was drawn to watch the fields. So recently shorn of their bounty, the stubble from wheat and corn roll on and on over the hills like bolts of white silk.

Finally, I discover the the amazing work of the frost and nature. Stunned, I quietly touch the glistening leaves firey bright from the cool air. Yesterday, a simple shrub darkening with the end of the summer; today, a brilliant symbol of autumn and the joy of the change in creation.
Praise the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
in the living flame of the burning bush.

Blessings,

Feast of St. Charles Borromeo

2010-11-04T08:35:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

While in Rome this summer, our Benedictine group pilgrimaged to the Basilica di Santa Prassede. St. Charles Borromeo was a pastor and leader there during his time serving in Rome. One of the side chapels in the basilica is dedicated to his life of reform. This image shows not only the large marbel stone commemorating the many good works of his life but also the wooden table top (at the altar) where he served the poor and in body and spirit.

To the left of the chapel is his presiders chair, center the table top, and above St. Charles is pictured presiding at a mystic sacrifice.

Since his is my patron, I lit a candle (one of the few real ones in Rome, usually you light electric candles for some Euro) to ask for his intercession in finding a ministry position in teaching. He and God work in mysterious ways; my prayers were answered with a ministry position right before school started in an area that is new to me in a school with a very different population...but considering my patron was a reformer bringing a focus of pastoral outreach and care to the people, I shouldnt' be too surprised.

Blessings...and Happy Feast!

Feast of All Saints

2010-11-01T14:12:00.005-05:00

Happy Feast Day,

I hope you are having a wonderful Feast of All Saints. As a theology teacher, I took advantage of my role to pull together a little prayer with my sophomore classes. I found a looooong litany of saints and inserted their patron saints from confirmation (mine too). I also brought in a few more of the women saints of our Church (doctors and foundresses) to round out the litany. A reading from St. Bernard's reflections about the Feast and our prayer was set.

All things considered, prayer went well. Different students led the litany's different sections and only a few saint names were creatively pronounced by my boys. We all sat fairly respectfully in chapel while praying; a few did drift into a more meditative state. But I was surprised by a question from both classes.

"What are those things over there?" The 'things' were the monks' display of reliquaries at the front of the chapel. While I borrowed the above picture from a general website, the monks display was quite beautiful. Some of their reliquaries were designed to look like church towers with all four sides encased in glass to display the relics of the saints; others were simple cross displays such as those above. I invited the boys to respectfully gather around the display and ask their questions. They wanted to know what the relics were, why we have these 'bit's and pieces' of the saints. They also asked about the elaborate displays and who the saints might be. As I shared about these ideas, it struck me that I hadn't thought about these things for a long time and took for granted that others knew and understood this collecting aspect of our Church. We were both amazed at how much I remembered about the topic.

May the Saints Bless you,

Choose Laughter

2010-10-21T13:56:00.005-05:00

Greetings...again,

Today I learned a valuable lesson from my sophomore boys; when presented with a situation that offers only laughter or tears, choose laughter. Well, maybe I'm posing it a bit dramatically, but you get the point.

The 7th period sophomores offer me a challenge in learning and teaching most afternoons, and I believe I'm becoming a better teacher because of it. Today they tromped into class as they always do, a mix of goofy gentlemen. However, today I heard whisper as they milled around before the second bell rang; "1:05?" "Yeah, 1-0-5." and then they would giggle (yes, sophomore boys giggle). I filed this information in my head and jumped into class as the second bell rang.

There were a few notes I wanted to give to the class as a whole, and then the class would present the notes they created in different small groups. The first group went fairly well; I did pause the note givers for a moment to inform the rest of the class that respect meant listening and thus silence on their part. About 2 minutes before the second group came up, the clock showed 1:05PM...and most of the boys stuck fake mustaches and beards to their clean-shaven faces.

Camouflage, duct tape beards and mustaches...so...do you laugh or do you cry? I choose to smile and help the boys giving notes wrap up their presentation. The next duo had a beard and mustache covering their grins as they came up to the board. I didn't say anything, but I kept using my friendly teacher voice and continued to redirect note givers and note takers to particular ideas that connected. Finally, one brave soul asked, "Sister, did we make you laugh?" I thought again for a moment, smiled, and said, "Gentlemen you are so odd today; laugh at what?" And they all giggled.

We finished class without any great incident, but just before the bell I gave a few recommendations myself. I suggested they use a little of their mom's cold cream to soothe the duct tape irritation, and reminded them to take the fake facial hair off before going to their next class.

So...was I right or wrong in my approach? I don't know, but I found more life in choosing to laugh with my students today than in choosing to be angry at their laughter.

Blessings of Laughter,

2010-10-21T08:49:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

Say a prayer for the Apostolic Oblates of Nebraska. They run a retreat as a part of their Pro Sanctity ministry. The barn where many of these retreats were held burnt to the ground on Tuesday night.

Photo by: Chris Machian/Omaha World Herald

A Prayer for the Pray-ers

2010-10-17T14:43:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

The community ring is my symbol of perpetual profession, the commitment of my life to our Benedictine community. The ring has only left my finger at the command of doctors. It is the constant reminder of my three-fold vows that sustain and guide my life in community. It is marked with the Greek initials of Christ which is surrounded by the palm fronds which mark the beginning of His Passion and the cross and nails which are the climax of His Passion. So the ring also reminds me of Him to whom I am committed in my vows. But what if those vows were dispensed? What if I became a general member of the Church again?

There has been much interest and speculation over the recent suppression of a religious group in the diocese. They were pray-ers for the world, and my heart goes out to them. Their public association of the faithful was ended which means that those who had been vowed are no longer bound to their sacred promises...their habits, rings, and other signs of professed life as a consecrated religious are no longer valid and should not be worn. Thankfully, the Shepherd who discerned the need to first guide and then suppress the association is continuing to guide and support the earnest search of the members to serve God.

My heart and prayer keeps returning to the professed and newly joined members of the association. The difficulties and challenges in their faith and commitment must be immense. The question of the unknown is daunting and their community is in the midst of it all. I can't imagine it...truly, I don't know what I would be if not a member of my Benedictine community; and I don't know how I would live if not as a vowed religious. Please pray for those vowed members of this former public association and for their continued discernment with the Shepherd of the diocese.

Blessings,

A Flat Blessing

2010-10-11T14:16:00.005-05:00

Greetings,

One more reason to be thankful for my school experience. At 11:57 Fr. John came into the teacher's lunch room with bad news; I had a flat tire on the car. I took a breath to breathe in some calm before I started making calls to local shops; but before I could say anything, the small school support system kicked-in. At 11:58 Matt, the freshman dean, volunteered to lend a helping hand, drafted another dean to assist him, and had the keys from my car in his hand. There was no question in their minds that they should help out another teacher at the school.

By 1:15 Matt stopped by my classroom, hands marred with the thick, black dust from my tires but a smile on his face. They not only took my tire off (with the help of a hammer and chisel); they also had the spare set up and the tube from the flat patched with a kit. "Well, I had to go to town anyhow, and the kit was cheap so..." So, they went out of their way to help me today.

I've been checking with the boys, and apparently the two deans have a bit of a sweet tooth for chocolate. I'm going to bake up a batch cupcakes using my mom's awesome chocolate cake recipe and also try for a couple dozen of homemade chocolate chip cookies too. A small price to pay for their generous help and good will.

Greetings,

Finally A Teacher Again

2010-10-11T09:12:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

I finally feel like a teacher again. We are just reaching the first quarter mark here at my Benedictine school of boys, and nary a gentlemen has visited the door of my office. It made me wonder what I was doing wrong...too easy? too hard? too unfriendly? hmmm. Actually, there was nothing wrong but my mindset; I was new and unknown.

Today marked a new change in the air. I had three different visitors during their study hall times! The sophomores have a test over confirmation this afternoon and a couple of guys popped in to check their notes with mine, and cheerfully try to talk me into an open book exam (good luck). Later another fellow came by to gather upcoming assignments to cover an absence. All of these quick chats and double-checks make me feel like a teacher again.

I know that I have been serving in the classroom for the last 8 weeks, but this interaction begins building connections with the students that I missed while I was going to school. The ministry of teaching's best moments (in my book) are the little ones that happen in those seconds between class periods. I'm glad to have them back.

Blessings,

A Day to Celebrate Women Religious

2010-10-09T14:30:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

The Serra Club in my area of Omaha invited all the women religious in the area to celebrate our vocation and to thank us for all we do. It was a great morning...we started the day by celebrating Mass with Archbishop Lucas at one of the city parishes. I enjoyed his take on the reading of the day.

"While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out...and Jesus replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Luke 11:27-28

He pointed out the energy and exuberance of the woman who called out from the crowd, and asked us if it reminded us of our beginnings in religious life: full of energy and idealistic passion. Then he smiled and added...but it was the daily commitment to observing the word of God that held us to the call. All the little choices each day that add up to the lifetime of a vocation. Later on I told the Archbishop that I appreciated his point of view in the homily.

After Mass, we met up for a lovely brunch with all the sisters, Serra members, and the Archbishop. It was nice to meet more of the sisters from the city area. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sisters and nuns in my own backyard! I had lunch with two sisters from Nigeria and a Servant of Mary from the city. However, others came up to greet me and show connections between my community or new work and themselves. The networking was wonderful. There was also a lot of laughter and catching up among those who see each other around the city during their ministries.

Blessings,

Our Lady of the Rosary

2010-10-07T13:04:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Today the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary in honor of some long ago battle that was won after much 'spinning of the beads'. No matter why the feast began, I like the idea of celebrating this prayer within the Church. In my own family, the rosary was a regular part of our prayer with both my parents and grandparents.

I remember visiting my maternal grandparents and the evening always ended with a rosary. They would sit in their recliners, but we kiddos knelt with the support of our own comfy chair as we prayed. Grandpa & Grandma are still one of the fastest rosary pray-ers that I have experienced; however, I can look back now and see that it was the absolute familiarity and surety of the prayer that allowed for the speed of the beads. It was with my grandparents that I memorized the little prayers that our family added on to the recitation of the rosary...the Fatima prayer, the act of contrition, a short litany, and a couple extra prayers for Mary's guidance and intercession. I still think of their devotion whenever I pray the rosary and I hope their prayers are still supplementing mine.

The rosary was also a fixture at home. I remember hearing my parents praying, switching off who lead various mysteries, as I fell asleep at night. It was also a handy form of behavior control when we became less than cooperative on longer car rides. Mom & Dad would lead the rosary and we three girls were response from the back seat of the car...until we fell asleep or quieted down. Not a problem, Mom assured us that our guardian angels finished those prayers we didn't complete; I still like to think my angel finishes up those prayers when my Lectio Laxios after a long day.

Today, I shared this devotion with my freshmen boys. Each of my classes met by the chapel to deposit the overloaded book bags and armfuls before going to the back of the chapel where the monks have a side shrine to Mary. I even made a little 'liturgy aid' for the Catholics and Protestants alike...a reminder of the prayers and a short scripture reading to connect to the mysteries of light that we prayed today. Things went fairly well, as freshmen go. Only one or two fell asleep (sitting on a tile floor!) and needed to be poked by a helpful neighbor. All joined in on the prayers, but the volume did fluctuate as they quieted down and grew used to the rhythm of the prayer. There were also a few eager folk who seemed happy to join with a prayer that was familar to them. Overall...a successful day of prayer with the boys.

Blessings,

PS...The image is a painting at Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. There a many side chapels and one of them is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. It was a wonderful place to stop and pray.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus

2010-10-01T14:17:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

The longer I live in community, the better I understand St. Theresa's vocation to Love. Her heart longed to do all things in the Church while living within the enclosure of her monastic home surrounded by her sisters. Even though I live with a freedom to teach and do that she did not have, there are times when my heart calls out to serve in new ways away from my own monastery home. However, the vocation of Love that the Little Flower taught brings all the other ways of serving to me. To do all things with love becomes prayer and doing all things for your sisters with love changes you day by day.

Benedict said that God loves a cheerful giver; Theresa might say the same thing about those who live with love for all they do. With this attitude in mind, the smallest chores or assignments become a new way to show me care and love for the sisters I live with and the students, teachers, and staff that I serve with...Love changes everything...myself included.

Blessings,

"I feel in me the vocation of the priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has grown with me. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I desired to see myself in all of them. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is Love!" ~ Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Story of a Soul

The Feast of Archangels

2010-09-29T15:48:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

Today we celebrate the power of the unseen in our lives. The holy Archangels, servants of God who are active in our midst. While the feast includes Sts. Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, our school celebration focused on our own patron (and that of the Abbey), St. Michael the defender.

The Archbishop celebrated the festival Mass with us and spoke well at the homily. "The creed," he reminded us, "speaks of God creating things seen and unseen. Today we remember that part of creation and the creatures we cannot see, but believe." I hadn't really thought of the 'seen & unseen' before. It is so easy to be caught up in the beauty and wonder of what I can see in God's creation, that I forget to remember the unseen powers He has also set in motion.

The heavens and all the divine heavenly host...the Archangels. The unseen Power of our unseen God working in our midst to Announce great news, to Defend & Protect, and to Heal with Guidance. I wonder if I have ever missed one of these great Angels, mistaking them for the ordinary while God was trying to touch me with the extraordinary in my daily life. When I look back at the struggles of my life, I wonder if these Archangels have been part of the moment and I didn't even realize it? Could it have been Gabriel who announced my name to those who needed a teacher at the last moment? Could it have been Michael that protected me during frightening moments of travel in the winter snow? Could it have been Raphael that guided my doctors hands and that healed me with such tender care and amazing attention? This feast reminds me to look more closely at the ordinary struggles and delights in my life and see the extraordinary love of God.

Blessings,

Reflection Question

2010-09-25T00:07:00.007-05:00

Greetings,

My prayer of Lectio Divina often leads me to questions that God wants me to consider. However, the quote I started with this morning was a question itself; "Who do you say that I am?" Luke's Gospel was a challenge to look deeply into my heart to see where my relationship was with Christ.

"Who do you say that I am?" The question followed me from my morning Lectio through Lauds with my Sister housemate and even crept into my day long workshops learning about the new North Central Accreditation stuff. So who...who do I say that Christ is? It is very simple at this time in my life, He is my love and way in life.

This fresco in Rome once illustrated the wall of a convent chapter room and now is the center piece in a small chapel at San Ambrogio. I was immediately struck by the love in the fresco. The sorrowful Mother's tender love embracing not only her son, but also reaching out to the women who had stayed with her. Saint Mary Magdalene's care for her beloved was evident in the humble gesture of adoring Christ's wounded feet, but this simple image caught my attention.

If my answer is that Christ is my Love and Way in life, my way of living could mirror Mary Magdalene's simple, humble way of love in how I care for others in my community living and teaching ministry.

Blessings,

2010-09-17T08:03:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

As my community celebrates and remembers Saint Hildegard for her teaching with the many gifts of the spirit that she shared with the Benedictines and the faithful of her time, the Church in the United Kingdom celebrated the gift of Catholic education with Pope Benedict XVI.

The Pope's reflections on his gratefulness for Catholic educators and the continued need for Catholic schools recognized all the many sisters, brother, and lay educators that have spent their lives teaching others.

Blessings & Enjoy...

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER
TO TEACHERS AND RELIGIOUS
Chapel of St Mary’s University College

I am pleased to have this opportunity to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution made by religious men and women in this land to the noble task of education…and to all the dedicated men and women who devote their lives to teaching the young, I want to express sentiments of deep appreciation. You form new generations not only in knowledge of the faith, but in every aspect of what it means to live as mature and responsible citizens in today’s world.

As you know, the task of a teacher is not simply to impart information or to provide training in skills intended to deliver some economic benefit to society; education is not and must never be considered as purely utilitarian. It is about forming the human person, equipping him or her to live life to the full – in short it is about imparting wisdom. And true wisdom is inseparable from knowledge of the Creator, for “both we and our words are in his hand, as are all understanding and skill in crafts” (Wis 7:16).

This transcendent dimension of study and teaching was clearly grasped by the monks who contributed so much to the evangelization of these islands. I am thinking of the Benedictines who accompanied Saint Augustine on his mission to England, of the disciples of Saint Columba who spread the faith across Scotland and Northern England, of Saint David and his companions in Wales. Since the search for God, which lies at the heart of the monastic vocation, requires active engagement with the means by which he makes himself known – his creation and his revealed word – it was only natural that the monastery should have a library and a school. It was the monks’ dedication to learning as the path on which to encounter the Incarnate Word of God that was to lay the foundations of our Western culture and civilization.

Looking around me today, I see many apostolic religious whose charism includes the education of the young. This gives me an opportunity to give thanks to God for the life and work of the Venerable Mary Ward, a native of this land whose pioneering vision of apostolic religious life for women has borne so much fruit. I myself as a young boy was taught by the “English Ladies” and I owe them a deep debt of gratitude. Many of you belong to teaching orders that have carried the light of the Gospel to far-off lands as part of the Church’s great missionary work, and for this too I give thanks and praise to God. Often you laid the foundations of educational provision long before the State assumed a responsibility for this vital service to the individual and to society. As the relative roles of Church and State in the field of education continue to evolve, never forget that religious have a unique contribution to offer to this apostolate, above all through lives consecrated to God and through faithful, loving witness to Christ, the supreme Teacher.

Indeed, the presence of religious in Catholic schools is a powerful reminder of the much-discussed Catholic ethos that needs to inform every aspect of school life. This extends far beyond the self-evident requirement that the content of the teaching should always be in conformity with Church doctrine. It means that the life of faith needs to be the driving force behind every activity in the school, so that the Church’s mission may be served effectively, and the young people may discover the joy of entering into Christ’s “being for others”.

Before I conclude, I wish to add a particular word of appreciation for those whose task it is to ensure that our schools provide a safe environment for children and young people. Our responsibility towards those entrusted to us for their Christian formation demands nothing less. Indeed, the life of faith can only be effectively nurtured when the prevailing atmosphere is one of respectful and affectionate trust. I pray that this may continue to be a hallmark of the Catholic schools in this country.

With these sentiments, dear Brothers and Sisters, I invite you now to stand and pray.

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

2010-09-15T07:49:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

The optional Gospel readings for today say it all...

John 19: 25-27

Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Luke 2: 33-35

And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, " This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed ~ and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

The images are from the Stations of the Cross windows at the convent of the Benedictine sisters of Marianburg, Switzerland.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

2010-09-14T08:18:00.006-05:00

Happy Feast!

Today we celebrate the cross; it is Exalted and Triumphant because through the cross we have been saved! A feast that celebrates the joy of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I was surprised to learn in one of my Church history courses that early crosses were decorated with brilliant stones, metal, and flourishes to show the glory of the sacrifice; it was only later during the suffering of the Dark Ages that the corpus was added to help the people know that Christ understood their pain and struggle.

Today, I remember the apse of San Clamente and its joyfilled celebration of the cross. The mosaic depicts the cross as the Tree of Life from which all blessings spring. It is an amazing commemoration to the Triumph of the Cross! Today, I have been taking time to ponder the crosses in my own life...have I opened those sufferings to exaltation? How has God transformed my own crosses into blessings for the glory of Christ? It is amazing
to recognize the triumphant crosses in my own life.

Blessings,

2010-09-13T14:47:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

"God is a consuming Fire. He alone can refine us like gold, and separate us from the slag and dross of our selfish individualities to fuse us into this wholeness of perfect Unity that will reflect His own Triune Life forever." ~ Thomas Merton New Seeds of Contemplation

My weekly note from Merton resounded deeply for me today. God as a consuming Fire that slowly burns away all the excess that holds me back from living for Him and with Him. The Refining Fire that purifies the dirt from the ore leaving gold. Or like the Church of Santa Scholastica outside Norcia the layers of fresco and facade need to fall away to reveal the original work of the Master.

The day we visited this decayed church commemorated to Saint Scholastica, we renewed our Benedictine Profession. It was both a joyous moment to rededicate myself to living the Benedicitne way, the promises that guide us out of ourselves and into community; and sad to see such a beautiful space with so much history connected to our life in such disrepair. Still, we only know the tender images of Scholastica are there because the other frescoes have slowly fallen away over the years.

So maybe I won't burn to perfection in a quick fire of purification...a slow letting go can also bring the beauty of God's work to the surface.

Blessings,

At this time, God is challenging me to let go of all I have done and move on to what I can do next. It is a difficult call, but I have a school full of freshmen and sophomores who remind me everyday that there is something more God has called me to, I just don't know what it is right now.

Nativity of the Mary

2010-09-08T14:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Feast Day!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. The celebration of Mary's birth is a simple feast away from the monastery. We remembered Mary by using the common of the Blessed Virgin and antiphons written for the feast. I chose to use the mass reading from Micah which promised a savior to be born of a humble maid. Tonight we will pray vespers with similar simple honor for Mary.

While traveling in Rome, I saw many statues, churches, and frescoes in honor of Our Lady. She was depicted in a variety of styles and forms. This statue and tapestry is in the lower level of San Benedetto Basilica in Norcia. I was touched by her simple beauty in the home of Benedict. Maybe it was being so close to my Benedictine roots or the change from Rome's frenetic pace to Norcia's quiet stroll...but I found great peace in praying at this small shrine dedicated to Mary. Asking this humble woman, dedicated to the mission of her son and our Lord for her help and prayer in my life. That has also been my prayer today...thanking Mary for the blessing of her fiat, and asking for her guidance in serving my Sons of God in my teaching.

Blessings,

My New Spaces

2010-09-03T14:43:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

I've been at my new teaching position for a few weeks now and I've finally settled in to my teaching spaces. The teachers here are not assigned to a particular classroom, but we do have an office space similar to college folk. My office is a the end of a very long hallway and I can see all the events and people as they roam up and down the halls. The principal was considering two of us sharing the space, but in the end I was assigned my very own office.

The windows offer a nice view of the adjacent gym and built on rec-center for the boarding students. It also lets in lots of lovely sunshine and a cool breeze now that the heat has snapped here in Nebraska. I've tried to make the space workable and welcoming by arranging an area for students to sit if I'm tutoring.

Please note that the desk arrangement is classic Catholic school mix-match. The work desk is a small, ancient, all wood item with the old pull out board to work with student papers. However, it is too small for my technology as well as book work and coffee cups, and thus I've added the little student work desk for the lap top. My cork board is topped with our "Family Picture" from a few years back, a good reminder of my sisters at home, and some holy pictures and quotes; as well as, reminders of meetings and committees which with I have been assigned to work.

My primary classroom space is "The Crypt"; the basement below the monastery/school chapel. It is all cement and tile, vast, and echo-ey!

First, you descend down a flight and a half of stairs and then a few more to the hallway that connects the crypt to the school building. The benefit to this lower level is the coolness that is constant through the summer and late fall days...however, the monks and teachers warn me that it gets quite chilly during the winter months as well.

As you can see the space is quite vast and open! The roof and sides are 'ribbed' with the support beams for the chapel above us...it feels quite tomb-like, but the upperclassmen tell me it is a great improvement with the new lighting! The set-up at the back of the room is for the robotics team and their competition building.

The is the view of my teaching space...I do have a very cool 'active' aka smart board system that I am learning to use with the help of my boys. The little white board at the left side of the room is also helpful for the work of the day and prayer notes. The only difficulty is obvious (if you know my voice). Ahem, my booming sound fills this room and can reverberate without too much effort of my part. I have to be careful not to overwhelm them with sound : )

Blessings,

Learning Curve

2010-08-23T15:54:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

I had forgotten the learning curve of the first year teacher. There is so much happening all at the same time! I am learning about the course material I am teaching; keeping just a step or two ahead of the students at a time. I am learning about the school and how it is organized. I am learning about the faculty and staff; each school's ministers work together in a unique way. I am also learning about my new convent home with just one other sister; she is a wonderful help, but there is so much to learn!

Benedict challenged his monks to respond obediently to the call of the Spirit and the needs of the community. However, doing the service isn't the challenge; Benedict continues with the further call to do the work of the community without any grumbling! So...as I face these challenges and scale my learning curve, I remind myself of what I love about my new ministry. I have the opportunity to teach students in the age catagories that I enjoy : ) I have the opportunity to live with a sister from my community within a few hours drive of the monastery : ) And the faculty & staff of the school have been very supportive!

Now, back to my homework!

Blessings,

Preparing to Serve!

2010-08-14T15:54:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

I know I have been a bit absent from my stories, but I have just begun a new ministry! August 2nd I interviewed for a teacher of Theology position in Omaha and received an offer to teach at the school; August 3rd I met with my Prioress to discuss the teaching ministry and called the school to accept their offer; the rest of the week (3 days) was spent packing, organizing, and reading a bit of the textbooks that the school sent back with me. It has all moved so quickly, I hardly had time to think except to thank God for His goodness in gifting me with a school to serve.

The next Monday morning, I drove down with Sisters Kathy and Mildred (procurator) to unload my bedroom and teaching boxes; and load Sister Clarice's bedroom and office boxes. She too had been looking for a ministry position and after seven months had been offered a parish ministry position in another Nebraska city! God is good. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent between unpacking at my new school and unpacking at my new convent. Between unpackings, I also tried to keep reading and developing some lesson plans because school starts on Monday, August 16th! This Thursday and Friday, I began to meet faculty and staff at the inservice and retreat meetings...I feel overwhelmed with information, but blessed by good folk with which to serve and minister to the students of the school.

"Monastics who work so far away that they cannot return to the oratory at the proper time--and the abbot determines that is the case--are to perform the Work of God where they are, and kneel out of reverence for God. So too, those who have been sent on a journey are not to omit the prescribed hours but to observe them as best they can, not neglecting their measure of service" (RB 50: 1-4).

Sister Marietta has been wonderful community as I transition from student to teacher and monastery to convent life again. She is flexible enough to help find a time for our lauds and vespers together each day...even when school starts and I need to pray by 6:15! I feel blessed to share our convent home life and service with her.

Now for two stories about my new school!
The first includes the Abbot/President of the Benedictine school. He came to visit me as I was looking about my little office space trying to determine how to arrange my desk and file cabinet. "Sister! You don't have an air conditioner," he made this statement as if he was accusing himself of some negligence. "No Abbot, but it isn't supposed to be this hot for too long and I can buy a fan to carry me over." The Abbot nodded with a grandfatherly wisdom and strode out of my room without another word, but he returned within thirty minutes with a work study student in tow. The student set up a fan as the Abbot explained, "tomorrow there will be an air conditioner installed before the morning is over. Thank you sister for your patience." I thanked him for his consideration and thoughtfulness, and inwardly did a dance of joy for the promised air since the heat index was topping out at over 100 for the next week or more!
The next story is more of an observation; I have not felt so feminine in my life :) Now that I am working at a boys school for a Benedictine monastery, I am outnumbered by men in an educational setting for the first time in my life (there are only 5 women at the school itself). The monks, male teachers, and boys have been offering to carry boxes, open doors, and all sorts of odd jobs since I arrived. I jokingly told them they had best not spoil me too much, I am one of the sisters who is to lift, carry, and serve as errand runner when I am at our monastery! They assured me it wouldn't last too long.

Please pray that I am able to keep my nose above water as school begins on Monday after only 10 days of preparation!

Blessings,

Corn Parties!

2010-08-05T11:01:00.006-05:00

Greetings,

"The monastics should serve one another. Consequently, no one will be excused from kitchen service unless he is sick or engaged in some important business of the monastery, for such service fosters love" Let those who are not strong have help so that they may serve without distress, and let everyone reieve help as the size of the community or local conditions warrant"(RB 35: 1-3).

The cooler has been filled with three pickup loads of sweet corn and the sisters have just about had their fill of the fresh ears at supper; now it is time to begin the corn parties! Before the "Corn Party" sign goes up, some sisters volunteer to gather to husk and wash the corn of their silks. On my way to the corn cutting station, I happened upon a group yesterday as they were laughing, talking, and husking their way through several bushels of sweet corn.

The corn cutters gathered in the kitchen with knives, boards, and a few specialty corn cutters from the South Dakota Corn Palace. We were a bit quieter as we sliced our way through the cooled bushels of steamed ears. (The 'Corn Zipper' was an awesome tool to removed kernels from the cob without cutting too close or slipping!) Later a couple of sisters took away the barrels of husks and cobs and dumped them back in the field to mulch the future harvest.

Last year we cut and froze almost 500 pounds of sweet corn to eat during the rest of the year. Each bite is a treat from summer and a promise of the next year's field. It is also a great reminder of how much we can do together as a community.

Blessings,

A Prayer to Scholastica

2010-07-29T14:30:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

The only story we have of Saint Scholastica, the sister of our founded Saint Benedict, retells the last time she met with her brother. To keep her brother from returning to his monastery and ending their holy conversation, she prayed to God with her head bowed as tears flowed from her eyes. A storm settled over the small house just as she raised her head from her hands and it rained so hard that Benedict needed to stay over night with his sister talking of the glories of God.

Dear Scholastica...please stay the rain! The skies opened over Yankton just after 11 AM and it rained over an inch and a half in the first two hours! It slowed a bit after 1:30, but just an hour later it is beginning to rain harder again. The difficulty is that there is nowhere for the rain to go. The summer has been so wet that the rivers are brimming over and the soil is saturated. The monastery is high on a bluff over the Missouri, but surrounded by little pools of water in every low spot on the grounds. It is also seeping through the stone walls of the chapel and into the sandstone blocks on the inside! So, please Scholastica, answer our prayer and stop the rain.

Blessings,

Advice from Julian of Norwich

2010-07-21T22:41:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

The availability of possible ministry positions in education has narrowed greatly since returning home from my travels about Italy and Switzerland. While I was very hopeful when writing letters and calling schools during March, April, and May, the search in July and maybe even August has me loosing heart at times. My prayer up to this point has been to "seek God's will"; however, I changed my prayer to a more simple and much more challenging focus: "I will trust in God." This is very difficult when all seems to be going wrong and life is being lived in the great unknown of God's timeline.

I returned to Julian of Norwich's "Revelation of Love" to remind myself of God's great care and attention to each and everyone of us. My favorite quote comes from her Thirteenth Showing in chapter 31. "I may make all things well; I can make all things well, and I will make all things well, and I shall make all things well; and you shall see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well." I have always found great comfort in God's assurance that He is a part of all that is occurring in my life and in the lives of those I love. However, it is the following quote from chapter 32, explaining part of her understanding of the quote I just noticed today and it has helped me to reaffirm my trust in God.

"One was this: that He wishes us to know that not only does He take heed of noble things and the greatest, but He also attends to the little and small, to low and simple, as much to one as to the other. This is His meaning when he said, "All manner of things shall be well"; for He wants us to know that the least thing will not be forgotten.

"Another understanding is this: that there are evil deeds done that we know of, when such great harm is taken that it seems to us that it were impossible that they should ever come to a good end. And we look upon this with sorrow and mourning, so that we are unable to rest in the blessed contemplation of God as we ought. And the cause is that the working of our reason here and now is blind, so low and simple that we cannot know the high, marvelous wisdom, the might and goodness of the blessed Trinity. This is His meaning when He says, "You shall see for yourself that all manner of things shall be well," as if He had said, "Take heed now in faith and trust, and at the last end you will see it truly in the fullness of joy."

I may not see the blessings of this time now, but I shall if I keep my faith and trust in God and grow in the compassion and care of my Benedictine community. For I can not see the long design or understand the future to come, but I will continue to trust that God is in the details of my life.

Blessings,