Bakery Day!

Greetings,

This morning I was giving the chance to fill-in for our Sister Baker and was quickly reminded that the best way to get your Sisters to visit you at work is to bake cookies! Sister Baker met me in the bakery and to remind me about where the necessities are and to be ready for a few guests during the morning. As I dipped out pan after pan of dough, Sisters dropped in for a 'sample' of dough or a 'quick bite' of a cookie fresh from the oven. My Novice Director (now retired) preferred the fresh cookies while our Sister who coordinates maintenance and housekeeping likes the dough better.

The bakery warmed up quickly as the morning wore on, but by 11 o'clock the cookies were packed away, the dishes done, and the stainless steel counters polished up!

96 Ginger Snap Cookies
96 Sugar Cookies
96 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Blessings!

Feast of Saint Benedict

Saint Benedict blessing all who pass by
his shrine near our cemetery.

Greetings,

Benedictine communities are well known for their communal lives of prayer and work.  Today, I continued in that tradition during our summer celebration of Saint Benedict. 

We started this morning with a full chanted Lauds followed by our celebration of the Eucharist.  Very nice.  My favorite part was our Communion meditation "Seek God".  One of our Sister Professors adds to the simply beauty of the song with a clarinet solo...some of the notes seem to hang in the air of chapel.  After a very dignified recession from Chapel, the Gardening Sisters and I dashed up to our rooms to change into work clothes.

Once in the gardens, there was plenty to do in our shortened work time.  We started up in an apple tree!  The summer apples all green tart and sharp were ready to be picked.  The tree looked hopefully short which made the apples easy to reach, but we soon realized it was so leafy and low that it was more difficult to pick than some of the taller trees.  Soon enough, we had filled five boxes that will soon be made into pies, sauces, and jelly.

"O holy Father, Benedict, in pray'r and work without cease, in your untiring search for God, you found Christ's joy and peace."
Vespers Antiphon.

Blessings,

Ordinary Daze

Greetings,

Living these Ordinary Days have left my in an unordinary daze!  Summer at the monastery is always filled with a variety of prayer, work, and play that can leave a sister spinning if she doesn't write it all down (well, at least this sister anyhow).  I have been blessed with house ministries that keep me working with a variety of sisters throughout the house...

First, the garden, poor thing, has been receiving all due attention with weeding, watering, and loving care.  However, the lack of rain in our area has driven the rabbits, gofers, and a whole variety of critters into our fair acre and so very little of our beans, peas, and other lovey veggies have grown very far without being nibbled back down to nubs. However, Saint Benedict predicted that a monastery would never be without guests and it continues to ring true today.  Another of my works for the house is to assist the sister who cleans our guest rooms.  It is easy to forget how many people come to visit when we spend our days on the 'cloister' side of the house, but the mix of friends, travelers, and the curious continue to amaze me!  There are also the little works of the monastery are simply called 'charges'.  The house charges are the many little things that need to be done to help care for the daily needs of our family home.  I have Chapel cleaning on Fridays as well as supper and lunch dishes.

Framing all this is our rhythm of prayer.  Admittedly, this is my favorite part of being home for the summer.  Being with the whole community, the whole family for prayer and Eucharist.  A chance to look around Chapel and pray for each as we pray together.  A chance to fall back into the heartbeat of our pace in prayer...each house seems to have its own pace and spacing and it's nice to be home in our rhythm for awhile so as to carry it back to the convent apartment this Fall.

Blessings,

Monday Ministry

Greetings,

Yesterday was filled with a variety of service to community.  The Garden Sisters were dropped off at one of our four apricot trees...it was already ripening!  After a few reminders about picking, we started plucking the egg-yolk colored little fruits off the tree.  Sister Gardener would have given the tree another day or two so more fruit would be ripe, but our little corner of South Dakota was being buffeted by high winds and the ready apricots were starting to fall pretty quickly.

Once we had picked all that we could reach from the ground, we started up the ladders and this simple chore became a little more interesting.  Ahem...apricot trees have a lot of 'play' when being blown by the wind.  There were moments when we needed to stop picking and simply keep one hand on the ladder and the other swaying with the tree.  We weren't in danger of being blown off our ladders, but it can be a bit dizzying when the a the tree becomes a whirl of green and orange while your standing still.  The blessing was three boxes to begin our apricot season (several more will follow) and the 'breeze' was enough to keep all the gnats away!

The sisters were very excited to see the fresh apricots served for supper that night!

Blessings,

The Commonplace Divine

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,

More Monastic Works...

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

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,

Learning Curve

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!

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,

Apple Pies and Community

Greetings,

Since I've come home for the summer, our sub-prioress has been helping me find odd jobs around the monastery. I'm glad to be giving back to the sisters in all these little (and big) ways and thankfully they usually involve working with some of our elders.

My favorite work so far has been the 'apples'. Our monastery has a large garden and orchard in our backyard. One of the trees is a summer apple that is called a Transparent Yellow even though is shines a pretty light green when ripe for the picking. The one tree was overflowing with the crisp, tart fruit this year; our gardener sisters came in with 10-12 boxes of apples from just the one tree! This abundance has provided the sisters who prepare the fresh produce with much to do in the mornings. The sub-prioress asked that I help work with the produce as well.

I LOVE my morning work. There are four of our elders that gather regularly to prepare the community's produce for the table. Each of the sisters has her own 'job' for each type of vegetable or fruit. Considering the apples: one of the sisters uses the peeler, two core & quarter the apples, and another empties the buckets of trimmings/peelings and transfers the apples from table to table. All of this work is done with the quiet, easy efficiency of a family who has served together for years. However, they joyfully welcomed the addition of this 'young sister' who is home for the summer. Tucked between those who were coring and quartering the apples, I've been trying to keep up with their able hands while listening to the stories and tales of a combined total of over 200 years of religious life. It has helped me remember that I need to keep aware of trust in God in the midst of my current search for a teaching position. So many of their stories hold twists of difficult times bringing them back to an awareness of Christ or surprise of how God lead them to their ministry. So much to learn...

But the lessons from morning work weren't over! Yesterday, I was borrowed by the community baker
to help make pies! The apples we had been preparing are perfect balance of crisp tartness for sauces, crisps, and pies. She had filled dozens of pie pans with her flaky crusts in anticipation of an apple day. I filled the pans with heaping piles of sliced apples all dusted with a sweet-cinnimony seasoning and three dabs of butter. The baker would then roll out the cover, set it, and crimp the edges...beautiful. The bakery was quiet except the rhythmic sounds of our work. The space was warm and scented with the peanut butter, oatmeal, and snicker doodle cookies being baked by another assistant in the bakery that day. A wonderful place to contemplate while working.

I decided community is little like one of our summer apple pies. There might be one tree of apples, but not one of them looks the same! Each one needs the individual attention to be picked, peeled, and cored. Some need to be trimmed of bruised spots or worm bites, but once they're cleaned; all the apples are tossed in together to be washed. After being sliced for the pies, the apples are mixed together, a combination of odd sizes and pieces. It is the final preparation that brings them together. Piled into a crust to hold them all together, generously dusted with spices to counter the tartness, dabbed with butter to mellow them, and sealed with a lid of more flaky dough; the apples are now a pie. One does not resemble the other in appearance or taste, being together and responding to the tender loving care of the baker makes all the difference.

Blessings,

Monastic Service

Greetings,

While I continue to seek a teaching position in area high schools, I have been reminded that there is more than one way to serve my monastic community.

My day has a rhythm to its horarium that I missed while we were in Rome. The day begins with the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass; the remainder of the morning is given to various works around the monastery. Yesterday, I helped our 'retired' sisters prepare vegetables and fruits from our garden. We pared fresh kohlrabi for the kitchen to cut and steam for supper before sorting through two large boxes of lettuce and Swiss chard. Finally, we picked over a couple gallons of gooseberries!

I love the berries, but they are a labor of love. Our sister Rosina Ann did the trickiest part, picking the berries from the thorn covered bushes. We joking call them "martyr's row"; each reach into the bushes can result in scratches and pokes to sister's fingers and arms! However, she covered up with long-sleeved flannels and gloves and picked more than a few gallons of the little berries. Our kitchen prep group took the next step with picking the berries clean of little stems and flowers. The berry itself has a wonderful sour~tart bite to it while raw or sauced or in a jam or cooked in a pie! Hmmm...

After lunch and noon praise, my afternoon continues with service to the community by continuing to seek for teaching positions. I rework the resume & cover letter and look for connections online and through my contacts in other schools. The horarium wraps up with vespers, supper, and time to visit with our sisters who have been ministering in other areas during the day.

It's good to be home.
Blessings,