Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Illinois
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May 2008
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Steps
Discerning your path in life
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| Benedictine life ... |
What kind of woman makes a good Benedictine?
A Q&A with Formation Director Sister Mary Core, OSB
We all know different communities have different charisms and traditions. You may already know what type of community attracts you most. But do you know what type of community you are most well-suited for? Sr. Mary's answers here might give you a clue.
Q. What kind of woman is best-suited for Benedictine life?
A. Religious life is for emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy women. We are not here to hide from the world.
A key to Benedictine monasticism, in particular, is that it is not a call to participate in a ministry, per se, but a call to seek God. You don't become a Benedictine because you want to teach or pursue medicine or social work, although you might do any one of those - or other - ministries. Benedictine life is rooted in community and prayer.
Q. Can you characterize any personality type that is particularly well-suited to Benedictine life?
A. We are not all cut from the same cloth at St. Mary Monastery. There are introverts and extroverts here. We all have different hobbies, from gardening and reading to photography and music. That's partly what makes community life so rich for us. We all bring our own gifts and blessings, and we all value those things in one another.
We're all on this journey together, whether we're old or young, of high or average intelligence, limited or gifted in any one area. We come together and appreciate all our gifts, supporting one another wherever needed.
Q. If an inquirer loved her ministry - say, teaching - but felt called to monastic life, would she be able to continue her teaching?
A. Her first year, as a Postulant, would include a job or ministry compatible with monastic life - as teaching tends to be - along with time spent in study and in getting to know the community. Her second year, called the Canonical Novice year, would be spent in full-time study of Benedictinism and theology, along with reflection on her call to monastic life. Ultimately, she and the community would discern together her next ministry.
The God we seek is the God who calls us to greatness and to be all that God intends for us to be. It's a lifelong journey, rooted in community and prayer.
When I hear the bells ring, I know that every member of the community is putting down whatever she is doing and heading to the chapel for prayers. We do this together morning, noon and evening. If that's our priority, then our ministries - what we are called to do for our work - will flow from our loving prayer. That's Benedictinism. |
Benedictines are different. |
| Benedictine Sisters crave quiet ... and laughter.
Benedictine Sisters crave solitude ... and companionship. Benedictine Sisters drop everything three times a day to pray together.
Our ministries - from retreat work to social work, and education to art - never take us far from home.
If our differences appeal to you, contact Sister Bobbi Bussan (below) to learn more!
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Sister stories... |
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Food for the Body, Food for the Soul
A tall, soft-spoken man shuffles down the stairs to the cold concrete basement of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rock Island. He is dressed in blue hospital scrubs and a black warm-up jacket. He pulls the bill of his black baseball cap further down over his eyes and jams his hand back into his pocket.
"How many in your family?" asks Mike, a volunteer at the oldest food pantry in the Quad Cities. "Four," he answers. Mike directs him to Benedictine Sr. Margaret Suerth, OSB, who waits at the first stop along the pantry route. She fills his bag with peanut butter, jelly, grape juice, black beans and chicken noodle soup. You can barely hear his whispered "Thanks." Across the room, Benedictine Sr. Anne Newcomer, OSB, fills more bags with two chickens, two boxes of instant mashed potatoes, a package of toilet paper, three boxes of macaroni and cheese and a super-sized box of Froot Loops. Read the whole story! |
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| Join us for a visit! |
 To give you a chance to learn about Benedictine Sisters and our way of life, we would love to welcome you for a visit. Call (309) 283-2300
or e-mail Sr. Bobbi to set up a good time. You are our guest: there is no cost to you. We look forward to a morning, evening, weekend or week with you! And visit our Web site at www.smmsisters.org.
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