Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Illinois
April 2009
Benedictine Sisters monastery grounds at St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill Steps
Discerning your path in life

New members of Benedictine Sisters, Rock Island, Ill.
Four women are in initial formation with the Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill. They are, from left, Sr. Claudia Scharf, Nancy Offenhiser, Stefanie MacDonald and Jackie Walsh.

The Transformational Power of Fidelity


Do a Google search on the word fidelity and you'll come up with 31 million entries. It's the name of investment companies, insurance companies, communications companies and title companies. People sing about it and write about it. People promise it rampantly.

For Benedictine Sisters, fidelity is more than an offhand promise to be true. It is the third promise of our long-discerned and deeply felt monastic profession. Fidelity to the Monastic Way of Life is our promise to work through life-and life's changes-with God at the center of our lives.

We seek to be faithful to this way of life ... and this life transforms us when we are faithful to it. It transforms us so that we turn to God in the midst of everything that happens in our lives-in joy, in pain, in everyday events. It transforms us during communal and private prayer, so that we can deal with the everyday stuff of life.

Could you make such a life-defining promise? Read what our newest members say as they begin to prepare to do so.

Postulant Jackie Walsh:
For me, fidelity is being open to and accepting the changes, challenges and joys of community life and seeing God's plan in all of them.

It means stopping work or other projects and going to prayer...to quiet myself, be in God's presence and offer praise and thanks.

It's being present to and for others...setting aside the "I inclinations" to focus instead on another's needs or the "common good." We come from different places, but we're all here to seek God.

Fidelity is staying and persevering when things aren't easy, because I'm not on this journey alone. With God at the center of my life and the support of my sisters, the possibilities are endless!

Like Obedience and Stability, Fidelity is another of the tools used to continuously work at smoothing the rough edges of my life. The transformation that takes place allows me to better serve God and God's people, be a better steward of the earth and its resources and more easily fit in with our community.

In the end, Fidelity is about focus and reliance; focus because God must always be at the center of my life, and reliance because when I trust God, then I rely on the fact that God knows what's best for me.  My life is putty in God's hands ready to be molded for God's purposes.

Postulant Nancy Offenhiser:
I look at Fidelity this way. God has led me to this house and during this time, I need to remain faithful to my community, develop relationships with the Sisters, and be true to the growing process in this life.

Fidelity means being faithful to learning about the Rule and starting to walk along the path of living it. It means being faithful to what I'm supposed to be doing as a Postulant. It means being faithful to learning as a new member of this community.


Novice Stefanie MacDonald:
The promise of fidelity is the promise to live this way of life faithfully. That is, you are dedicated to this life with this group of women. You attend community night and don't make other plans for that time. You are in chapel for prayers and are on time. Your own personal needs do not come before the community.

I experienced an example of this recently. In the process of looking for a teaching job*, I talked with my formation director and the prioress about which school I should apply to, and whether I should work full-time or part-time. These things can affect prayer and community life. After I sent my resumes out and began to go on interviews, I came back and shared information about the positions. Finally when I was offered a job, I again talked with my formation director, prioress  and treasurer about the position, the pay and the insurance offered. I received their blessing before I accepted the job. I did this in fidelity to my community. I kept the community in mind when I went through that whole process.

*Stefanie taught at a Catholic grade school before entering the Benedictine Sisters' community. After her canonical novice year ends in August, she will return to teaching in a Catholic school in East Moline, Ill.





Benedictine Sisters put together a puzzle

Working Out Puzzles at the Monastery


From our blog: A young woman visited the Monastery over the weekend. She is a college junior and keeps returning to the idea of religious life. 'S' contacted us after looking at our website. In fact, we were the 4th religious community she has visited. She has been looking for a balanced community. Read about S's experience.

Sitting on the dock at St. Mary Monastery
 
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.
For more information, contact Sister Bobbi Bussan (below) to learn more!

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Benedictine vocation director Sr. Bobbi Bussan, OSBTo give you a chance to learn about Benedictine Sisters and our way of life, we welcome you for a visit. Call (309) 283-2300 or e-mail Sr. Bobbi to set up a good  time. Or join us for a Benedictine Experience Weekend on May 8-10. No matter when you come, 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.