Monastery Musings

Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict 

July 2014
 Vol 8, Issue 7
In This Issue
Fireworks
New Novice
First Monastic Profession
Golden Jubilee
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sisters' Story
Chapel Painting

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Sister Gen Maiers

,

 

Gratitude Day, August 15, is right around the corner. Is this the only day we give thanks to God for you and pray for your intentions? Oh, no! But we want to express our gratitude in a tangible, visible way and offer an opportunity for you to come to the monastery for socializing, having a little fun and enjoying a meal together. A highlight of the day is presenting the Mother Benedicta Riepp Award. The first award was presented in 2007, our sesquicentennial year (a hundred-fifty years), and has been presented annually ever since.

 

If you recall, we outgrew our space in our monastery dining room and now rent the Gorecki Conference Center at the College of Saint Benedict. It's spacious and comfortable, the services are excellent and the cost is reasonable.

 

This year Gratitude Day falls on the Feast of the Assumption. We have a Eucharist planned at 1:30 p.m. and blessing of produce from your garden. At 2:30 p.m. you may visit the Art and Heritage Place. This is an excellent opportunity to see the exhibit about the building of our chapel 100 years ago, God's Home Among Us, and the various changes that have been made over the years. At the same time you will be able to visit the gallery show and shop at Whitby gift shop.

 

July has been a month of many celebrations. The feast of St. Benedict, July 11, is always an extraordinary feast at Saint Benedict's Monastery as this is the Sisters' anniversary of making monastic profession. This year we were blessed to have two novices make this day extra special! Angie McCormick and Nina Lasceski made their first monastic profession (for a period of three years) after a one year novitiate. These three years are a time of discernment to see if it is truly their calling to be a Benedictine.

 

During this time both will be doing service in a particular ministry. Sister Angie is a psychologist and will be employed at the Christian Counseling Center in St. Cloud; and she'll be setting up a satellite place in rural Minnesota where people are underserved. Sister Nina will work in the development/communications office at the monastery. We are delighted to again have her use her creative talents in our department where she worked as a postulant.

 

We ask you to pray for them and with us for the guidance of the Spirit in these discernment years. We appreciate your prayers and support in our Benedictine calling to this way of life. Together let us pray for each other.

  Fireworks

             
July celebrations got off to a sparkling start with the Fourth of July. Sister Nancy Bauer photographed the annual St. Joseph fireworks display, held on July 3, from an unusual angle -- behind the dome of Sacred Heart Chapel.
New Novice 

Just a couple of days later, there was more cause for rejoicing when Tammy Shoemaker was received into the novitiate. She will spend the next year studying and living more deeply into monastic life as she and the community discern whether she is called to the life here.

 

       

New novice Tammy (in the green skirt) is seen here with novice director, Sister Katherine Howard (l), receiving the Rule of St. Benedict from the prioress and with novices Angie McCormick (l) and Nina Lasceski who were soon to make their first monastic profession.

First Monastic Profession

     

 

Here they are becoming Sisters on July 11! Angie reads her monastic promise document; Nina and Sister Michaela complete the signing of Nina's document on the altar.

   Golden Jubilee

The following week, we celebrated five Sisters who reached their Golden Jubilee. The evening of Friday, July 18, was a community event with a special Evening Prayer service and festive meal. Then, on Sunday, family and friends of the jubilarians joined us for a Eucharist, at which the Sisters renewed

their monastic promises, followed by a reception for meeting and greeting.  

 

      

 

The first photo (by S. Nancy Bauer) shows the jubilarians: S. Maribeth Theis (seated); standing (l to r) Ss. Ann Marie Biermaier, Ruth Feeney, Marlene Schwinghammer (subprioress, who led the renewal of promises for the five jubilarians), Michaela Hedican (jubilarian and prioress) and Mariterese Woida.

 

Second photo (by S. Karen Streveler) shows the jubilarians being blessed by the congregation and presider, Bishop Joseph Charron.

 Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to Sister Delores Dufner! On July 17, she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Pastoral Musicians' annual convention held in St. Louis. S. Delores is a well-known hymn writer. One of her latest hymns was commissioned by our prioress to mark the 100th anniversary of the building Sacred Heart Chapel and performed for the first time on Pentecost Sunday.
 
Sisters' Story: St. Cloud Hospital

Our Sisters founded the St. Cloud Hospital. It's now part of CentraCare Health but takes its Benedictine heritage very seriously. Earlier this month WJON's Frozen in Time series explored the history of the hospital. You can read about it  on the WJON web site. There's also a video recording of interviews with archivist Mary Schaffer and Sister Colleen Haggerty, who has a long connection with the hospital and currently volunteers in the spiritual care department.

Chapel Painting

This glorious painting of Sacred Heart Chapel by Sister Thomas Carey is now hanging in the Gathering Place. Originally it was thought it would hang in the exhibit at Haehn Museum celebrating the 100th anniversary of the chapel, God's Home Among Us. However, it really needs a larger space. We would welcome you to come and see it. While you're at the monastery, you might want to check out the Whitby Gift Shop where they have reflective journals for sale with S. Thomas' painting on the cover.

    
Thank you again for sharing your time, talent and treasure with us as we respond to the needs of the world. Your partnership is vital to us as we strive to bring a ray of hope to a dark world. To make a secure online donation to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, click here.


Sincerely,

Gen Maiers, OSB
Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict