Monastery Musings

Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict 

November 2014
 Vol 8, Issue 11
In This Issue
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Concert
Photograph Award
Benedictine Values Passed On
Time of Preparation
Advent and Christmas Liturgies
Antiphonal Silence

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Sister Gen Maiers

,

 

 

How can a month be so short and so full at the same time? That is what November has been and there are still major happenings to come! We celebrated living and deceased saints on November 1 and 2. Thank you for sending the names of your loved ones, which we added to our Book of Life. Each day we remember them at Eucharist.  

 

Our hearts are filled with deep gratitude for so much! Give to the Max on November 13 was a marvelous day! Thanks to each of you who participated, many of you more than once. Can you believe one of our donors gave 225 times! And still wasn't a random hourly winner. But in our books, she's a winner!  

 

Your actions made Give to the Max a very successful day. We were number 10 in the Leaderboard category and 32nd in the entire group of nonprofits. Including all the on-line gifts and the matching funds we brought in $77,042. It was fun to watch the totals go up! We had many night owls who kept the numbers going higher! A couple of others: S. Karen Rose stayed up until midnight to track where we were; and S. Pat Ruether was up before 5 a.m. marking the charts so the early birds (Sisters) could see the results and rejoice in this success. We are so blessed in such generosity.

 

By the time you get this, many of you will have received our annual appeal. We realize that some of you may have given your annual gift for Give to the Max. The mailing was already in process by then so you may still have gotten an annual appeal letter -- sorry about that.  

 

Our annual appeal's focus is the Common Ground Garden; however, you may donate to any of our ministries. If you did not get our annual appeal, and you want to donate, you are welcome to do so. Go to our web page at www.sbm.org and you will see a donate link. Click -- you'll find it's easy to follow.  

 

It is with a heart filled with gratitude for your kindness, generosity and friendship that we send this letter. We wish you a joyful last few days of November. There's a lot to look forward to yet -- Thanksgiving on Thursday and Advent starting this Sunday, a wonderful time to prepare for Christmas. Sunday also marks the start of the Year of Consecrated Life, a celebratory year instituted by the Pope.  

 

The next time we send this letter, we will have celebrated Christmas! Remember, though, Christmas doesn't end on December 25. Christ is with us throughout the year.

 

Merry and blessed Christmas!

 
Happy Thanksgiving!
"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
Photo: Karen Streveler, OSB
thanksgiving." 1 Timothy: 4, 4

 

If your Thanksgiving plans bring you near to the monastery this year, we'd be delighted if you join us for Eucharist this Thursday: 10:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

Thanksgiving Concert

   

On November 15, our Schola (monastery choir) took part in a Thanksgiving concert benefiting Catholic Charities Food Shelf. The concert was held at St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Cloud. Admission fee: A non-perishable food item! The Cathedral of St. Mary's Choir, St. Cloud Singing Saints Barbershop Chorus and Minnesota Mormon Chorale also participated.

 

Photo: Thomasette Scheeler, OSB

 

 Photograph Award

   

Sister Carleen Schomer has been awarded first prize in the adult landscape category of an amateur photography contest, Photography in the Gardens 2014, sponsored by St. Cloud's Munsinger Clemens Botanical Society. The photograph had to be taken in the gardens between January 1 and November 7 of 2014. The winning photographs will be displayed in eight different locations during December and January. Congratulations, S. Carleen! 

 

 Benedictine Values Passed On
November 22 saw a group high school students and their mothers visiting the monastery to take part in The Beauty of Living and Giving Retreat. It was a full day which included, among other things, visio divina (prayerful contemplation) of the Saint John's Bible, a cook-out, art experiences, prayer and discussion. Now our Sisters don't teach in schools, it was an innovative way to pass on our Benedictine values to a new generation.

 

A Time of Preparation

 Advent is a time to wait for the coming of Christ. If you'd like to take some time away from shopping and the whirlwind of getting ready for Christmas, you might like to attend one of our Advent retreats at the Spirituality Center. There's Getting Ready for Christmas on December 3 and A Retreat with Mary of Nazareth on December 8. Another possibility is to take advantage of our gift to you -- 50% off private retreats made between December 1 and 17.Contact Sister Julianne Gilbert on (320) 363-7116 or spirituality@csbsju.edu to make a reservation or to find out more. 

 

Advent and Christmas Liturgies
We warmly invite you to join us to celebrate Eucharist during Advent and Christmas.

Sundays of Advent: Begin 10:30 a.m. in the Gathering Place for lighting of the Advent candles, followed by procession into Sacred Heart Chapel.

Christmas Eve: Caroling begins 9 p.m., followed by Eucharist. A reception in the Gathering Place will take place after Eucharist.

Christmas Day: Eucharist at 10:30 a.m.

     

 Antiphonal Silence 
We're thrilled to share that Sister Annette Brophy has published a collection of poems and photographs. "Antiphonal Silence" partners penetrating images with the artistry of words.

The photograph shows one of the images in S. Annette's book.

For more information or to purchase a copy of this book, call (320) 363-7100 and ask to speak to S. Annette.
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