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,
 You have a new letter-writer this month! I feel blessed to have this opportunity to connect with you at this sacred time of year. As we near the end of Lent, it's time to reflect on how our prayer, fasting and almsgiving has prepared us to celebrate Easter and also to consider how it has been a time, as St. Benedict tells us, to "look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing." What is it that makes Easter so joyful? The obvious answer is the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. But Christ's rising from the dead should not only be seen as an historical event; it is as alive and meaningful in our lives today as when it happened over 2,000 years ago. The Risen Savior lives within each of us -- when we show compassion to someone who is lonely or sick, say a kind word, feed someone who is hungry or refrain from making hasty judgments about the behavior of others. Christ is here with us, too, in the Eucharist. Isn't it significant that the Paschal Triduum (the period from Holy Thursday to Easter Day) begins with the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist? The great blessing of the Eucharist is that, through it, Christ continues to give Himself to us. This gift is not only to us as individuals when we receive communion; as Teilhard de Chardin said in his Hymn of the Universe, "the entire realm of matter is slowly but irresistibly affected" by the blessing of the risen Christ's continued presence through the Eucharist. What a great and wonderful mystery to ponder and give thanks for this Easter! As always, you will be in the prayers of the Sisters throughout these sacred days. On their behalf, I would like to invite you, if you are able, to join us in our our Paschal worship. Times of services are listed on our web site at www.sbm.osb.org . May you and your families be blessed by the presence of the Risen Christ this Holy Week and Easter. Gratefully in Christ, 
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Year of Consecrated Life
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We'll be celebrating the Year of Consecrated Life throughout 2015. On March 8, we held our second holy hour, this time concentrating on hopes for the future.
Our Benedictine friends (students from the College of Saint Benedict who participate in a program pairing students with a Sister-friend) also helped us mark the Year of Consecrated Life. Students Haley Chatelaine and Nicole Cornell joined Sisters Michaela Hedican, Linda Kulzer and Julianne Gilbert to share their insights about Benedictine life past, present and future. These young women certainly are a sign of hope for the future as they learn about Benedictine values and spread their light into the world.
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Thank you!
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The Art and Craft Sale held at Saint Scholastica Convent on March 3 was big success, raising over $4,000. Sister Thomasette Scheeler, who organizes the sale and the monastery's artisans, is very grateful for your support.
You might also like to know that S. Thomasette is an accomplished artisan herself. She recently worked with brewer, John Ludwig, to to make paper out of ... guess what? Hops! S. Thomasette took some photos of the process and you can read about their collaboration in John's blog.
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Human Trafficking Awareness
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During March the monastery has been working with College of Saint Benedict to raise awareness
about
the evil of human trafficking. We brought Edwina Gateley to campus on March 24 and 25 to speak about her experience of working with women who are victims of sex trafficking in the Chicago area. March 24 Edwina spoke in the monastery dining room to an audience composed of both Sisters and lay people and next day at the college. She concluded her talk by suggesting ways we can all help: - Raising awareness
- Decriminalizing women who are sex-trafficked
- Holding those who traffick them responsible
Photo: Karen Streveler, OSB
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Keeping Connected in Utah
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 As you'll be aware, the group of Sisters who were members of the monastery in Utah, are now back in Minnesota. However, we are keeping as closely in touch with our friends in Utah as possible. That includes visiting in person sometimes. Sister Stephanie Mongeon will be making a trip out there just after Easter. She'll be giving a talk on Benedictine Spirituality Lived! on April 12, 2 - 4 p.m., at St. Joseph Elementary School, 2980 Quincy Ave., Ogden, Utah, 84403. If you are one of our Utah friends and would like to attend, call or e-mail Yvonne Coiner on 801 458 2770 or coineryvonne@gmail.com . |
Church, Community, Creativity
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Church, Community, Creativity: Testimony of Courage and Hope through the Prism of Latin American Women is the title of the 2015 Haehn Museum exhibit at the the Art and Heritage Place, Saint Benedict's Monastery. The exhibit is a collaborative display featuring the work of Benedictine Sisters in Brazil and Chile along with a collection of creative textiles from art cooperatives in Peru.
Opening Sunday, April 12, the exhibit continues through December 23. Check our web site for opening hours or call 320 363 7100.
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| Milagros Montesinos sews a cuadro. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Berru Davis, PhD
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Reimagined
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Also opening in April at the Art and Heritage Place is the Whitby Gallery's first show this year.
Sunday, April 26, Reimagined will delight you with the creative ways local artists, Solveig Anderson, Phyllis Joos, Lucy Sensted and Lily Winter, use reclaimed materials to make beautiful objects. Artists' introduction is at 2 p.m. The show continues through June 7.
Regular opening times for Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery can be found at our web site or call 320 363 7113.
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2015 Mother Benedicta Riepp Award
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Nominations are now open for the ninth annual Mother Benedicta Riepp Award. Every Year, we honor a lay woman, with Benedictine connections to the the monastery or the College of Saint Benedict, who lives out the Benedictine values in her daily life. If you think you know someone who fits those criteria, check the 2015 guidelines. Closing date for nominations is Friday, June 5, 2015. If you have any questions, contact Sister Patricia Ruether on 320 363 7053 or pruether@csbsju.edu
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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,
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Gen Maiers, OSB
Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict
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