Reflecting on our Sacred Tradition of Ministry and Service
Rooted in Cullman for over a century, the Benedictine Sisters have joyfully witnessed to God's presence and love by responding to the needs of people throughout our diocese and beyond. Deeply steeped in the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sisters' ministry transcends the parish or denomination, and reaches out to all with the love of God that is evidenced by their lives and manifested in their works.
Below, following a letter of support from Bishop Robert Baker of the Diocese of Birmingham, we share with you the words of some who have been impacted by the ministry of the Sisters. We invite you to return as testimonies are rotated regularly. Please visit our archive page to view previously posted testimonies.
The Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, Alabama, have generously served the Diocese of Birmingham and the churches here for more than one hundred and eight years. I join all in the Diocese of Birmingham who have been served by the Sisters in a variety of apostolates through the years, in thanking them for the faith, enthusiasm, and dedication they have brought to the cause of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ here in the State of Alabama.
I feel strongly that the long range plans for the renovation and renewal of Sacred Heart Monastery will place the Benedictine Community in a position to continue the tradition of genuine service long into the future.
Please add your personal thanks to mine by supporting the Capital Campaign being launched for renovations of Sacred Heart Monastery. Your generosity will result in the prayerful gratitude of the Benedictine Sisters and myself.
Most Reverend Robert J. Baker, S.T.D.
Catholic Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama
When I visit Sacred Heart I am always struck by its tranquility and peacefulness. The Sisters have done a wonderful job in making their home a place where you can remove yourself from the distractions of the outside world. They have created an environment that is welcoming and also nurturing to your spiritual growth.
I love being the Sisters’ guest. This is Holy Ground!
Melinda McNamee
Birmingham Cursillo Community
Let me count the ways in which blessings flow out from the Benedictine Sisters to my family and me, to the Church in North Alabama, and to the world!
To my family and me - the gifts you gave us while you taught us at St. Paul’s Elementary and High School, of a great education, examples of Christ-like service, tough love, kindness, and, in my case endless patience, were “pearls of great price”. Where would we (I?) be without them?! I have spent my life in education and the competence and dedication of the Sisters who served St. Paul’s at the time were outstanding and memorable. What blessings!
To the Diocese of North Alabama - you all have spent your lives in countless service ministries with your usual competence, dedication, and effectiveness. Where would the Church have been without the blessing of your collective service?! But you bring something much more valuable than all your wonderful service to those who you serve. You bring Christ. When you served us you saw Christ in each of us and helped us, through your wonderful example and spirituality, to strive to emulate you. And where would the women of this Diocese have been without your example of peace-
filled Ora et Labora, throughout the revolutionary changes in the role of
women in society? Your continued Grace-filled Hope and trust in the Holy Spirit’s care for us now and in the future, is a shining example in a world filled with impatience. What blessings!
Where would this world be without the world-wide monastic prayer life of the Order of St. Benedict? Whenever and wherever I have visited a Benedictine Monastery like yours, I have felt a sense of peace and a sense of being in a blessed place. This blessing of your constant prayers is part of a 1500 year old miracle that has survived persecution, natural and manmade disasters, poverty and famine, and now a plague of indifference to all things Sacred. And yet your rise each day to greet the day and God, worshiping and praising for all of us. What blessings!
God Bless and thank you and your Community for all your blessings!
Thomas James, Ph.D.
Educated by the Benedictine Sisters
“Ora et Labora” – I was introduced to that Latin phrase when I began my association for the first time with the Benedictine Sisters at John Carroll High School in Birmingham. Those were four of the happiest years of my life, so happy that I chose to continue my Catholic Education with the Benedictine Sisters at Sacred Heart College in Cullman. The importance of prayer and work was instilled in us from the beginning.
I was fortunate to come from a loving, Catholic family and that sense of caring and well-being was continued as Sacred Heart. I was able to attend Mass daily and was given the opportunity to worship with the community of Sisters as they prayed the Hours. I even thought it was an honor to rise in the early morning hours to walk to the Chapel for a Holy Hour. I often wondered if the Sisters knew we had on our pajamas under those trench coats! It was only after I graduated that I realized the value of the gift of Catholic education in the Benedictine tradition that had been given to me by my parents and brought to fullness under the care and dedication of the Sisters.
I have so many fond memories of the Sisters with whom I continue to be in contact some 40 years after my graduation. If I could return to an earlier time in my life, it would certainly be those six years of high school and college. The Sisters were excellent teachers and role models. I continue to thank Sisters Eleanor and Dominica for my love of mathematics- a love so keen that I continue to teach advanced algebra to a group of eighth graders despite my busy ministry of elementary school principal. I wonder at the dedication of Sr. Maurus Allen and her dreaded oral theology exams. But I made it through those and am a better oral speaker today because I learned how to organize my thoughts and present an argument. Sr. Mary Ruth guided me through many a year of English and helped me improve in an area that came second to math for me.
Most of all, I remember the kindness of the Sisters, the holiness that permeated their very being. I was valued as an individual and encouraged to try new things, all with a feeling that I would succeed. Through the years, as I have continued to keep in touch, I am amazed at all that has happened at the Sisters’ monastery in terms of improvements and new programs. The zeal for Christ that I saw as a student is still very prevalent. The outreach by the community has grown exponentially. The motto
“Ora et Labora” is truly lived out every day in every way. May God bless their ventures today and always!
Janet Murray
John Carroll Catholic High School Graduate
Sacred Heart College Alumna
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