Hospitality has been one of the core values of the Benedictine way of life since the sixth century. St. Benedict describes the reception of guests in Chapter 53 of his Rule, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, who said: ‘I was a stranger and you…
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During our annual community meetings in July, the Peace and Justice Committee presented a thought-provoking program on racism, encouraging each one of us to consider our own prejudice and bias. I would like to share some of the more significant parts that challenged me during this exercise. We were given…
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On August 6th we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This beautiful feast celebrates the revelation of the eternal glory of the Second Person of the Trinity to the apostles Peter, James, and John. Normally, this glory was veiled during Christ’s life on earth, but on this…
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Due to my recent travels out of state, I have had some extra quiet time spent quarantining in Benet Guest House, the older one of our retreat houses that is located just above our lake. During the coronavirus pandemic, our Sisters have agreed that if we travel outside the monastery…
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Equal justice won a victory in June of 2016. That summer, Pope Francis requested the memorial of St. Mary Magdalene, celebrated on July 22, be elevated to a major feast. Liturgically speaking, this decision put the feast of St. Mary Magdalene on par with the feasts of the male apostles….
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You’ve probably heard the old adage that meditating on scripture is meant “to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable.” It takes courage and patience to sit with our discomfort in the presence of God. For Saint Benedict, “seeking Christ above all else” meant seeking Truth found at the…
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As the current Oblate Director for my community, I always am amazed when I interview someone desiring to become a Benedictine Oblate. Usually the person already has read the Rule of St. Benedict, prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, practiced lectio divina, and participated in service ministries in his/her church…
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Sister Eleanor Harrison is an icon of our community. She also is one of our elders – both in age and in grace but definitely not in mind! A native of Birmingham, she has spent most of her life in the Diocese of Birmingham except for a short time of…
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When I was first asked to do a blog for the week of June 21, 2020 my thoughts immediately went to some great feasts around that time: the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (our community’s patronal feast) and the Nativity of John the Baptist, the precursor of…
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Death is not extinguishing the light: it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come” (R. Tagore). Dawn came for our Sister Brigid Clarke on Tuesday, May 19th, at the age of 91. It is hard for me to believe she has died. It is harder to…
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