Community News

Sister Tonette distributed ashes to the Sisters during Lauds of Ash Wednesday.   The usual early silence before Lauds was even more hushed than usual as the Sisters gathered in the quiet chapel to begin the season of Lent.  We followed the Opening Verse of Lauds…

With great joy, the monastic community celebrated the life and enduring witness of St. Scholastica on her feast day today.  We began our celebration last evening with a lovely visio divina presentation in which we reflected on images of St. Scholastica from our own monastery and from other places.  We…

Sister Tonette Sperando, Prioress, recently returned home from Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, South Dakota where she attended the annual meeting of the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses (CBP).  She was one of forty-four participants in attendance.  Besides the United States, Sisters came from the Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico.  Also in…

In June, the community will host the annual Novice and Director Institute (NADI).  This 10-day event is held annually for Novices and Novice Directors from Benedictine communities around the country.  The program provides Novices from different communities the opportunity to explore together essential elements of the Benedictine way of life…

A new era of the community’s presence on the web began today with the publication of our completely redesigned and updated website.  We are pleased to share it and to offer a hospitable presence on the web. Our community’s first website went ‘live’ in 1999.  Our Prioress at the time,…

The latest issue of Benedictine Update, the community’s bi-annual newsletter, has been published and mailed to our friends, family, and benefactors.  A pdf copy can be read at this link: BenedictineUpdateDec2019  

For the second consecutive year, the monastic community invited the women Religious within the Diocese of Birmingham to join them for a Day of Reflection during Advent.  This year, the reflection day was led by Fr. John McDonald, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Anniston, AL, and a priest…

One of our two ‘grandmother houses’ – St. Benedict’s Monastery in Pittsburgh, PA – is celebrating its 150th birthday this year.  As part of the celebration, Sr. Tonette was invited to participate in a special evening of giving thanks and celebrating their ministerial heritage, including the founding of their two…

  Earlier this week, the community hosted members of Region 5 of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for their fall meeting.  The event drew leaders of women’s religious communities from Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama.  Participating in the meeting from Sacred Heart were Sisters Tonette Sperando, Priscilla Cohen, Lynn…

Sister Mary Grace Mecke died peacefully this morning in the monastery infirmary.  Her Sisters had been keeping vigil and she passed tranquilly into the arms of God. A link to her obituary can be found here.