Our life of prayer and community living overflows into a life of ministry to others. Inspired by the Gospel and by St. Benedict, and alert to the needs of the People of God, each Sister utilizes her God-given talents in roles such as pastoral ministry, retreat work and spiritual direction, teaching and administration, positions in the legal and health care professions, and in Community service and administration. In the Benedictine tradition, there is not a single ministry or type of work that is associated with Benedictine life other than the core ministries of prayer and community. Rather, Benedictine communities have responded to the needs of the time and place in which they lived using the resources available to them. Over the centuries, Benedictine communities have engaged in works such as education, agriculture, hospitality, health care, service to the poor, spiritual guidance, pastoral care, intellectual labor, religious art and practical crafts, and more. Our ministries are undertaken in the same spirit – seeking to meet needs in our time and place with the resources available to us.
Located on the grounds of Sacred Heart Monastery is a ministry sponsored by the monastic community, the Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center. The Retreat Center offers hospitality to a variety of church groups, diocesan programs, and events geared toward spiritual growth and education. An additional focus of the Retreat Center is providing an environment in which individuals can come for quiet and solitude in a prayerful setting. The Center also sponsors programs of its own as well as opportunities for spiritual direction and individual faith development.
