Sisters of Saint Benedict's Monastery

An Infusion of Story Tellers

2012-01-19T16:23:00.000-06:00

Twenty-eight sisters from Saint Bede Monastery, Eau Claire, WI transferred to Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN in August 2011. As a result, the monastery in St. Joseph, MN received an infusion of remarkable story-tellers.

Sister Doris Steinfeldt is among my favorites. She has two qualities that immediately make me smile. She is fiercely independent and has never lost her capacity for sheer delight. I heard her reveal both of these qualities when she recalled how she needed to work 12 hour shifts and be on-call the other hours typically seven days a week. This was because she was working at a small hospital in Durand, WI and was the only one, day and night, who could draw blood or take x-rays for emergencies. Apparently her gift of high energy helped her continue this for years. However, in winter she would get restless, wanting to get exercise with her favorite past-time, figure skating.

One day as she looked out at vacant lot across the road, she decided she would hose it down to see if she could create a rink. Her garden hose wasn’t particularly effective at this. Then she noticed in the local paper that people could write a note to Santa at Christmas time and Santa would respond. She thought, why not ask for a big hose from the fire department and see how Santa might respond.

Of course, on Christmas Eve she was shocked when a fireman appeared at her door holding a giant hose. She thanked him profusely but he interrupted her. He said, “You know the men need to practice hosing each week, why don’t I arrange to have them do their practice in your empty lot.” And that’s how she got to do figure skating right across from the hospital all winter. She is now 85 years old. Only last year did she give away her treasured figure skates.

Her stories and her presence remain so energizing that I’m tempted to say what a colleague recently said about someone she admired, “Because of her, I think I can almost believe in human cloning!”

Celebrating a Life Lived Well: Sister Lucille Hubman, 100

2012-01-12T15:11:00.003-06:00

On this cold and blistery day in January, we celebrated the life of Sister Lucille Hubman, whose life of service in many different places and times was remembered by those who knew her best.

In Monastic Life, we have a custom of celebrating the death of a Sister. We know that she has reached her goal of seeking God and is now seeing Him face to face. We are happy for her. So, we begin our ritual by sitting with a Sister who is dying. We stay with her through all of her waking hours until she is on her way to eternity. The custom of singing songs, praying psalms, and talking about the spiritual life assures that our Dear Sister will not die alone.

The Words of Remembrance are prepared by another Sister who knows the deceased Sister well and has some "stories," perhaps, to bring to the community. We love to hear about her life as a child, her family, and some of the missions where she served. Usually the stories begin to flow as soon as we have heard that our Sister has gone to Heaven.

The family and friends of each Sister are invited to the Wake and Eucharistic Celebration sending her to meet God. At the funeral dinner, we tell stories and hear things about this Sister that we may not have known before. It is a wonderful time to become acquainted with the great goodness of her life.

Many of us, like myself, did not know Sister Lucille well because she was part of the delegation from Eau Claire that joined St. Benedict's Monastery in 2010. But, today, I learned that she was a marvelously wise and witty woman who was loved and admired by many. I wish I had had the privilege of getting to know her. Now, I will have to wait until I meet her in Heaven.

Closet 2 Closet

2012-01-06T13:33:00.001-06:00

Because Benedictines have always valued sustainability, some of us volunteer at Closet 2 Closet, a nonprofit thrift shop in downtown St. Joseph whose mission is, "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle." Run entirely by volunteers and relying on donations, any profits benefit the city. The first contribution was a bicycle rack on main street purchased together with the area's Collegeville Community Credit Union.

The shop offers hospitality and fosters a sense of community. Browsers and customers frequently comment on the warm welcome they receive, and on how much they enjoy the frequently added new items. I have met many new people from the local and larger area, and made friends with a German speaking elderly gentleman who checks out the book section every Saturday.

Among other things, you will find: DVDs, clothing, household items, dishes, cutlery, small appliances, toys, jewelry, greeting cards, picture frames, craft supplies, vintage items, student art, and more.

Closet 2 Closet is located in the former Loso grocery store and shares space with the Minnesota Food Market, an organic food coop open to everyone. Stop by to browse and chat.

Katherine Kraft, OSB

Sticking with Garfield’s New Year’s Resolution

2012-01-06T09:39:00.000-06:00

I have never been big on New Year’s resolutions. They have always been short lived, 24 to 48 hours at the max. Cartoon character Garfield’s resolution was not to mess with perfection. This little quip gave me a chuckle. Then I decided I am going to adopt Garfield’s resolution – not messing with perfection this year.

Isn’t perfection overrated? We were created to be human not perfect. Why in the world do we continue to strive for something that doesn’t exist? Being human with all our quirks, foibles, and goofiness is perfect. All God wants this year is for you to be you. And guess what? It’s fun to human – it brings you and God joy. But if you have that personality that just needs to strive for perfection – well so be it. I guess it’s perfectly fine to strive for perfection – just don’t mess with perfection. Let life unfold with beauty, ease, color, and design and it will all be perfect.

Happy New Year!

A New Year, Some New/Old Thoughts

2012-01-04T14:18:00.002-06:00

In my 74^th year now, I reflect back on so many "New Years" and they begin to merge and meld into one another. No one stands out at this point and that somewhat saddens me. It reminds me that as I age I start letting many things "go" or just slip and slide away. Not least among these things are New Year resolutions.
When I was younger, I usually wrote down (on the last day or two of the old year) three to four resolutions on which I would focus during the next year. This was almost a ritual for me and I gave much thought to the practice. But about two years ago I decided that the ideal and the real were not in sync and that I had no heart anymore for continuing this practice. Living day to day as best I can seems enough of a goal now—probably always has been. St. Benedict did not require his monks to make New Year resolutions, I note, and this seems to indicate that we are to live daily in the presence of God and one another with love, patience, perseverance, and prayerfulness. That's enough to focus on—in any year and any time. Carol Berg, OSB

Food Cravings as our Teacher

2011-12-22T12:27:00.000-06:00

It happened to me again this past week. I was scrounging desperately to find an instruction booklet for an appliance I needed to use. I hadn’t used it recently and was envisioning a major mishap if used incorrectly. Then, to my delight, I spied some fascinating food information on an outdated calendar tucked in with the appliance booklets. You know the feeling, when you just come across an amazing hidden treasure on the way to trying to find something completely unrelated. The information treasure I unearthed related to what food cravings tell you about what your body needs.

SUGAR-craving [e.g. candy bars]

Body NEEDS: Chromium & tryptophan rich foods

Rationale: these help prevent insulin-resistance and

pre-diabetes FOODS: broccoli, grapes, whole grains or turkey

SALT-craving [Salt is sodium chloride, an electrolyte; crave chips to get it]

Body NEEDS: Chloride-rich foods

Rationale: these foods replenish the body’s electrolytes without

adding salt to your diet

FOODS: tomatoes, rye, celery or kelp

CARBOHTYDRATE-craving [white bread, white rice, white flour products]

Body NEEDS: Energy

Rationale: the body needs fuel

FOODS : Salad, brussels sprouts, garbanzo beans or whole grains

I’m poised to explore. If you already have tried some of them, let me know what you found out.

LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E

2011-12-22T11:42:00.001-06:00

My niece, Sue, told me that she has a new mantra:
“Love is spelled T-I-M-E.” Think about it.

John takes time to listen to his teenage son talk about his worry over a relationship. Don goes to visit his wife who has Alzheimer’s even though it gets more difficult. Sister Sheila spends time with men and women in prison. The Cremer family makes and serves a meal at Place of Hope. Sally volunteers every week at St. Scholastica convent. Bob and Sue fly from Denver to spend time with Bob’s mother who is very ill. Nancy and her friends help her mother move to a new care facility. Sister Janet and her companions make sure our tables are beautifully decorated. Every day sisters in the monastery do the many unexpected behind-the-scenes acts of kindness.

It’s what hundreds of other people do every day, in different ways, and the time they spend is spelled L-O-V-E.

When the time was right, the Son of God became Emmanuel, God-With-Us, to teach us how to live and how to love. Jesus did that by spending time with the poorest of the poor, the lame and the blind, those on the margins of society, those most oppressed by governments and religions, those no one took time to care about or recognize as valuable.

Today and every day, God has all the time in the world for us, never leaving us to be alone, never giving up on us, never coercing us or forcing us, but always waiting for us to change and grow. God forever holds out the offer of forgiveness to us.

Think about it. Who is the person who most needs your time during this Christmas season. Who needs you to listen, forgive, comfort, tease, laugh, recognize, and share memories. Love is spelled T-I-M-E.

Mary and Joseph on the Clearance Rack

2011-12-14T16:17:00.000-06:00

A week ago I was out shopping for some Christmas gifts. As I walked down the clearance aisle looking for a deal: Behold! There on a clearance rack stood life-size statues of Mary and Joseph! For some reason, seeing Mary and Joseph during a 21st century Christmas season, seemed amusing and even, ironic.

I have been pondering this sighting like Mary pondering the angel telling her she would “be with child.” I wonder whether many of us put Mary and Joseph on the clearance rack in one way or another, caught up in the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas. This Christmas season, I want to take Mary and Joseph off the clearance rack of my heart, and make the mystery and miracle of the Incarnation life-size. This would be a gift that could impact all my relationships and the world.

In verse 16 of the opening chapter of John’ Gospel, we read this about this incarnation: “And from his fullness we all have received grace upon grace.” Grace upon grace is ours to receive “free"! Now, isn’t that a deal!

And where will I find the magi?

Sharing some beloved book titles

2011-12-12T09:54:00.000-06:00

Some years ago, while I was on sabbatical in New Mexico and spent wonderful time in bookstores, I found and fell in love with a southwestern storyteller/ author, Byrd Baylor. I confess that, while there, I purchased eight of her books, used them for prayer, to read to others, to teach at various times in our Spirituality Center and finally gave them away because they were too good to keep!

I don’t know how much or often parents and grandparents read to their children, nor even if they give books as gifts anymore in our technologically oriented world, but I’d like to suggest that Byrd Baylor, together with her creative illustrator, Peter Parnall, will delight the hearts of readers as well as their young audiences!

Byrd Baylor is from the land of deserts and timelessness, of Indian communities and the presence of grandfathers in the lives of children. Her stories are full of invitations to quiet reverence, awareness of nature, listening awe, solitude and time, as well as to other cultures. For her, the spirit, not material things, is necessary for personal development.

Knowing that, wouldn’t you like your grandkids and children to grow up with some of these values? Try reading to them one or all of the following titles-- slowly and thoughtfully-- letting them hear your words not only with their ears but in the silence of their hearts. Let them tell you How to Start a New Day or if it’s true for them, too, as it is for Byrd Baylor, that Everybody Needs a Rock and that there is Another Way to Listen to surprising realities. Hawk, I’m Your Brother or Amigo or Your Own Best Secret Place will delight both you and your young listeners.

And finally, you will love Let’s Celebrate. Can YOU find 108 celebrations, “besides the ones that they close school for” as does the little girl in this wonderful book? Give it a try! Google for this outstanding author and her illustrator and catch their exquisite appreciation for the sacredness of all life. You and your child may find more than 108 reasons for celebrating. . .

Intercultural- LEAD

2011-12-09T11:04:00.003-06:00

Because I have students in my classes from the Intercultural-LEAD program, I was invited to a Holiday dinner at the President's House on Wednesday evening of this week, December 7. President MaryAnn Baeninnger is very much involved in and supportive of this program. And even though the President's House, called the Renner House, is quite large and spacious, it is almost too small for all of the students involved in this first-generation student cohort. This year, the first-year class was fairly large and thus the total number is near 100!

Students involved in this program come from a variety of locations and a variety of cultures. In my classes, I have a student from California, who is Hispanic; three students from the Hmong culture in St. Paul; three students originally from African countries who emigrated to the United States; and lastly a student originally from Cambodia. This diversity mixes extremely well with the majority of the class from Minnesota.

These students are awarded scholarships based on their leadership qualities, their educational endeavors, and their diversity. Thus, in the classroom, these students are very forthright and willing to participate in discussions as well as any other classroom activity. They are scholars, in every way, but especially because they are devoted students with an inner drive and motivation that I admire immensely.

The Holiday/Christmas Party at the President's House was so much fun because they all dressed appropriately for the event and were on their best behavior! So, with such wonderful company and terrific food, of course, it is a seasonal party to remember!

Advent Musings

2011-11-30T16:51:00.000-06:00

We are well into the first week of Advent, reminded again that we are a people of hope, of trust, of longing—waiting and looking for some signs that God is indeed in charge of this world and the universe. As usual, I am torn between trying to observe Advent in its totality, giving full attention to its stress on waiting for the coming of Christ, and wanting to turn the radio dial to hear the beloved Christmas songs or to do some early decorating in my bedroom and office. It is difficult to hold to the anticipatory part of Advent and not get caught up in a rush to Christmas. I know that I am not singular in this regard.

The familiar readings from Isaiah are a comfort and a wake-up call. He tells of a Savior who will come to transform us and our world. That signifies a need for change on our part, a need for repentance as well as a joyful expectation of the many blessings our Savior will bring. A little Lenten spirit might help, fasting before feasting; the Eastern Orthodox Churches practice that a lot more than we do here in the west. Both East and West, however, as one writer puts it, have “spiritual goose bumps” as we eagerly look to Christmas.

"Change is Good"

2011-11-28T17:13:00.000-06:00

Today when I was driving, I noticed a sign that said, “Change is good.” There was no advertising sponsor named, no any attempt at solicitation. Maybe, it was God. The phrase that change is good struck a chord in me. If it’s good, why is it so hard to change, or to think change could be good? Is it because I have become cynical and can’t believe change is good, or that things will actually change. As I was pondering, I noticed that the old Sam’s Club was being demolished. Cement walls were toppling down exposing some of the foundational structure. Men were removing the fence around the property. WOW! Change right before my eyes. I quickly made a connection between the sign and the demolition of Sam’s Club.

Change is always happening, whether good or bad. Change occurs every day--sometimes gradually or swiftly. Technology allows us to experience the effects of change almost instantly. At the same time, there are some things in my life that I feel never change. I have never lost my appetite for sweets/dark chocolate, and I keep worrying about things I can’t control. Yet, there are things in my life that have changed. My weight has changed many times; my body creaks in more places than before; my stress level has been lowered through breathing techniques, and fears that I believed to be huge didn’t happen.

The most exciting change in my life is my relationship with God. As I have aged, my heart and understanding of God have become more expansive. I’ve grown to trust God’s journey for me and God’s voice speaking to me. The change that has brought me joy is living into the mystery of God’s love for me even when “I don’t get it,” but especially when “I do get.” It’s a paradoxical change. As we enter into Advent, I think of the mystery of change that occurred through the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. We get it and we don’t. It represents such a remarkably wonderful change in how we think about God. Happy Advent!

Respect of Our Ancestors

2011-11-21T10:50:00.005-06:00

Veteran’s Day this year seemed to take root in me in a different way. After hearing veterans share so many moving accounts, the word RESPECT kept coming to me for days.

I’m not sure if it was because the month of November is often a time when we connect with our loved ones who “are on the other side” or if those who have died and remain eternal soul-mates just want me to listen to them oftener right now. In either case, I’m grateful they are helping me remember more clearly the reality of respect for everything and everyone.

I have gotten a glimpse of what rooted respect means from listening to my American Indian friend, Mary Lou. When I accompanied her to a powwow in Hinckley, MN I was marveling at the amazing richness of the clothing that the participants were wearing. She told me that they are so valuable and treasured that they are willed to others in their will.

Then she added, if any eagle feather happens to fall off of their dance attire while they are dancing, everyone must stop until one among them that is a veteran follows a sacred ritual to pick up the feather. Only a veteran can touch this “first American flag”. It suddenly dawned on me that every enlisted person has knowingly or unknowingly pledged themselves to be a potential Martyr-for-
Freedom. May I never forget the price they pay and honor and cherish each enlisted person.

With Chicken Wings

2011-11-17T10:03:00.000-06:00

It was the anniversary of my Dad’s death; he died in 1999 having lived 96 full and beautiful years. For most of the day I smelled incense; scientists say that scent is a powerful memory inducer. I began to stare out my window, thinking of Dad, when I saw...

A flock of birds atop a tree outside my window
they obviously like being together.

They cling to one another visiting, singing, or at times, flitting to a higher branch.
No one bumps into another: they like togetherness, yet they yearn for the freedom of flight.

As a small boy, my Dad had that yearning, too.

With chicken wings tied to his thin shoulders, he climbed the chicken shed and flew down!

He didn’t do well on that flight!

But I love him for the longing in his childhood heart
to soar!

It must be genetic, for I, too, want to fly!
Mine, desires of the heart - but with a heavy body!

Does it make too much of a difference, Lord?

Here I come. . .

Benedictine Women's Service Corps

2011-11-11T09:51:00.009-06:00

Working with the young women who are volunteering for the BWSC, is simply delightful. These women, as graduates of CSB/SJU, truly exemplify the Benedictine Values in action.

Just this past week, Jana Graczyk, who is at Colegio San Benito in Puerto Rico sent a wonderful suggestion to the Alternative Break Experience Coordinator. Jana feels strongly about recycling, and whenever she witnessed the relative lack of it at the school, she determined to assist the school in its efforts to become aware of it and begin practicing.

Therefore, she suggested to Carley Braegelman, ABE Coordinator, that Humacao and San Benito be considered as a the next new site so that CSB/SJU students could run a recycling campaign there and supply the school with the necessary collection bins and such for a program.

On the other side of the world, our volunteers in Tanzania have been making a concerted effort to visit small villages in the surrounding area of Chipole and St. Agnes Convent. They take a guide and set out on rather long treks to arrive at remote locations where roads do not exist. They visit the local people, many of whom have never seen white people before, much less American.

Here at St. Benedict's, we keep up with the activities of our volunteers by reading their blogs from our Home page. We invite you to read their weekly adventures and service projects in Puerto Rico and Tanzania . When you read what these CSB grads are doing, you may be inspired to help our Monastery to continue this worthy program by giving any amount to Give to the Max on November 16. Click here to learn and become involved.

Thank you.

A Longing of the Universe

2011-11-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

Gerald May has these provocative words to share:

“If a person feels a longing to be at one with the universe,

it is as if the universe feels the same longing to be one with the person.

If I sense a great aching in my heart to be in love with God,

it seems that God must in some mysterious way share that aching with me.”

Relationship. That’s what living is all about: mutual, reverent, open, caring relationships with the universe and the God of the universe. And what is so helpful is to know we are not alone in our longings to love and to be loved. As we touch another with a hand, a smile, a word, an aching desire, there is that other extended hand, returned smile, response or aching desire ready to create a relationship! Whom will you touch today?

2011-11-02T10:48:00.004-05:00

REFLECTION ON SAINTS ALL AROUND US

When I was in the lower grades, around ages six-eight, I greatly admired angels, their wings in particular fascinating me (and I could not envision angels without them). Then I began reading the lives of the saints—in the upper grades-- and found so many to admire. However, both angels and the saints seemed completely out of my league--beings too far above me to be truly imitated. Still, it was important to me that they existed and one could at least dream about possibly mixing and mingling with them.

In early adulthood my focus on angels gradually lessened and I only sporadically dove into the lives of the saints (the old Butler version had been my constant companion). But a few favorite saints have remained ideals for me and I never tire of hearing or reading about them. Who could not be attracted to such people as Francis of Assisi, Isaac Jogues, Therese of Lisieux, Rose of Lima and Bernadette of Lourdes. They personify the heights to which we humans can reach, in spite of our frailties. Then I look around me and I know now that there are many saints present, not least my fellow Sisters, both living and dead. I think we are surrounded by saints (and angels, too) daily. Sadly, we just don’t notice the halos and wings.

Acupressure Nudges

2011-10-28T16:07:00.003-05:00

Leland Kaiser, a health futurist says, "Natural systems, like plants, animals and the human body, function simply and organically to achieve desired goals with just enough structure". For example, there are just enough cells to create tissues, there are just enough tissues to make organs and there are just enough organs to make a human body. If excess cells are produced, the organism becomes dis-eased and loses its original natural flow.

Human-made systems, like education, politics, healthcare etc. have a difficult time maintaining the achievement of their initial goals. Human-made systems easily become encumbered with rigidly structured elements. Adding complex structure easily constricts organic flow, and therefore ultimately tends to "break" or turn into "paralyzed-obsolescence" the system's initial effectiveness.

Natural healing approaches such as acupressure seem to acknowledge the body's desire to maintain its simple and organic nature by gently nudging its self-healing flow. Unduly heavy nudges hold the risk of introducing structural course-corrections that may overpower the existing self-correcting body mechanisms. In a life-threatening crisis or accident, major structural corrections immediately need to be made by wonderfully skilled practitioners. For other situations, there are amazing natural nudges which have been used for centuries that frequently help the body remember its original resilience.

God certainly is the ideal model-maker for organic simplicity and flow. It's another whole dimension to choose to follow the invitation to incorporate those two elements in my daily healthy living choices. One can only keep trying.

Spiritual or Religious?

2011-10-27T09:17:00.008-05:00

Have you heard someone say, "I'm spiritual not religious"? Perhaps we'd like to ask the person help us understand the difference. And in some cases when the difference is stated, both spirituality and religion get a bad rap. Religion may seem to mean legal codes, judgmental moralism, and hierarchy. We must have done a bad job of teaching our religion. Spirituality seems to mean, well, almost anything I want it to mean, but mostly it's about my personal experience. We must have done a bad job of teaching the Christian tradition of spirituality.

Spirituality without a worshiping faith-community may be self-serving. Religion without spirituality may be without heart, dry and tedious.

I doubt that the early Christians of the first century spent much time debating these two terms. I doubt that the first century Christian martyrs ~ or for that matter the Christian martyrs of the 20^th century ~ agonized over the distinction.

Maybe we would be better off having the simple direct faith of children as in these letters to God:
     Dear GOD, I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. Nan

     Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. Larry

     Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You just keep the ones You have now? Jane

Maybe these future theologians will help us to do a better job of integrating religion and spirituality in a way that gives meaning and purpose to our everyday lives.

Anniversary of the Dedication of Sacred Heart Chapel

2011-10-24T13:48:00.005-05:00

Today, October 24, the Sisters of Saint Benedict celebrate the anniversary of the Dedication of Sacred Heart Chapel at the monastery. At 7:00 a.m. nearly 100 Sisters met for Morning Prayer in the chapel and Sister Micheala Hedican, the Prioress, began in a clear voice singing "Let all creation God's glory proclaim, with praise and thanks, we bless God's name." It is always amazing to me that that many women who have been keeping silence since the evening before, can begin a new day with strong vibrant voices. OK, some mornings we are flat but not on a feast day! We tend to really "get into it" on a celebration day and the house of God is something about which to celebrate.

The reading for the prayer service was from the Second Book of Chronicles and it seemed especially meaningful: "Solomon, I have heard your prayer. And I have chosen this place for myself to be a Temple for sacrifices. I may stop the sky from sending rain. I may send sicknesses to my people. Then my people, who are called by my name, will be sorry for what they done. They will pray to me and I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. And I will listen to the prayers prayed in this place. I have chosen this Temple and made it holy. So, I will be worshiped here forever. Yes, I will always watch over it and love it."

And this became even more meaningful for me when I got to my office. There was an e-mail from a friend thanking for the prayers of the Sisters for several people who are close to her. This friend asked the Sisters to pray and we did and, very often, our God is gracious enough to answer those prayers. God says to us, "Sisters, I have heard your prayer!"

A Catholic nun in a Zen Buddhist monastery?

2011-10-20T13:38:00.008-05:00

From September 17 to October 5 I had the most unique experience of participating in an East-West spiritual exchange by spending almost three weeks in three different Zen Buddhist monasteries in Japan.

There were five participants in the program (see picture, l. to r., Sister Gaetane of Belgium, Brother Matteo of Italy, Brother Irénée of Belgium, Sister Clelia of Italy and I from North America). All of us are involved in Monastic Interreligious Dialogue in our respective countries. None of us had been part of an experience like this before this year.

Our journey began with a long car ride from the Osaka airport to the city of Okayama where we were to spend 4 days at Sogen-ji, a monastery of about 20 Buddhist monks and nuns. Because there are several westerners at this monastery it was felt that we would receive a good orientation to our other monastic visits. Indeed we were grateful for those four days where we were awakened at 3:30 a.m. and chanting sutras with great gusto by 4 a.m. We were each given to keep 5 bowls of various sizes which came stacked together and wrapped in a large napkin, along with chopsticks and a small linen towel to wipe our bowls after washing them in hot tea at the end of the meal. Eating in a Buddhist monastery is a very precise affair, with many rituals and "rules" to remember. We also learned the art of removing our shoes when entering a building without tripping over our feet; inside the buildings we walked barefoot. White socks were worn only for special ceremonies, not to keep one's feet warm!

From Sogen-ji, Sisters Gaetane, Clelia and I took a train to the city of Gifu where we spent 6 days at the women's monastery of Ten'ne-ji, a small community of about 12 women, all Japanese except for one young French woman who was our guide during our stay for everything from when to take a shower and bath, to reminding us about the "rules" at table, to when to wear our habits and white socks, to what our morning manual work would be and, when we had become more comfortable with each other, to share our monastic experience with her and she with us.

Finally, we spent out last weekend at Eihei-ji, a very large men's monastery of about 180 monks. Eventhough we were lodged in the guest house and ate our meals in a guest dining room, we had the privilege of spending two hours in conversation with two roshis (teachers) who, through an interpreter, were so open and willing to answer our many questions.

I could list many reasons why I am grateful to have made the trip to Japan but probably the most important one is what I learned about my own Benedictine monastic tradition.

Acupressure Nudges

2011-10-19T08:29:00.001-05:00

Leland Kaiser, a health futurist says, “Natural systems, like plants, animals and the human body, function simply and organically to achieve desired goals with just enough structure”. For example, there are just enough cells to create tissues, there are just enough tissues to make organs and there are just enough organs to make a human body. If excess cells are produced, the organism becomes dis-eased and loses its original natural flow.

Human-made systems, like education, politics, healthcare etc. have a difficult time maintaining the achievement of their initial goals. Human-made systems easily become encumbered with rigidly structured elements. Adding complex structure easily constricts organic flow, and therefore ultimately tends to” break” or turn into “paralyzed- obsolescence” the system’s initial effectiveness.

Natural healing approaches such as acupressure, seem to acknowledge the body’s desire to maintain it’s simple and organic nature by gently nudging it’s self-healing flow. Unduly heavy nudges hold the risk of introducing structural course-corrections that may overpower the existing self-correcting body mechanisms. In a life-threatening crisis or accident, major structural corrections immediately need to be made by wonderfully skilled practitioners. For other situations, there are amazing natural nudges which have been used for centuries that frequently help the body remember its original resilience.

God certainly is the ideal model-maker for organic simplicity and flow. It’s another whole dimension to choose to follow the invitation to incorporate those two elements in my daily healthy living choices. One can only keep trying.

Psalm 65

2011-10-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

This morning we stood in choir and prayed Psalm 65 about the lavishness of God’s gifts upon our earth:

“People everywhere

Stand amazed at what you do;

East and west shout for joy. . . .

With soft’ning rain

You bless the land with growth. . . .

All You touch comes alive:

Untilled lands yield crops,

Hills are dressed in joy.

Flocks clothe the pastures,

Valleys wrap themselves in grain.

They all shout for joy

And break into song.”

Now that’s something to sing about, year after year, while the earth lasts and we are here to read the poetry of our land! Can we hear the song of creation? The joy of the hills and valleys wrapped in grain? The blessings poured out on our land? Lord God, give us new eyes and good ears so that we can join the people everywhere who stand amazed at what you do!

Digging and Dumping: A spirituality of place

2011-10-12T10:17:00.000-05:00

If you’ve been to St. Benedict’s Monastery lately, you see a huge construction job going on in front of the entrance to the Gathering Place. One definition of construction is “something fashioned or devised systematically”. Actually, right now it is more of a process of systematically destroying something.

As I watch, the workmen continue to dig and dump, dig and dump. Today a large tree had to be lifted up and away by the roots. But over time, a few skeletal structures are emerging. Something is being constructed on top of the destruction.

I’ve been reflecting on how this is a metaphor for the human and spiritual life. Dig deeper, dump some “stuff”; dig a little more and let go of a little more. Bit-by- bit and very slowly, something new begins to emerge! Something new and beautiful will rise up out of the mess!

The process of digging and dumping can be painful in our lives. We can become aware of things we’ve been hanging onto for too long. An old hurt and grudge that we should have dumped years ago still poisons our heart; a grief that we refuse to acknowledge haunts us ; the fear of the unknown keeps us hanging instead of risking something new and satisfying.

Letting go and moving on. Sometime it happens in a small decision we make. Other times there is some major milestone that calls us to “deconstruct” some part of our life in order to gain deeper inner freedom and peace. We experience a shift taking place within us. Something new is trying to find a place and space as a new entrance in our lives. We can only hope it is a strong foundation for a sacred space in the Gathering Place of our hearts!

Kathryn Casper, OSB

SUSTAINABILITY and SIMPLICITY

2011-10-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

In several chapters of Benedict’s Rule, he addresses simplicity of life—living frugally and with due attention to others’ needs as well as our own. Most likely Benedict never knew or used the word so prominent now: sustainability. But clearly he did adhere to its principles, including being satisfied with “enough” and using the goods of this world with moderation. Benedict refers to such practices as being content with what is given, not being hoarders, using tools and other goods with reverence, etc. Surely he meant his followers to handle with care what was available and around them. (Even borrowed garments were to be washed upon return from a trip and then stored away for future use!)

Early October has the feasts of two much-beloved saints whose lives give witness to the desire and capacity for simplicity of life: St. Therese of Lisieux (Oct. 1) and St. Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4). Both expressed and exhibited a willingness to live simply, content with what they were given or allowed. Both are wondrous examples of living a rich interior life satisfied with a certain “enoughness.” Neither lived in dire poverty, nor is that what the Gospel teaches. We are to have what we need and anything beyond that is to be received with gratitude and without undue attachment. Living simply—avoiding excess—seems essential for sustainability over the long haul. Sister Carol Berg

The Beloved says to all who will hear

2011-10-07T15:01:00.000-05:00

This morning I was giving the hibiscus plant in our lobby its every-other-day drink and talking to its bright orange blossom. I suddenly found myself thanking it for how eagerly it takes in the vibrancy of sun and water. Its striking blossom only lasts twenty-four hours. And surrounding it on various branches are buds, puffing up, pregnant with life. They seem poised and ready to share their in-the-moment color-burst with eyes eagerly awaiting a glimpse of their joyful self -expression.

It triggered in me a flashback to the words of a psalm I had just read from the book, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness by Nan C. Merrill.

The Beloved says to all who will

hear,

“Come, walk with Me. Let us

give birth to a new Earth!”

For, the Spirit is the One who makes all things
new,
and ever awaits our “yes” to the

Dance!

Psalm 110

Thanks, shockingly beautiful hibiscus, for reminding me to dance on this earth that you have brightened with your daily drinking in of the life-giving Spirit and self-revelation.

Awareness of Human Trafficking in US

2011-09-26T09:37:00.000-05:00

Awareness and Fighting of Human Trafficking

I have the good fortune of being a member of the Forum for Executive Women here in St. Cloud, MN. This group of more than 100 professional women meets monthly to network and hear lectures on pertinent topics. Our last lecture was on the prevalence of Human Trafficking. This is hardly a popular topic; rather one that we would like to deny exists in this country, even in this state and probably, in this city.

The reality is that it exists in this country and in this state. It is often operated out of hotels. There are about 1.5 million girls and boys who are in sex exploitation; the average age is between 12 and 14 years of age. Human trafficking is big business -- $32 billion dollar business worldwide with the United States playing a significant role in that business. It is difficult to get an accurate amount of profit but it is clearly big business and includes industrial slavery as well as sex exploitation. The sex exploitation is not about sex; it is about money.

Persons who are most vulnerable for human trafficking are children who come from unstable homes, those who have a poor self-concept, the homeless and runaway children. Adults are also vulnerable – the unemployed, those who do not have good language skills, the unskilled needing work. These adults end up working in “sweat shops” earning very little for wages and yet needing to pay for their room and board, signing unreasonable contracts with the employer, etc.

Why am I writing this blog? First of all, to create an awareness of human trafficking, to encourage all to do what we can to assist young children to be self-asserting, to learn life skills and to develop strong personalities.

You may want to check out these websites: www.childrenofthenight.org www.sharedhope.org

www.trafficinghope.org

There are also a number of books on human trafficking:

The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bates; Caged by Molly Venzke (situated in New Orleans); A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery by E. Benjamin Skinner as well as other informative books.

Be informed, be alert, be part of the solution!

Miriam Ardolf, OSB

About Rosemary

2011-09-07T19:44:00.009-05:00

One day while walking a few blocks to use the internet while I was at Chipole, Tanzania---where the 400 member Benedictine community of St. Agnes resides---I saw a sister separating the herb, rosemary, from its branch.

She had carefully collected the precious herb on top of a sack. Everyone who passed by smelled the long, thin herb and delighted in its fragrance.

The next day, the same sister was getting ready to pound the rosemary into a fine powder. I watched her clean the tools, a wooden bowl elevated at least two feet high and a long wooden "pounder."

When the bowl was almost full, she began to pound with a steady rhythm. Suddenly I wanted to try. She was generous, but I knew it was not a job for me because my arms hurt immediately. I did not have any upper body strength for the type of steady action this process required. The picture above shows the energy needed.

The Sisters use the rosemary for seasoning the sausage they make, as well as for preparing delicious pork roast for their table.

With her best English, this young Benedictine Sister indicated to me that a machine would be better. Yet, I realized that until they had such a machine, she or someone else like her would be preparing the rosemary powder with an age-old method that takes human striving and strength, great patience, and steady action.

Food for thought?

These Three Things

2011-09-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago I went to the movie "The Help". It is a wonderful story of courage, truth, generational wisdom, heart breaking issues of racism and loving-kindness.

My favorite image of the movie is when one of the caretakers, Minnie, takes the little girl into her arms and looks her square in the eyes and says, “You are kind, you are special, and you are intelligent.” Adorably the girl reiterates the phrases back to Minnie and stumbles on the last phrase which has three syllables.

This scene melted my heart. I believe our world would be a better place if we took time to share these intentional phrases with children and each other eye to eye. I also believe God’s presence somehow, someplace everyday - every moment - is continually looking into the eye of our soul to repeat those three statements.

• You are kind – you have been given a heart to love. We are humans created to care for one another with respect, dignity, and compassion. Your authentic self in the purest form desires to live out of kindness.

• You are special. I made you, created you in my image. You carry The Life and Light of Truth to shine in the world for this time and space. No one can do it like you!

• You are intelligent. So many times we confine intelligence to the academic or business world, comparing and competing with one another. Each person is gifted with an intelligence the world and Body of Christ need. The eye cannot say to the nose I don’t need you. We all bring our gifts to share and shine. Intelligence is about the generosity and freedom of giving all of yourself, that God may be glorified.

Take time to share these statements with your children, mates, friends and colleagues. And remember everyday God looks into the eye of your soul to share these truths with you. We might stumble at repeating them – that is fine – just fine with God!

Every Pebble

2011-09-05T15:02:00.000-05:00

If you have ever walked around the block with a 3 year old child and stopped with her for every new attraction, you know what it is to wonder, to notice, to be involved; and as an adult, you also notice the time it takes to be there with her .

If you have ever been in church with someone who seems intent on giving the ‘kiss of peace’ to as many persons as possible by touching multiple hands or waving to the many too distant for a touch, you know what it is to be touched , but only mechanically, without the least eye contact or recognition of your presence or the gift of Christ’s peace offered. In fact, you may choose to sit somewhere else next time you go to Mass.

I prefer the 3 year old child’s stopping by every pebble, ant, flower as she unconsciously gives herself to them to the sister or bother who merely touches my hand but not my heart with the gift of Christ’s peace. . . or their noticing me as a sister in Christ!

Campus Buzz

2011-09-01T09:19:00.000-05:00

We enter September and the students have poured onto campus. Their presence reminds us that a new academic year has begun and once again we will be directly or indirectly pulled into the college orbit. Our closeness to the college-- physically and in myriad other ways—is a plus and we mutually benefit.

We founded the college in 1913 and it has been dear to our hearts ever since. Unfortunately, we have few Sisters under contract to the college; currently there are eight serving as faculty and four in staff positions. Fortunately we have Benedictine Friends (latest name), a program of over 30 years duration, which fosters ties between Sisters and individual students (mainly first-year students). Many Sisters and students meet during the semesters to share a meal, recreation and/or discussion at agreed-upon times, either formally or informally. Often lasting friendships develop and for some, extend years beyond graduation.

St. Benedict in his Rule calls the monastery a “school” for the Lord’s service. We are so blessed to be part of two schools here: the monastery and the college.

Sister Carol Berg

Light Shining Through the Darkness

2011-08-25T09:41:00.005-05:00

Within a three day period, thanks to the power of the Internet, I have had an incredible experience of solidarity in grief from Denver, Colorado; to St. Joseph, Minnesota; to Ogden, Utah; and beyond.

Here's the cyber-map. On Sunday, August 21, my nephew in Denver emailed to ask for prayers for his best friend, Bryan, whose sister was killed in a horrible accident. She was swimming as she did every day in the Pineview Reservoir in Ogden, Utah. Esther was an accomplished scientist at University Hospital's neurobiology and anatomy lab. But on the evening of August 21, she was struck and killed by a motorboat. Friends and colleagues remember Esther as a good friend, the kind who always remembered specific details about others' lives.

I immediately emailed Bob, and assured him of my prayers that those of the monastic community. Bob forwarded that message to his friend Bryan on Tuesday. Wednesday Bryan emailed me with thanks, saying that he wishes to bring light to the world so that Esther's goodness lives on.

At lunch on Wednesday, I met Sister Marilyn Mark, who lived at the monastery in Ogden before returning to Saint Benedict's. She had read the article, knew exactly where the Pineview Reservoir was and also had a friend who had been badly injured by a motorboat as she was swimming there. This seemed to be another web of connections where grief could be shared in solidarity with one another. By 1 p.m. I emailed Bryan and told him of this connection to Sister Marilyn and Ogden, Utah.

I may, at times, decry the technology that has overtaken the world, finding it too fast and too invasive. And yet, here is an example of the wonder of connectedness, solidarity in grief, expressions of care and consolation that can happen in an instant and travel great distances. Indeed, light can and does shine through the darkness!

photo originally posted at: http://www.seattle.net/seattlemedia/photography/skagit_valley/

The Lavish Gifts of God

2011-08-22T11:06:00.004-05:00

Submitted by Renee Domeier, OSB

plum tree in the Sisters' garden August 18, 2011

This morning we stood in choir and prayed Psalm 65 about the lavishness of God's gifts upon our earth:

"People everywhere
Stand amazed at what you do;
East and west shout for joy. . . .

With soft'ning rain
You bless the land with growth. . . .

All you touch comes alive:
Untilled lands yield crops,
Hills are dressed in joy.

Flocks clothe the pastures,
Valleys wrap themselves in grain.
They all shout for joy
And break into song."

Now that's something to sing about, year after year, while the earth lasts and we are here to read the poetry of our land! Can we hear the song of creation? The joy of the hills and valleys wrapped in grain? The blessings poured out on our land? Lord God, give us new eyes and good ears so that we can join the people everywhere who stand amazed at what you do!

Kaifeng, China

2011-08-18T15:07:00.002-05:00

In our three weeks in China in June there were many special moments; for me personally one of those moments was driving into the court yard of the building in the picture above which is part of a rather large compound in the city of Kaifeng. The building is in the center of the compound; around it and behind it are other buildings, all part of the Kaifeng Hotel. When we drove through the gate of the hotel late one afternoon my eyes were riveted on the building in the picture. Seeing it with my own eyes was without a doubt a highlight of my trip. The reason? The building was built as a convent by our Sisters, the six Sisters who went to China in 1930. There is even a stone monument at the foot of the steps to the front door with these words in Chinese: "(Built by the Benedictine Sisters)". Our community found out that the convent was in use and that it had been returned to the Catholic Church in Kaifeng only one year before our recent trip.

During our two days in Kaifeng we visited many places that would have been special to our Sisters. One was the university where S. Ronayne taught English, another was the seminary which is today just a shell of what it was back in the 1930s. However, the architect was a Benedictine monk from Belgium who lived in China at the time; the seminary has now been returned to the Catholic Church of Kaifeng by the government who promised to restore it. We also walked to the area where our only sister to die in China (S. Rachel) is buried. We also saw the building where the monks of St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, IL lived while in Kaifeng - they replaced the monks from St. Vincent Archabbey who were in Peking/Beijing with our Sisters.

Since our Sisters intended to teach in China they had a collection of books in English with them. Of course no one knew what happened to the books after all the foreign missionaries were expelled from China but, miracle of miracles, one day a few years ago boxes of books with the stamp inside the front cover indicating that they belonged to "Saint Benedict's Convent, St. Joseph, MN", were returned to the Cathedral in Kaifeng. S. Baulu Kuan, S. Christian Morris and I were able to see some of the books with our own eyes and to take pictures. Where the books have spent the last 70 years is a mystery.

I close with an expression of gratitude to the PIME Italian missionary, Fr. Franco, who contacted the community over a year ago to inform us about the Kaifeng Hotel and the books. Without his many, many e-mails to S. Dolores Super over a period of several months we might never have visited Kaifeng and walked the ground our Sisters walked 80 years ago.

Prayer and Creation

2011-08-16T10:27:00.003-05:00

View through Oratory window, Saint Benedict's Monastery

Sometimes getting my body to Morning Prayer is one thing, but having my entire being arrive is another matter. I've grown to treasure the fact that we begin our liturgy of hours with the awakening triple-sound of a gong, followed by a minute of standing quietly. It's amazingly easy to continue to review in my mind the daily activities I have planned during this quiet. A much needed phrase from Sister Jose Hobday, OSF, invites me into a broader space before our psalms of morning praise begin. The context of the helpful phrase is based on a story S. Jose shared about her wise mother.

When S. Jose was young she was crying because she saw a spider. Her mother quietly responded, "All creatures are your brothers and sisters. They are your friends. You must treasure all the creepies and the crawlies, the wingeds and the swimmies, the four-leggeds and the two-leggeds." After I heard this creature-litany, I found myself using the one minute quiet to thank all "creepies, crawlies, wingeds swimmies, four-leggeds and two-leggeds" for joining us in our morning praises, just by being who they are. I love the idea of being one with all of them at that moment … the wounded and the strong, the tiniest and the massive. And immediately the universe awakens … and so do I. Our Oratory is half submerged underground. Sometimes I need to smile when I think of all the worms and even rooted things vibrating with us as the sound of chant sends out its life-sustaining energy … each of us strengthening the other.

How the Light Gets In

2011-08-09T11:09:00.002-05:00

Submitted by Renee Domeier, OSB

Today I reflect on Richard Rohr's "Daily Meditation" for August 5. He opens with a powerful line from Leonard Cohen's song, "Anthem": "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in. . ." What a positive twist to our demand for perfection -- whether of our leaders, our plumbers, our children, our parents, or ourselves! Everything, he sings, has a crack. . . a necessary fault, as it were, so that something new may be born!

Some might call this universal imperfection original sin. What it is called, though, is not nearly so important as its consequence, which is that Jesus, the Light, enters to penetrate the darkness. The flaw is there; we need not be alarmed or surprised when we either discover it in ourselves or take too little time to correct it! That crack, that fault, that flaw has a purpose beyond our immediate understanding! Rohr commends to us the freedom that comes from recognizing this fundamental fact about our humanity. And, then, he encourages us to believe in and accept the light when it comes -- and it always comes!

Early Muslim architects of the exquisitely filigreed Alhambra deliberately carved a "mistake" into the filigree because for them only Allah is perfect! That could be another manifestation of Leonard Cohen's "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
photo originally found at: http://healing.about.com/b/2011/02/03/where-do-i-start.htm

Grace to Change

2011-08-04T09:47:00.002-05:00

Flannery O'Connor

This summer I have been doing more diverse reading than usual—a mix of biographies, mysteries, science fiction and history books.

While relaxing, reading can be hard work at times, especially if one tries to grapple with "heavy" issues. For example, I recently finished reading Unbroken, by Lauren Hillenbrand, most of the story set in the days of WWII. The main character is Louis Zamperini who turns out to be unexpectedly heroic. He "rises to the occasion," as the old saying goes. And, from what I have read, he exhibited unusual courage and will power. That, in turn, reminds me of one of my all-time favorite writers, Flannery O'Connor, since I have also been re-reading several of her short stories.
Flannery has been dead for 47 years, dying in 1964, a year before the closing of Vatican II. I regret that she did not live long enough to write some reflections about the Vatican II impact on the Church and, in particular, on the laity. Pithy as she was, Flannery would have had some truly insightful observations, I am sure. As it is, she remains one of the best writers in describing how ordinary people (though admittedly some truly odd characters!) react to unordinary or, at least, unexpected situations. She is quoted as having said, "Grace changes us and change is painful." Her characters show this through her inimitable style. Flannery knows her Gospels and she nails the paradox of suffering as an evil but also a stepping-stone to salvation. It seems to me we would not be amiss in using some of Flannery's stories as spiritual reading and perhaps even for lectio divina.

Caring for the Whole Person

2011-08-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

hydrotherapy room, courtesy Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict

submitted by Susan Sink

This year the St. Cloud Hospital is celebrating 125 years of hospital care in the region. This care was begun by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, who opened the first hospital back in February 1886. The Sisters always had bad timing with their building projects, it seems, because in April 1886, a serious tornado came through the area, leveling the town of Sauk Rapids. In fact, if it weren't for that tornado, Sauk Rapids would have probably developed as the central city of this area, not St. Cloud.

The Sisters' hospital remained standing and the staff heroically responded to care for the victims of the tornado. It was because of this disaster effort that the hospital became accepted by the public as a place for care (not just a place for the dying) and succeeded.

The Sisters built the current hospital building in 1928, and we all know what happened in 1929. The Great Depression seriously threatened the Sisters' ability to pay off the note to the bank, but through heroic efforts and years of sacrifice by all the Sisters, the debt was paid.

What I wanted to write about today was something that happened at the hospital in August of 1929. It was then that Sister Lioba Braun opened the Hydrotherapy Department at the St. Cloud Hospital. This department provided advanced treatments to soothe patients with nervous disorders and other ailments. The hospital had been equipped with solariums for "heliotherapy," landscapes for patients to go outdoors when possible and space for massage therapy as well as hydrotherapy.

Sister Lioba Braun had traveled to Bismarck, S.D., for training in massage, and traveled to a hospital in Michigan to observe their hydrotherapy department.

The hydrotherapy and massage department are just one example of how the Sisters, from very early on, cared for the whole person in their hospitals. This kind of care set the tone for future developments in hospital care at St. Cloud Hospital. In the late 1960s, as part of the first major renovation since the building was built in 1928, the hospital included extensive in-patient mental health facilities and alcohol and substance abuse treatment. In 1983, they opened the Heart Center. Continuing this mission of treating the whole person, Sister Ruth Stanley currently works as a holistic services specialist at the Heart Center.

One thing that makes health care in this area so special is its comprehensive commitment to treating the whole person and, at St. Cloud Hospital, the Benedictine tradition of treating all as though they were Christ.

Small and Large Super-heroes

2011-07-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

I didn't think people went to outdoor movies anymore, until I read a wonderful story in the July 18 issue of America magazine by Maryann Cusimano Love. In her column, Ms. Love tells of taking her children to their first outdoor movie.

Everything seemed to be going well, when suddenly "an indignant bellow – NO! –interrupted the program." She recognized "that big voice in a small person's body" as that of her 2-year-old daughter who, in her footie pajamas, had marched up to the big screen and was facing down the evil villain.

The film showing was Tangled, the Disney story of Rapunzel. The villain imprisoned Rapunzel for security reasons, to protect her "because the world was a bad and cruel place." Ms Love writes that her daughter would simply not accept that and cried out "No! that's not true! The world is not bad. The world is…" and she opened her small arms wide and pointed at the people gathered on blankets in front of her, sharing popcorn and picnics. "The world has…" and she finished her observations saying "grass! Green grass."

Ms Love says her small daughter "rested her case, secure in her conviction that a world thick with lush, green grass and people breaking bread together could only be a good and grace-filled place." When I read this, I couldn't help but think of the prophet Isaiah saying, "A little child shall lead them." Our media today seems to be full of super-heroes. We seem to be looking for someone to save us from the evil around us, and perhaps within ourselves. This phenomenon has been with us a long time, and probably will continue to be with us.

The super-heroes of the media are merely illusions. But the living, breathing heroes who stand for good, for truth and justice, who are generous and unselfish, are all around us. We need only think of Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and a little child in her footie pajamas! We need only think of our families who keep gathering to break bread and build community. We need only to think of those who tirelessly care for the child with AIDS, the young woman rescued from the abuse of human trafficking, or the neighbor down the street whose family grieves the loss of a loved one.

Shall we thank one of those super-heroes today? Thank you, small person with an outsized grasp on life!

America’s Stony Heart

2011-07-26T10:25:00.004-05:00

"America the Stony-Hearted," is the title of a recent column by Neal Gabler, professor, journalist, author, film critic and political commentator. In light of the current political polarization evidenced in budgetary gridlock, his analysis of a "moral revolution" in the U.S. over the past 30 years is of interest. Gabler believes we have become "a different country morally from what we were." He acknowledges that the "U.S. has always had a complex national moral system, one in which Puritanism, rugged individualism, hard work, self-reliance and personal responsibility coexisted with values of community, concern for the common good, charity, compassion and collective responsibility. These two moralities were not mutually exclusive, nor did they simply describe any one political party. Conservatives espoused generosity and compassion, and "liberals valued hard work and individual responsibility."

In his view, this is no longer the case. "The two moral systems that . . . long coexisted, suddenly were also being politicized and polarized . . . they became mutually exclusive, oppositional and finally inseparable. . . ." Today, for conservatives, the term "liberal" connotes being mush-minded, weak, and . . . willing to give taxpayer largesse to the underserving and lazy." And "liberals have come to see the emphasis on the individual and self-reliance as a form of civic irresponsibility and selfishness -- a way to justify rogue economic behavior and enrichment at the expense of the community."

Gabler concludes that this shift in our "moral geography has not only changed our politics and our perception of morality; it has changed us. If compassion is seen as softness, tolerance as a kind of promiscuity, community as a leech on individuals and fairness as another word for scheming, we are a harder nation than we used to be, and arguably a less moral one as well." In short, America and Americans have become stony-hearted. To read the entire article, click here.

China:Land of Contrasts

2011-07-21T14:18:00.004-05:00

From June 7 to June 26 I lived in China. For 20 days, a small group of 9 women and men Benedictines and one lay person, a professor at the School of Theology in Collegeville, visited eight cities; we traveled by mini-bus, overnight train, rapid train and plane. Why these eight cities . . . what did they have in common? Each one was the home of a religious community of Sisters and/or a seminary. The primary purpose of the trip was to meet and dialogue with the religious women in China.

I am planning over the next few months to write about our various visits but today I want to write about one of the first observations I had upon arriving in Beijing, our first stop. What struck me were the contrasts we would encounter every day. China is an incredibly ancient civilization and the Chinese are extremely proud of that history. They want to show it to the world while at the same time moving rapidly toward becoming a super power. The picture at the beginning of this blog is a small illustration of my observations regarding contrasts. Our group ate a meal in the traditional Chinese-style building and not far from the restaurant is a highrise.

As we approached the city of Kaifeng one afternoon we drove on a very new 4-lane highway with beautiful lamps posts, and looking to the right and to the left of our mini-bus were highrise buildings as far as the eye could see, along with many, many buildings in various stages of construction, as evidenced by all the cranes we saw. One of our first stops after driving into the city itself was to the Cathedral of Kaifeng; however, when we arrived at the street where we would find the Cathedral our mini-bus could not negotiate the narrow road so we walked the rest of the way. There are many more examples like this; for example, driving in the countryside and seeing not machinery in the wheat fields but people who came to the fields on their bicycles and mopeds. Or, the day we waited for a train in a brand new train station, and looking around the vast hall where we were we could see on the second floor a McDonald's, a KFC and a Dunkin Donut - we did enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and a donut after walking up the stairs because the escalator was not working.

I have wondered since returning home if people coming from foreign lands notice the contrasts in our country, contrasts that we do not see. Finally, I hope the Chinese never get rid of all their contrasts - although it would nice to have working escalators in train stations and airports!

Note: The Sisters built a monastery in Kaifeng in 1941 that is now a hotel. For an account of this story by Sister Dolores Super, click here.

Locavore's Arise!

2011-07-19T20:09:00.003-05:00

Locavore: Those who prefer to buy from local food providers.

I had a refreshing experience the other day. I walked across the street to check out the former Loso's Grocery Store as it begins its “Extreme Makeover.” For over 100 years this store provided food and miscellaneous household and school items for St. Joseph residents and area students. With easy access from the main street, it saved taking car trips to other sites to obtain last minute and basic meal/party preparation items.

Loso's Store has now morphed into a new co-op called Minnesota Street Market. It supports the local food market movement. Since it is member-owned and member-governed, it operates to benefit members based on principles agreed on by the community members. Anyone can be a lifetime member for $100. And it welcomes members and non-members to explore its healthy food choices. Because it is a smaller store, it can buy smaller quantities of produce from smaller producers. It already displays local organic fresh fruits and vegetables, provides a great selection of choice organic herbs and wonderful organic meats from free range chickens to buffalo steaks. It has milk and eggs, mushroos and even honey from nearby producers.

With a significant number of small farmers in the area, the local College of Saint Benedict focusing on sustainability and Benedictine monastic women that prefer being locavores, there is great enthusiasm for this venture. As an addition to the St. Joseph Farmer's Market and our own CSA, Common Ground Garden, there is a true movement toward eating local, fresh food in the area.

May this new venture flourish and provide the residents of the city of St. Joseph area, students and local visitors with healthy, environment-friendly and consumer-protected nourishing foods in the upcoming 100 years. It’s a marvelously encouraging business development and another sign of what can be done if local people and committed volunteers gather together and support what they believe in.

Home Visit

2011-07-14T10:10:00.013-05:00

Every summer, I set aside time to visit my family. I ask at least one other Sister if she would like to come with me, since my family lives in western North Dakota. Often Sister Johnita, who is from the same hometown as I, Dickinson, will ride with me. She visits her family while I spend time with my Mother who resides in St. Benedict's Center, part of the Duluth Benedictine Health Systems.

This summer, S. Johnita and I set out on June 30, had a lovely drive through a very green North Dakota countryside, drove through some flood waters on I-94 in two different places, and arrived at our destination before suppertime.

Besides my Mother, two of my brothers live in Dickinson, and my sister lives in Minot. We siblings planned to get together at our lake cottage on Lake Sacagawea. Immediately after I arrived in Dickinson, we set out because the flooding in North Dakota this year had caused many roads to be impassable and some to wash out. So our trip to the lake, which is usually under two hours became more than that since we had to make detours.

My grand niece, Jackie, and nephew, Michael, joined us there with their families. We all enjoyed a wonderful July 4th weekend fishing, swimming, and relaxing. Everyone brings food for grilling because cooking outdoors is tastiest in the summertime. We touch base with each other over food, drinks, and evening fires. It is a wonderfully rejuvenating time for me because I do not get to see my family very often. The darling great nieces and nephews grow so fast, and so we renew our relationship at times like these.

Back in Dickinson on the 5th of July, we showed Mom our pictures and talked about the lake with her. She enjoys seeing all the little kids. Mom turned 87 in June, but she still knows us and her face lights up when we come in the door. We only have one precious Mother who nourishes us from inside the womb to the end of our days.

Flowers in Bloom

2011-07-12T12:04:00.003-05:00

This summer I planted flowers at my living residence and at the St. Cloud Starbucks to give a touch of Benedictine beauty and presence to the coffee drinkers and fellow workers. Every morning when I jump on my bike to pedal to morning prayers, they greet me with color, life and sometimes a thirst for water if Mother Nature has not come through. My heart smiles! After prayers I give these flowers some affirmation and encouragement. I dead head those who have moved on to flower heaven and thank them for their time of beauty and their willingness to die for new life to come and bloom. It's a cycle I know quite well in my life and ministry.

In my ministry, I love to plant, water, encourage and empower students to grow into their faith and leadership. My heart smiles when I watch these students "bloom" into full color as they take the leadership reins, empower students, give talks because they have a message, and find the joy of nurturing and blooming souls to become leaders.

Saturday afternoon I met with two women who will be seniors at the College of Saint Benedict to plan a women's retreat and to raise up a leadership team. These two women have been a part of my retreats since their first year. They have been nurtured, tapped and encouraged to lead. Now they are in full bloom, planning and organizing this retreat. My job is to get out of the way and let them lead. It makes my heart smile. They are bittersweet about planning this retreat and being at the helm of it and so am I. This will be their last retreat as seniors, which feels unreal to them and me. Yet these women are passionate about their vision for the future, raising up leadership and making room for new bloom and beauty. This is Benedictine hospitality, receiving all as Christ and making room each soul to bloom.

Sacred and Secular Unite

2011-07-07T08:52:00.003-05:00

photo found at http://www.running-of-the-bulls-tours.com/bulls/index.html

Some very famous festivals here and abroad combine the sacred and the secular. I am thinking in particular of Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

But now in early July I think of the Spanish festival called the Running of the Bulls—held in Pamplona, Spain, annually, July 6-14. It often gets a one-two minute coverage on the national networks and, over the years, I have been both amazed and amused at the spectacle. This event is also called the Festival of San Fermin, Saint Fermin being the patron saint of Pamplona. Legend has it that he was martyred by the ancient Romans by being tied to bulls and dragged to his death. The men who run ahead of (and sometimes behind) the bulls on the streets of Pamplona invoke Fermin's protection in this very dangerous "sport." Disaster is a real potential; records show that from 1924-2010 at least 15 men have died and 200 others have been seriously injured during this festival.

The brief running of the bulls each morning (two-three minutes) is accompanied by daily rounds of fireworks, dancing, processions and concerts. Ernest Hemingway popularized this festival in his novel The Sun Also Rises (1926), and each July thousands of tourists flock to Pamplona to participate in or to view the event. I am reminded of how interrelated the sacred and secular can be; we link two worlds—that of faith and that of flesh, the latter sometimes daring death itself. The night before the actual running of the bulls is given to speeches in the town square and prayers in honor of Saint Fermin. Unfortunately, reports tell us that the following days are not usually spiritually attuned.

The city of St. Joseph and Saint Benedict's Monastery are far removed from this type of festival. The closest we could come would be a "running of the squirrels" on campus, herding the little critters down the cobblestones, getting them out of our trees and garden plots. Somehow I don't see this as an annual event. Fortunately we have some grand feasts of our own to celebrate in July, sacred and secular, which negate any such need. They include July 4, which is also the weekend of the St. Joseph parish festival. It combines faith, heritage and the celebration of our nation's birth with an outdoor Mass, games, good food, a parade, a popular quilt auction, fireworks and a concert. Right now we're looking forward to July 11, the Feast of St. Benedict, a major feast at the monastery.

Radish Revelations

2011-07-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

I spoke with a friend in Wisconsin this morning. It's her birthday! I discovered that her very active and effective life as a theologian and pastoral minister for two parishes has been narrowed to a 24/7 horarium needed to care for her mother who has Alzheimer's and a broken arm! In such a situation, Pat appreciates God's presence wherever God reaches out to feed her hungry mind and heart.

Our conversation was virtually an "Ode" to her radish patch! "Little red radishes, the prettiest little things. I think I have overlooked them all these years; and to think that they grow underground, living a quiet life . . . and yet become so colorful and so tasty. I have a blue iris nearby but, frankly, I'm more excited about my little red radishes! I think I'll need to plant another crop." This is, in my mind, a prayerful response to God's revelation, wherever that may be. Would you agree?

Renee Domeier, OSB

Landmarks

2011-06-30T08:31:00.001-05:00

submitted by Susan Sink

On Monday, I accompanied Sister Josue Behnen to St. Cloud Hospital, where she was giving a "lunch and learn" presentation on prayer. Sister Josue spent most of her working life as a nurse, including 17 years on mission in Taiwan, before joining the staff of the Spirituality Center and heading up the spiritual direction program.

When we got to the hospital, S. Josue told me that she learned the route from the monastery to the hospital from Sister Mary Jude Meyer. S. Josue was just back from Taiwan in the 1980s and for some reason needed to go to the hospital. S. Mary Jude accompanied her and, at the first turn, a stoplight with a granite monument business on the left, she said, pointing: "When you see that tree, turn left."

The same thing happened at the next turn. "When you see that tree," she said, pointing to a good-sized tree and not the gas station or school on opposite corners, "turn right."

For S. Mary Jude, there were no street signs or landmarks more recognizable than the trees. Isn't that a wonderful way to see the world?

The photo above is of the monastery catalpa tree, currently in bloom. I don't remember these trees before I moved to Minnesota -- probably just because I wasn't paying attention -- and they only bloom a few days each year.

Love Wins – Does It?

2011-06-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

Love Wins: A book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person that livedis causing a big stir, especially among biblical fundamentalists. Rob Bell, a pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, a church of 7,000 worshippers, has generated a heated discussion about heaven, hell and universal salvation. Bell raises the possibility that "every person who ever lived" may have a place in heaven. Many Christians may be surprised to learn that this view isn't new within Christianity.

Origen of Alexandria (3^rd century) believed "that not a single rational being will be lost to the darkness. … Even the most recalcitrant sinner will eventually attain salvation." For him, punishment after death is "not an instrument of eternal torment, but of divine instruction and correction ... and since the soul is essentially rational, it will eventually be convinced of the truth, and salvation will follow" (www.romancatholicism.org/origen-apokatastasis.htm). Gregory of Nyssa speculated about this possibility as well, and in our time, Karl Rahner, SJ, came very close to that belief.

The Church hasn't accepted their position; however, its teaching on purgatory and hell has been open to considerable development. There are significant issues here: the extent of free will, how grace interacts with and respects free will, the seriousness of the most heinous evil, the nature of God as just as well as loving and merciful. Many theologians, from Patristic times to the present "have interpreted the fire of hell in a symbolic sense," as a metaphor describing spiritual torment, and not to be understood literally. (The New Dictionary of Theology, ed. Joseph Komonchak, p. 458)

What do you think?

A Parable of Forgiveness

2011-06-22T08:58:00.006-05:00

We find many stories in the media today about forgiveness. Some of them portray the poignant reality of true forgiveness and reconciliation. Some seem only to express remorse for having been caught in a rash and careless experience.

Here is one story of the consequences of true repentance on the part of one man. In his short story, "Capital of the World," Ernest Hemingway wrote about a father in Spain who had a son named Paco. Because of his son's rebellion, Paco and his father were estranged. The father was bitter and angry with his son and kicked him out of the home. After years of bitterness, the father's anger ended and he realized his mistake. He began to look for Paco, with no results. Finally in desperation, the father placed an advertisement in the personal columns of El Liberal of Madrid, which read: PACO MEET ME AT HOTEL MONTANA NOON TUESDAY ALL IS FORGIVEN PAPA. Paco is a common name in Spain and Hemingway wrote when the father arrived the next morning there were 600 young men, all named Paco, waiting and hoping to receive the forgiveness of their fathers.

Closer to home, each of us has been hurt by the actions or words of another. These wounds can leave us with a grudge against someone, and at times, lasting feelings of anger, bitterness and even revenge. And perhaps some of us have been the one that has hurt others and we need to be forgiven. By this time in our lives we have perhaps learned that if we don't practice forgiveness, we may be the ones who pay most dearly. Perhaps we have made some small progress in recognizing that love and forgiveness are powerful forces that can transform the human condition.

Resentment toward another person binds us to that person as with a strong steel cord. It is up to each of us to pull out that wire. Forgiveness is a choice and decision each of us must make, that does not depend on the other, but only on our desire to find deep inner peace and inner freedom.
Paco's father eventually came to realize this and made the courageous step to forego resentment and to offer forgiveness. What a truly brave and blessed thing!

"The Capital of the World" from Ernest Hemmingway's collection of short stories: The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (1938)

Benedictine Road Trip

2011-06-16T15:30:00.002-05:00

Interesting things happen when you have four Benedictines on a car trip for 12-14 hours of travel each way in one weekend. All the invitations Benedict gives in his Rule related to the vows of obedience, conversatio (i.e., conversion of life) and stability have a way of expressing themselves in such close quarters.

If obedience includes the willingness to listen, to be attentive to what is being said, asked or needed at a given time, then there were multiple opportunities for obedience to manifest itself as we traveled the road.

If conversatio/conversion of life is recognizing the need to break away from common cultural values, then to choose to carry the least possible number of items and support one another by minimizing or modifying the number of distractions each driver needs to feel safe and yet alert, then we were definitely practicing conversatio.

If stability includes hanging out with the same people in the same space and allowing each other to change often while not backing away from them, then stability was clearly built into enjoying our time together.

If the common life includes laughter, then that's what we found ourselves doing after listening to the GPS and 10 minutes later finding ourselves back at the hotel we had just left. This is to say nothing about gleefully ignoring the looks of strangers when we exited our car every two hours and did our version of a seven-minute exercise at the rest stop or gas station.

Travel together is Benedictine living at a marathon pace.

Summer Community Service

2011-06-10T16:18:00.025-05:00

Now that the school year is over, I am performing "community service," helping out where needed at the monastery. Instead of driving Miss Daisy this week, I have been driving Sisters at Saint Scholastica Convent to their eye, ear, teeth and orthopedics appoinments. Saint Scholastica Convent is our retirement and assisted living center for our elderly Sisters.

For the most part the retired Sisters no longer drive. After the nursing staff makes the necessary appointments for an individual Sister, driver-Sisters transport her to her appointment and pick her up when she is "ready."

Since this sytem has been in place for some time, the Sisters are usually very patient and accommodating to the driver. Sometimes three Sisters are ready to be picked up while the driver is in the process of delivering a fourth to her appointment. By the time the one who was finished with her appointment first gets picked up, she may have been waiting for thirty minutes or more.

I usually apologize for being late, but they are ever so grateful for the service that they board with a smile and sometimes even crack a joke. Sometimes we have very intriguing conversations if we go the almost eight miles to CentraCare Plaza where specialized services and procedures are provided at the Woodlands entrance, or River East or the Surgery Center.

Since I do not do this service every day, I often times have quite an adventure trying to find a particularly hidden location. Two times this week, a Sister and I drove around a three or four block area, even saw the place, and could not get to it for about 15 minutes. This is a great lesson in humility for me because I find my Sisters very forgiving and understanding.

Also humbling and cause for contemplation is to experience the very best in humanity while watching these dear Sisters who have given up their independence graciously accept the way that God has provided for them in their old age.

If you are interested in volunteering as a driver for Sisters at Saint Scholastica Convent and accompanying them to their doctor's appointments, contact Sister Marina Schlangen, the volunteer coordinator. It will be a blessing for you, I'm sure, as it has been for me!

Installation Day

2011-06-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

Sunday we celebrated the installation of Sister Michaela Hedican as the 16th prioress of Saint Benedict's Monastery. It was a gorgeous day and both the private Rite of Installation in the morning and the celebratory Eucharist in the afternoon were gorgeous liturgies filled with energy and joy.

The Rite of Installation takes place with the monastic community and Sister Michaela. The president of our federation, Sister Susan Hutchens, a Benedictine from St. Mary's Monastery in Rock Island, Illinois, presided. We also invited members of our federation, other Benedictine prioresses and S. Michaela's family to join us for this rite.

At the center of the rite is the "covenanting of prioress and community." Sister Susan asks Michaela if she is prepared to serve the community as prioress and accept this ministry. Her answer each time is, "I am, with the help of God's empowering love and the help of my community." Then the Sisters pledge to assist Sister Michaela by responding together. In the first response we say, "We have called you, Sister Michaela Hedican, to be our spiritual leader, who, by your love and service, are a visible sign of Christ's presence in our midst." The second response is our mission statement.

After Sister Susan has conferred the Rule and Cross to Sister Michaela as signs of her office, each Sister comes forward and places her folded hands into the hands of Sister Michaela. It is that moment that is pictured here. It is very profound, especially in a community as large as ours. We currently have 288 Sisters, of which almost 200 were in attendance.

The whole day was full of light, and Bishop John Kinney remarked that during the celebratory Mass that afternoon, while the Gospel was being read, a shaft of light shone down directly on Sister Michaela. We don't like to put too much emphasis on such coincidences, but it was a glorious moment that could not have been planned by any earthly liturgist.

Sunday was a day of hope and joy in the monastery, when indeed Christ was present to us in many ways.

photo by Paul Middlestaedt; Sister John Bernard Plantenberg places her hands into the hands of Sister Michaela as a sign of obedience and support during the covenanting ritual. Behind her are Sister Danile Knight and Sister Mary Weidner.

Sisters Buried in the Monks’ Cemetery?

2011-06-01T16:07:00.006-05:00

Submitted by Sister Lois Wedl

This past week, two of our Benedictine Women Service Corps volunteers, Ashley Zartner and Daisy Nevarez, showed the Sisters wonderful slides of the some of the highlights of their nine months spent with the Benedictine Sisters in Humacao, Puerto Rico, as part of the first year of the volunteer program run by the monastery. Among the slides were pictures of the graves of the first three Puerto Rican Sisters to die, Sisters Justina Diaz, Carmen del Valle (Inmaculada) and Lydia Rosa Ortiz (Providencia). As we watched, I wondered if anyone questioned why the Sisters were buried in the monks' cemetery at Monasterio San Antonio Abad in Humacao. Here's the answer!

During the time I was Regional Superior in Puerto Rico (1964-1974), the question of a burial place for the Sisters arose. We knew that we didn't have enough room on our property for a cemetery, so I asked Father Eric Buermann, Prior of Monasterio San Antonio Abad at the time, if we Sisters could purchase a plot of land on their extensive property for a cemetery. Fr. Eric assured me he'd talk to the monks to see if that could be arranged. A few days later, he told me that he had talked to his community about our request and the answer was "No, they didn't want to sell any land to the Sisters for a cemetery."

After a brief pause, he smiled and shared that the monks unanimously decided that they wanted the Sisters to be buried side by side with them in their cemetery. They said that it was only right that since the Sisters and the monks worked side by side during their lifetime, they should lie side by side after they died. So that's why the graves of our dear Sisters are located among those of the monks.

This gesture is just one of the many examples of how the monks and Sisters in Humacao have worked together in harmony since the Sisters' arrival in Puerto Rico in 1948. For those who don't know the early history of our communities, the monks arrived from St. John's Abbey in 1947 and asked our community to send Sisters to work with them in their missionary endeavors. The monks welcomed three Sisters on August 1, 1948, and did everything they could to help them adjust to a new world. Sisters Adeline Terhaar, superior and teacher, Jeanette Roesch, teacher, and Agnes Herwers, housekeeper and sometimes teacher, were the first to arrive.

--Sister Lois Wedl

photo: three graves of Benedictine Sisters in Puerto Rico cemetery, May 2011

To see video interviews with our Benedictine Women Service Corps volunteers, visit: www.sbm.osb.org/bwsc

The Pumpkins Are Coming!

2011-06-01T08:20:00.005-05:00

Submitted by Kate Ritger

No one can say exactly how many years it has been happening, but it's been enough to make it a "tradition," and it happened again this year… the first graders from St. Joseph's Lab School helped plant the Common Ground Garden's pumpkin patch! In early May, Ryan Kutter and I (I'm the director and production manager for the garden), walked to the school to start the seeds with the students. Before the planting commenced the students were eager to share about some of their favorite and less-than-favorite vegetables. "Corn!" "Carrots!" "Peas!" While one student glowed with delight about a vegetable, another turned up his nose to that same choice.

Planting went without a hitch, or so we thought. Each student came out to the work table one by one and we helped them fill their cups with dirt, plant a seed and water it. Next the kids marched back to their classroom and placed their cups on the windowsill to get some warmth from the sun. As the gardeners strolled back across campus we commented, "Those are really nice kids. They were polite and friendly to us and to each other." What nice break in the day.

Weeks went by and while the gardeners continued planting potatoes, tomatoes, beets and greens in Common Ground Garden, the first graders continued to water their seeds and watch in anticipation. But something didn't go quite right; the seeds didn't sprout! Their wonderful teacher, Ms. Schneider, talked with them about the occasional trickiness of germination and hoped that we could help save the pumpkin planting experience for the kids.

Ryan and Thomsens Greenhouse save the day! With transplants in tow, the gardeners welcomed the energetic first graders to the empty pumpkin patch. Most of the time the garden is a quiet place, blessed with the music of robins, chickadees, bluebirds, finches, mourning doves and crows. But we could see and hear the first graders coming from blocks away. The gardeners talked a bit about what we've been planting, how we will care for the pumpkin seedlings, and how we look forward to seeing them as second graders in the fall when they will return to pick a pumpkin. Again, one by one the students worked with the gardeners, this time digging holes in the ground and planting the seedlings with care.

When the work was done, Ms. Schneider rounded up the first graders, led them in a big "Thank you" and guided them back to school. And now we all watch and wait, weed and water. The students' energy was infectious to the gardeners, and the garden was blessed with their hope for pumpkins in the fall.

photo: St. Joseph Lab School children in 2006 pick out the pumpkins they planted in 2005 at Common Ground Garden.

The Beauty of Tulips

2011-05-26T09:59:00.003-05:00

In his book The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World, the author Michael Pollan explores the nature of domesticated plants from the dual perspective of humans and the plants themselves. He writes, "Everyday roles and values are suddenly, thrillingly, suspended, and astounding new possibilities arise." Naming particular desires, Pollan identifies the tulip with the desire for beauty.

Last week my housemates and I decided to tiptoe through the tulips at the Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud. We were greeted with a riot of color, size and variety that, indeed, was thrilling and astonishing. There was an area of white tulips that particularly caught my attention. On the face of it, white may seem to have a boring sameness, yet here was a purity and simplicity that touched me deeply.

As we walked through this feast for the eyes, I couldn't help but stop along the way to examine particular flowers. Some were curled tightly, and with a feeling tenderness and reverence I gently opened the petals, peered into the center deep inside, and for a moment, everything was "suddenly, thrillingly suspended," and I saw "astounding new possibilities."

It occurred to me that I want to look at the people around me with the same reverent attention, so that I may somehow begin to appreciate the uniqueness and hidden beauty inside each person. I want to discover that each person can reveal how, as Pollan writes, Everyday roles and values are suddenly, thrillingly, suspended, and astounding new possibilities arise.

We left the garden and joined a throng of people at the Dairy Queen on Highway 10. What a perfect evening!

photo originally found at: http://www.flower-society.com/flower-type-tulips.html

Atlas Shrugged

2011-05-24T08:55:00.003-05:00

The recently released movie Atlas Shrugged is based on Ayn Rand's book with the same title. Rand (1905-1982) is best known for developing a philosophical system called Objectivism. To quote Rand: "Objectivist ethics, in essence, holds that man [sic] exists for his own sake, that the pursuit of his own happiness is his highest social purpose, that he must not sacrifice himself to others, nor sacrifice others to himself." ("Ayn Rand," Wikipedia). While one may agree that certain forms of self-sacrifice are inappropriate, how do we square Rand's views that "Selfishness is a virtue, altruism is a crime against human excellence, and self-sacrifice is weakness" with Christ's exhortation to "feed the hungry, clothe the naked" (Matt 25) and "lay down one's life for one's friends?" (John 15:13) (Michael Gerson, "Ayn Rand's Adult-Onset Adolescence," Washington Post).

And, were she alive, how might Rand respond to the Catholic Church's teaching on social justice, which emphasize focusing on the poor and working to correct injustice?

Those who are more influential because they have a greater share of goods and common services should feel responsible for the weaker and be ready to share with them all they possess. Church Document on Social Concern. #39, 1987
The works of mercy call Christians to engage themselves in direct efforts to alleviate the misery of the afflicted. The works of justice require that Christians involve themselves in sustained struggle to correct any unjust social, political, and economic structures and institutions that are the causes of suffering. Health and Health Care, #3

I have not read all of Atlas Shrugged. The temptation to oversimplify or caricaturize Rand's position is real. Nonetheless, it seems accurate to say that Rand unapologetically glorifies selfishness, advocating it as a necessary virtue.

My reaction to this book's continuing popularity a more than a half century after publication may have been intensified because I just read Bishop John F. Kinney's revised pastoral letter, As I Have Done For You . . . So You Also Should Do. The major content and heart of that document is the section on "The Church's Social Teaching." A fascinating project might be a simultaneous reading of the pastoral letter and Atlas Shrugged, letting each document speak for itself.

Dandelion Resolutions

2011-05-19T16:12:00.002-05:00

photo found at: thelipstickeffect.wordpress.com

During this Easter and spring season I've been thinking a lot about the Gospel of Jesus. There was such an authentic and nonjudgmental way in which He walked among us. I must confess I've been particularly influenced by the scriptural comments of Richard Rohr and Jean Vanier. Both of them highlight the radical nature of Jesus' world view. He was never confused about how sacred everyone and everything is. He was never deflected from his course by persons who tried to belittle or harm him. He acknowledged his human dependence by creating time to "go to the desert or mountain or garden" to listen to the words of His Father, the source of love and truth.

I got to thinking, what I want right now is some concrete "Summer Resolutions" that tune into this Gospel of Jesus. Maybe I'll try to focus on just one.

Walk more slowly and look more deeply at whatever I'm looking at
Find a garden, mountain or deserted place to hang out in and listen

Notice what "I'm fighting"
Notice what I'm longing for
Notice what I'm grateful for

The one thing that's certain is that any of these will slow my pace. And maybe just like the dandelions I see appearing, my taproot may have a chance to grow deeper and stronger. That way, if ever there be the rare occasion I get the feeling that "someone has just lopped off my head," my taproot will let me stay grounded and full of life.

Sisters and their bikes

2011-05-19T14:58:00.001-05:00

If you have never been on our campus you might not know that Saint Benedict's Monastery is made up of many buildings: Main Building, Walburg's, Rosamond, Marmion, Lourdes, to name just a few. All these buildings are residences for the Sisters which can mean quite a bit of walking between buildings several times a day. So someone coming from Evin Hall, for example, for prayers, meals and Eucharist will need to walk the equivalent of approximately two city blocks. And if that person is at the last minute like I often am, then a bike comes in very handy. We also share a campus with the College of Saint Benedict which means more walking from one area to another. It is good to have something with two wheels that can move around in places where cars cannot go.

For the most part our bikes are called clunkers. Most of them are old, second hand bikes that we have inherited from a family member or friend. Some of them have speeds and hand brakes and some just have pedal brakes. But they all stay outside from May through October - or until the first significant snow fall. We don't lock them because we trust that if someone borrows a bike, that person will return the bike some time to the rack they took it from. There are, however, situations that arise that leave a person scratching their head. Like the time my bike ended up on the tennis court at St. John's University, 6 miles up the road. Obviously someone was in a rush to get home and could not wait for the bus that goes back and forth between Saint John's and Saint Benedict's. Or, they missed the last bus back to Saint John's.

The next time you come to our campus you might find yourself driving behind a person of a certain age on a bike, with her knees going out from side to side as she pedals because the seat is not high enough for her; she does not appear to be heading to a specific destination but simply enjoying a spring evening.

Sprucing up the Campus for Graduation

2011-05-13T14:18:00.005-05:00

Graduation happens at the College of Saint Benedict tomorrow, May 14, with Eucharist at 9 and 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. Everyone will be dressed up and eager to hear the student speakers who most likely will sum up the four years of experience here at St. Ben's and St. John's. The other part of their messages will be encouragement and positive attitudes about going out into the world where few jobs are available and grad schools are hard to come by.

But that is not all that students are doing. Some are volunteering for a year. We at Saint Benedict's Monastery are delighted to be sending four of the newest grads to serve for 10 months at monasteries in Puerto Rico and Tanzania.

Sarah Schwalbach and Jana Gracyzk will be leaving for Humacao, Puerto Rico on July 30, while Maggie Niebur and Ashley Irons will be flying to Dar es Salaam on July 30 in order to travel across country to St. Agnes Convent in Chipole. I will accompany them, because this is our first placement in Tanzania.

It seems fitting that the campus be spruced up so our graduates have one last look at this gorgeous place they have called home for four years! Congratulations Graduates!!

Words with Friends / Words with God

2011-05-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

I read an article last week by Tim Elmore about the generation of kids that have been connected to handheld devices since birth. It seems like we often demonize these handheld devices like we did TV in the '60s until "Captain Kangaroo" and "Sesame Street" revolutionized the education of our children before our eyes. These handheld devices are revolutionizing our educational system and I am intrigued by how they have revolutionized my life.

The article went on to state how kids are more active and functioning at higher levels in problem-based learning, student-driven learning and experiential learning. This article articulates some of the active learning I have experienced through playing "Words with Friends," which is basically Scrabble on a hand-held device. Being a visual and kinetic learner and being educated in an oral passive education has left me believing I was never as smart as my eight brothers or sisters. I thought I missed that gene or something!

The revolutionary aspect is that I can take the time I need to play and not have the anxiety of people waiting; I can create and submit words and be wrong with no dire consequences; I can take time to learn new words, see patterns and figure out the dynamics of a game that is played strategically. As a result, I have gained the confidence to play Scrabble (I am convinced the monastery houses some of the best Scrabble gurus in the world), learned new words, begun reading more avidly and experienced the freedom to PLAY. I am connected to students, family and friends in a new, fun, learning realm of relationship that transcends traditional systems of relationships. It's quite mind boggling and I admit hard to get your head around. But I wonder…

As the educational institution adjusts to this cultural phenomenon, what about the Church? How do we keep the Gospel as our guide and connect to a high functioning, visual, technological generation? Could handheld devices be used to engage students in a connection of prayer, community, devotions, reading the Bible, finding answers to questions of fear and doubt and provide the grace of making mistakes? Maybe handheld devices create a mutuality that transcends the barriers of hierarchy and power. Could God be showing up in handheld devices in the future?

photo found here: www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Handheld_device

Reflections on Peace

2011-05-05T10:17:00.002-05:00

May 5 is a Mexican national holiday honoring a famous victory in 1862 by Mexican soldiers over French forces invading Mexico. Thousands of people in the U.S. also celebrate this holiday with parades and feasting, though one wonders if they are fully aware of what the holiday is all about. We do not celebrate Cinco de Mayo in our monastery, but we surely have the same sentiments as those who do celebrate it—rejoicing in freedom, independence from foreign threats and foreign domination.

Regularly, at Eucharist and at Liturgy of the Hours, our community offers intercessory prayers for peace worldwide. Occasionally, some of our Sisters demonstrate publicly against war, carrying signs near the Barnes and Noble store in St. Cloud. It seems war is a constant in human history and our monastic life cannot ignore that fact.

Photo of largest human peace sign (2500 people) found here.

May brings us to the peak of Spring and we see fresh life as Nature buds forth. Perhaps all life will someday be held so sacred that wars will be the exception and not the rule.

Early Morning Reverie

2011-05-03T13:34:00.002-05:00

submitted by Renee Domeier, OSB

I love the early morning hours. Usually, I rise at 5 AM but with a 6:30 AM appointment today, I had to be out of the comfy zone by 4:30! I knew I would miss community prayer at 7, so I was pleasantly surprised when my appointment ended at 7:35 -- the very time I would typically be leaving the Oratory at the monastery. With a bit of time on my hands, I felt free to go where the Spirit led me. It brought me to a sign on a wall outside a small, recessed room at the Central Care Unit. The sign said, "Prayer Room: Just BE, REST, THINK, PRAY." Wanting to accept every element of that beguiling invitation, I entered the room. No one else was there and, when I closed the door, every sound was blocked out; I felt that the room enclosed and enfolded me protectively. All of the chairs, some 8 or 10, faced east -- into the sun. And what a glorious sun it was! It shone brilliantly through the large bay window, making the colored glass circles within it shimmer like jewels. The effect was stunning - mesmerizing! Subtle designs of hills and mountains shone through on the glass as well. Allowing myself to be stunned and mesmerized, I felt enveloped in beauty and grace. Moreover, I was pleased that my Benedictine community had donated the attractive fountain in front of that bright, colorful window. The fountain's gently bubbling waters were baptismal for me. I felt pasted to the chair and could not move. "All that was your Father's kiss for the day," suggested a friend.
Early morning hours hold promise, don't they? This day's beginning gave me so much more than I expected, but then moments of grace often do.

photo originally found at www.stgeorgeohio.org

Easter Astonishment

2011-04-28T08:54:00.005-05:00

In her book, The Writing Life, the poet and essayist Annie Dillard gives this advice to would-be writers: "You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment." Journalist Krista Tippet suggests in an interview with biologist Katy Payne that this could be a good definition for vocation (Kristia Tippet, On Being, March 31, 2011).

I couldn't help but think about this during Holy Week and the Easter Liturgy at the monastery. We were plunged once again into the central mystery of our Christian faith: Jesus lived, was crucified, was buried and was raised from the dead. This resurrection is different from those who have been brought back from the dead, as for instance in the case of Lazarus. No, this is not resuscitation; it is instead a whole new way of being.

The witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus were astonished. And as we celebrated those holy days we, too, were astonished and exulted in foot washing, honoring the cross, lighting the fire, exulting in the Easter candle, full-throated song, water, incense, color, flowers, and the exuberance of the community of monastics, women, men and children.

Now each of us who celebrated these holy days must give voice to our astonishment. We do this by the way we live out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. It is a message of inclusive love and forgiveness, of healing of broken bonds, of living in peace and justice. It is living in faith when our faith is pressed to the limit; living in hope when things seem hopeless, and loving those we find loveable and those whom it is hard to love. I say that this is our baptismal and human vocation.

Exultet

2011-04-27T13:55:00.003-05:00

Because Easter is the Christian "Feast of Feasts," it is celebrated for fifty days. Nothing other than extended feasting can express the exuberant joy of Christ's resurrection. Texts from the Easter Vigil Exultet, the early hymn whose title means "to rejoice greatly" or "to leap upward for joy"
ring in my memory stirring up irrepressible hope.

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes forever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
Night truly blessed,
when heaven is wedded to earth
and we are reconciled to God!

The writer and poet, Wendell Berry, has written a kind of contemporary Exultet exhorting us to be daringly joyful! These few lines may move you to want to read the entire poem:

Expect the end of the world. Laugh….
Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Practice resurrection!

A Blessed Easter!

Tsunami

2011-04-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

Today is Good Friday, and we have a post by guest blogger Sister Josue Behnen who offers a poem that ties together the various tsunamis being experienced throughout the world.

TSUNAMI
by Josue Behnen, OSB

--in memory of Japan, March 2011

   I
Like little toy cars, the two-inch kind,
they bounced up onto the next level of land,
houses like little match-boxes, cracking and crumbling,
over roads washed open like spring brooklets,
all tumbling on top of each other,

wonder how the people… the
babies and
those on the roads, caught
in the houses, cars,
that last minute when swept away, were, with
their angst ten meters deep.

   II

Like a tidal wave, rebels pour out
into the streets of Libya, Egypt,
Yemen, Wisconsin, flood the roads with
cries and shouts, scream for help
to breathe under the weight of
heavy hands, beg in earnest, and like a wave
lashing, demand an ear
that will listen.

    III

One more time, this Good Friday
we will hear how the earth shook, shuddered,
heaved and bolted tearing a temple curtain
from top to bottom,
how the axis of the earth -- stunned and shocked --
shifted
when Jesus’ dying blood gushed forth
for all, to this day.

Triduum at the Monastery

2011-04-21T09:52:00.002-05:00

submitted by Helene Mercier, OSB

As the holy days of Triduum arrive, I am reminded again this year how much I look forward both the significance of this time of the liturgical year and the splendid liturgies we have here at Saint Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph.

We try to convey during these days that beginning Thursday evening until Easter morning all the liturgies we celebrate are one seamless piece, not separate events. Tonight, Holy Thursday, we begin with a festive "Passover" meal in the dining room with wine, lamb and beautifully set tables; then we proceed to Chapel for the Eucharist of Holy Thursday, at which we bring gifts to distribute to the less fortunate, and Sister Nancy Bauer, our prioress, washes the feet of 12 people. As we leave Chapel, we remember that silence now descends on the monastery until the Easter Vigil, Saturday evening.

On Good Friday at the Liturgy of the Hours, there are no hymns and no chanting of the psalms. However, the readings are from the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the Sisters chosen to do these readings chant them. If one listens attentively to the words being chanted, one cannot help but be deeply moved by them. In midafternoon there is the Good Friday service which is presided over by the prioress with the veneration of the cross by all present. Meanwhile, our simple meals during these days are taken in silence with table reading.

Holy Saturday dawns with an air of anticipation and quiet bustling around the monastery: the Sisters in the liturgy office bring out the beautiful flowers that have arrived; they decorate the chapel and prepare everything for the Easter Vigil that night. Finally, in the evening, at dusk, we gather outside for the blessing of the Easter candle and the beginning of the Vigil. After processing to the chapel following the blessed candle carried by the prioress, a Sister sings the Exultet, that great proclamation of the story of our salvation. After the seven readings are done we retire for the night; however, many of us come back during the night for what we call the "Night Watches." A few of us, with some of our friends who live nearby or are staying at the monastery, gather around the Easter candle for an hour of prayer and waiting.

We all return to the chapel before daylight Easter morning to conclude the Easter Vigil. We gather around the baptismal font for the blessing of the Easter water and the renewal of our baptismal promises. For our guests who have never celebrated the Easter Vigil with us, the chanting of the Gospel by the presiding priest and two Sisters is an awesome moment. After the Eucharist is over, we go down to the dining room for our special Easter breakfast, wishing everyone we meet on the way a Happy Easter.

May you have a blessed Triduum wherever you are and a Happy Easter!

photo: Sister Nancy Bauer washes the feet of Sister Madonna Niebolte. Photo by Gary Feldhege.

HeartMath and Peace

2011-04-20T09:38:00.004-05:00

Transformation is fascinating. Sometimes it seems so complicated. And yet there are more and more approaches emerging that allow simple actions to provide life-giving vitality to transformation.

A recent guest at the monastery talked about using HeartMath to promote her own transformation and peacefulness. Basically, it means allowing an experience that generated deep appreciation or profound gratefulness to be remembered. And then to recall the wonderful feeling-of-appreciation it generated within you. It is actually the feeling that is the catalyst for change. One can slowly breathe an appreciative feeling into your heart as you inhale and then peacefully exhale. Every time you breathe in this way you actually change your biology. I was amazed to discover that HeartMath research has documented that practicing this kind of breathing results in a 100% increase in the anti-aging hormone, a 23% decrease the stress-hormone and an increased defense against pathogens.

Researchers have also found that it's not the brain, but the heart that has the strongest electromagnetic field in the body and emotions operate at a much higher speed than thoughts. So taking in an appreciative emotion while you inhale bypasses the mind's linear reasoning (which may include negative thinking). When loving emotions are taken into the heart, the exhalation can be peaceful.

According to Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, every peaceful breath increases the amount of peace there is in the world. Wow! What if our slow appreciative breathing not only transformed us into peacefulness but nudged our world into peacefulness as well. Who knows, HeartMath may be the "math formula" we need for creating a permanent peace movement.

The Return of the Fish

2011-04-15T09:31:00.004-05:00

S. Renee Domeier wrote and read this poem for the annual "return of the fish" celebration, returning the koi to the fountain at the College of Saint Benedict. The fish were returned despite the chilly weather on Thursday, April 14, 2011.

THE RETURN OF THE FISH (and SPRING, of course)

These fish are ancient! At least their ancestors are!
The likes of them

and, of course, many other species

were created on the fifth day of creation!

And God liked them! He enjoyed what he had done and said so!
Now fish are edible,

beautiful,

fresh water fish,

aquarium fish,

gold ones, black ones, speckled ones

and of course, there are our special fish that return

each Spring

from their winter habitat

amidst joy and children,

students and employees

even the college president

and the monastics

in a ceremony

quite elaborately

planned

just to get them back to their spring-to-autumn home!

One could say they must really be something in order to get such a welcome!
They'll make no small difference, of course;

they'll receive company, every day

and sometimes, a bit of food and even copper coins;

they'll be surrounded by shade and geraniums.

I wonder if they like it here
and if they are as eager to get to their home
as we are to have them here…

Finally do you think God likes their coming home?
I do!
It's fun to come home amid balloons and banners!
And everybody making a fuss over you!

Birthdays in the Monastery

2011-04-13T15:51:00.004-05:00

Why would birthdays be any different in the Monastery, you may ask. I thought the same thing before I became part of the monastic community in 1980.

I have always enjoyed my birthday immensely because my parents were generous with their attention on that special day in Spring. My Mom would bake my favorite spice cake with brown sugar frosting, and I could always count on a really nice surprise gift.

And yet, I feel that I had no idea how much more profound these celebrations could be. My first Formation community started to change my view when we were introduced to the idea of "person" days.

Instead of a singular focus on aging, we expanded our emphasis to include the whole person, that is, all that we are as God created us.

Concretely speaking, this means that the living group hosts a special dinner for us consisting of some of our favorite foods. Since I still love my spice cake, one of the groups where I lived called my Mom for the recipe and made that cake for me. What a delightful surprise!

Besides food, the group plans an evening consisting of a variety of activities such as games, guests, and prayers devoted to the special person being honored. Sometimes gifts are part of the celebration, as well.

One group I remember well gave "swell" gifts which were a source of great fun and laughter.

Another group I've associated with gives particularly poignant cards honoring the sister with words of a serious and complimentary nature or maybe with something quite playful.

On my "person" day this year, I am looking forward to old-fashioned chicken, salad, and pumpkin pie, my all-time favorite dessert, even if it is not Thanksgiving.

All in all, I am extremely grateful to be the one in the spotlight for one day, each year.

photo originally posted at: http://jasonscelebrationcakes.yourpapwortheverard.co.uk/birthday-cakes.html

Watching for Apricot Blossoms

2011-04-11T11:50:00.001-05:00

submitted by Theresa Schumacher, OSB

Spring is heralded at the monastery in several ways and varying dimensions of exhilaration, especially after the Minnesota challenges of winter 2010-2011! The birds can’t sing their songs enough for us. The perennials stick their beginning growth above the still-cold earth and flower gardeners feel the itch to get our hands in the dirt. When is it safe to uncover and remove the debris and old stems, we wonder, we ask each other and some of us go ahead and do it despite our better judgment.

But there is a tree that many of us watch daily. We plan our daily walk, or are just drawn by years of delight to the sheltered south side of the Gathering Place wall. We are watching the apricot tree. Day by day as the spring warmth intensifies and the blue, fluffy clouded skies hang around for hours at a time, we swear that we can see the buds swelling right before our eyes. One has to be attentive because it is an Asian variety of apricot tree that bears blossoms before it leafs out.

We’ll take in the swelling of buds, the blossoming, the leafing and, finally, we see the fruit! It too swells and begins to take on the color of ripeness and bounty. Then what? The squirrels become the greatest beneficiaries! Which of us can scamper night and day, run up and turn around and run down on every branch and keep watch 24/7, sniffing and smelling and pouncing on the little defenseless apricots?

Let’s not miss what is freely ours—the sights, the colors, the shifting delights of this lovely tree, even though the smell and taste of the fruit may never be ours!

photo by Theresa Schumacher, OSB

Fast and Feast

2011-04-06T09:00:00.003-05:00

Amazingly, Lent has come mid-way, as I type this, and the fifth week is only a few days away. On Ash Wednesday I sighed, thinking what a long haul was ahead of us! But for me this Lent is "moving right along." Partly that is due to keeping very busy as well as to some celebratory events within the days of Lent—such as a 90^th and 99^th birthday for two Sisters, a gratitude party for three leadership team Sisters and observance of a solemnity feast (i.e., St. Benedict, the Annunciation, etc.) here and there.

Other things which make Lent more bearable to me have to do with the menu. For instance, I really, really like herring. I don't recall our getting it outside of Lent … or, at least, it is rare. For others, having it regularly on the menu now adds to the negative image of Lent, I suspect. We also get hot-cross buns on Good Friday, to which I always look forward and wish would appear more often. While desserts are less evident, the menus remain varied and good. I used to hope I'd lose weight during Lent—but unfortunately that doesn't seem to ever happen. Maybe more fasting is called for instead of minor abstinences? And, do note the irony: there is only one letter difference between the two words feasting and fasting.

Benedict says in his Rule that we should abstain a little more from the usual measure of things, such as food, drink and sleep, but I think it is tougher to bite back the sharp word, wait patiently in line and show up on time for all tasks and services. Nothing heroic; still, these things may be as praiseworthy as our usual fasting.

Giving Up Dove Chocolate for Lent

2011-04-05T08:47:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, we celebrated the halfway mark of the season of Lent. This year Lent seems to be going in slow motion. Maybe it's because when I look out my window on April 1, I still see clumps and mounds of snow on the ground. The warmth of spring and budding trees have been slow arriving to St. Joseph. Or maybe it's because I earnestly attempted to give up dark chocolate, specifically Dove, for Lent. I never been great at giving up things for Lent, but this year, once again, I decided to give it a shot.

Lent and New Year's always seem to fall in the same camp for me. Good intentions – very good intentions set out in full force and zeal yet withering at some point to temptation. So it's been 20 days of no prophetic notes from the inside of wrappers or dark chocolate with coffee. It probably seems a little funny for a monk give up dark chocolate and how nebulous and insignificant. And, frankly, I think so myself, except paradoxically it has woken up an awareness of the season of Lent in me, living one day at time, saying no to something that would give me instant pleasure, and learning the old life lesson of waiting.

Waiting has never been my strong suit except in the area of procrastination. Forsaking this small piece of dark chocolate has opened a new spiritual journey of being with God. I do not think God is all that interested in the dark chocolate score sheet of Lent. I believe God is interested in my heart, is waiting for me to continue to unwrap and live into the delicacy of his mercy and love, and if it takes a small piece of dark chocolate – God smiles and maybe nibbles on a piece while drinking coffee.

From Hostility to Hospitality

2011-03-31T09:28:00.004-05:00

Saturday evening I attended a Fine Arts offering at the Great hall of Saint John's Abbey. As I was standing at the coat rack, Matthew, an SJU student wearing a student manager name tag, asked me how I liked the performance. We chatted, and then I asked him how he liked the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University. He responded enthusiastically. When asked what he liked about it, he said, "Everyone is so friendly."

"What makes it like that?" I asked.

He unhesitatingly responded, "Hospitality!"

Needless to say, I was very impressed by the friendliness and hospitality Matthew himself offered, in such a natural way. It was more than "Minnesota nice." It seemed to be a value he has integrated into his life at a young age.

I've been thinking about this for the last few days and find myself filled with a great hope that his experience will lead him to bring that same open hospitality wherever he goes. In his book, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, author Henry Nouwen names the movements of the spiritual life: from loneliness to solitude; from hostility to hospitality, and from illusion to prayer.

Perhaps it's my Benedictine gene, but I have always been especially intrigued by the second of these movements: from hostility to hospitality. It seems to me that our world is marked by a kind of individual, corporate, civic global hostility towards what might be labeled the enemy. When our general perspective makes the other into an enemy, and our general perspective is one of hostility, what can we do but arm ourselves in defense? Nouwen explores this in the nitty-gritty of our daily lives and calls upon us to "dis-arm" ourselves of the weapons of destruction that we inflict on our families, our co-workers, our communities and our leaders. These are the weapons of mistrust, injustice, abuse, labeling and the deadly weapon of the silent treatment.

In a famous story about a meeting between a monk and a warrior, the unarmed monk confronts the powerful warrior who stands in front of his army about to wipe out the village. The monk asks the warrior to leave in peace. The warrior responds, "How can you stand alone before me, with no weapons, no defense and ask me to leave? Don't you know that I have the power to run this sword right thought you?" "Yes," replies the simple monk. "But I am the one who has the power to let you run the sword through me." The monk is strong in his inner peace and trust in God and totally disarms the warrior as no weapon could. As the story goes, the warrior and his army leave the village.

God's Overflowing Spirit

2011-03-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

There is a Hasidic rendition of the creation story which speaks to my heart’s desire to find God wherever God is! According to the master, God took the form of a human being, placed it before her/himself, took off the highest point of the human form, its head, in order to-- as it were— pour “godness”, divinity, into the human being. Of course, all the space within the human form gladly received the gifts of God into its every nook and cranny, but, as is its wont, the limited container could never contain all the content so generously and abundantly poured into it. Understandably, the precious sparks of God’s being and Spirit overflowed the container and got encrusted in the surrounding rocks, trees, frogs, flowers, running streams. Now, it is the happy task of all rational creation to break open these encrusted sparks to find their God. How do we do that? By becoming aware of our wonderful world waiting to reveal its secret!

photo by S. Nancy Bauer

[Note: Today we welcome our new blogger, Sister Renee Domeier! We look forward to many wonderful insights and maybe even some poems from her in future blogs.]

The Chatter Surrounding The King's Speech

2011-03-24T08:49:00.002-05:00

submitted by Trish Dick, OSB

The King's Speech was the big winner at the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony a few weeks ago, picking up four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor (Colin Firth). A longshot at the start of awards season, it entered Sunday evening as the clear favorite, and though there was no "King's Speech" juggernaut -- indeed, for the first 2 1/4 hours of the show it came up empty-handed -- by the time director Tom Hooper pocketed the directing prize, everyone knew where this train was heading.

In the monastery dining room or in a living group it is most likely you will hear a discussion or reference to the movie, The King's Speech. No doubt it’s a great movie, but I am intrigued at the profound impression this movie has made on this Benedictine community and many other people. What made this movie so meaningful at this time in our life. It wasn’t a high-powered movie with a complicated plot line, the cinematography was not over the top, there wasn’t dramatic violence or sex. In reality, it was rather a humdrum movie depicting the life of a person who stuttered but happened to be the king of England.

What creates this impressive chatter for the movie is the humanness of the film. It’s a film about weakness, hardship, perseverance, fear and just plain hard work. All of our hearts connected with the pain of disabilities we daily struggle to live with. It just didn’t magically disappear into thin air. Most of our disabilities and weaknesses also dog us all through life. Finally, someone has caught that pain and made it real. Why is it we can connect so readily when a person in power and position shows his humanness?

I am not too sure who really was the hero in this movie. Was it the king or the voice coach? It was intriguing that many people loved the Australian and his work. Why did the viewers find this man so endearing? Was it because he was a man without social status who used his gifts to make a profound difference by believing in a person? Was it that his power and position came from being true to himself and the gifts he offered to empower others? That humanness, friendship and belief were the basic qualifications and credentials for working with the king.

The main character in the story is paradoxically the disability of stuttering. It demanded a continuous lifelong journey of knowing and being in touch with our fragility and humanness, calling us to seek help and rely on one another, live with something much bigger than ourselves. Overcoming the disability through the daily hard work of grinding away exemplified the perseverance of the soul’s journey. It called for facing something bigger – the fear of rejection and humiliation. The paradox is when the disability was embraced and the authentic self was honored, creating peace.

Some Thoughts on Japan's Disaster

2011-03-22T10:50:00.003-05:00

Like so many, I am deeply saddened by the recent earthquake and tsunami which struck northern Japan--haunted by CNN images documenting the devastation and loss of lives. The morning Star Tribune headline “Awash in Fear and Loss” carries a photo of parents looking at the body of their daughter found in a driving school vehicle smashed by the water’s force.

I learned long ago that no explanation, whether philosophical, theological or scientific, offering reasons for “natural disasters” is ever satisfactory or commensurate with the reality of such epic human suffering. I have no intention of offering any. What strikes me as worthy of sharing is this comment from a friend:

“On the one hand, I quite agree with you about the magnitude of this tragedy. Yet there is, to my way of thinking, a silver lining that is not at all Pollyanna, and that is this: the Japanese have accepted the terms of their existence on that “Ring of Fire,” and were as prepared as anyone could be to respond afterwards. Theirs is a natural and human catastrophe, but not a moral disaster--unlike either Haiti or Katrina. I say this without wanting to minimize the tragedy we are seeing unfold.”

Pondering that, I hold the people of Japan in prayer, inspired by their graciousness reflected in this lovely image: an elderly Japanese woman, trapped for 48 hours, bowing profoundly three times to her rescuers.

original photo found here.

Feast of St. Joseph -- March 19

2011-03-18T13:28:00.001-05:00

Today's blog is a guest post by Chris Eisenbacher, Maintenance Supervisor at Saint Benedict's Monastery

Every morning when I show up for work, I enter the building on the monastery grounds called the Saint Joseph Shop, named after the worker/carpenter Joseph. I enter my office where a statue of Saint Joseph holding baby Jesus overlooks my desk for everyone to see.

For at least 25 years and maybe longer, one way the Feast of Saint Joseph has been celebrated on the monastery campus has been during morning break. The physical plant director invites the housekeeping staff, maintenance crew and treasurer for treats (rolls and cookies ) and coffee, at which time workers get kind words of gratitude for the work that has been performed throughout the year and then joyous conversations take place for a brief moment in our work day.

As you walk through the campus on the south side of the Gathering Place, you can also cast your eyes on a very large statue of Saint Joseph in the triangular grass area with a bench to relax for a moment after a hard day of work. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the town where the monastery is located and of the parish church just north of the monastery. We at the Saint Joseph Shop are certainly always aware of him,
especially on the annual feast day, March 19.

photo: statue of St. Joseph at Saint Benedict's Monastery

Birthing a New Earth

2011-03-17T09:07:00.002-05:00

This is an amazing time to be alive. There are so many world events that could lead us into the paralysis of fear: fear for Japan in the aftermath of the tsunami and the ongoing threat of a nuclear disaster, for rebels willing to be martyrs for human dignity and freedom, for individuals blindly feeling their way through the maze of an unstable economy, for committed politicians disheartened by structures devoid of any cross-pollination, and much more.

And yet we have all seen each crisis give birth to amazingly courageous leaders, heroes and heroines. And we have joined the loving energies of countless healers, marking times and places to converge and send compassion, love and protecting light into each new situation. May this Light break open the seed of our being so that we too can become the compassion and love that Births a New Earth … an earth filled with creative energy and Oneness.

photo: A child helps to plant seedlings at Common Ground Garden (which is currently accepting subscriptions! For more information, click here.)

Anniversary of Mother Benedicta Riepp's Death

2011-03-15T09:57:00.002-05:00

Today we remember our foundress, Mother Benedicta Riepp, who died of tuberculosis at Saint Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., on March 15, 1862. Below is a prayer written by Sister Ephrem Hollermann and a photo of Mother Benedicta Riepp's gravesite. Most of our photos of the gravesite were taken in summer, when we have a nicely tended flower plot in front of the marker. To see it on this March day, when the temperature is still in the 20s and there is icy snow on the ground, is to understand again the frontier spirit of the women who came to this place back in 1857.

Loving God,
We praise and thank you for the life and mission of Mother Benedicta Riepp. Cherishing the privilege of her call, and placing unconditional trust in your divine providence, she dared to dream of a new era for the vision and spirit of Benedict. May her life of prayer and work inspire us to move into our own uncharted future with faith, hope and love. This we ask through Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

To read more about Mother Benedicta Riepp and the communities she founded, click here.

Ash Wednesday: Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel

2011-03-09T21:46:00.009-06:00

During the past few days, I have been pondering Lent. Why do we always need to think about giving up something for Lent? I prefer to "do" something instead. In my earlier years, I said I would give up candy or desserts or watching TV, but I often could not persevere beyond the first week. This year, I want to open myself to the prophet Joel's words, "Rend your hearts and not your clothing."

In the Monastery, each Sister decides for herself on her own individual Lenten practice. So, this year I would like to read a spiritual book and visit our Sisters at Saint Scholastica Convent three different Sundays. I have been reading Sister Joan Chittister who says that "Lent is a summons to live anew." The way I think of this is something quite positive that allows me to truly succeed in my efforts. To "live anew" means being open to change from within, whereas giving up something seems to be external. I want to change something about myself that will become a good habit.

One of the ways we Sisters give each other opportunity to ponder change during Lent is by keeping silence at breakfast Mondays through Fridays. We carry that silence and quiet into the hallways and common spaces as much as possible during the morning hours. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we enter our dining room for the evening meal in a quiet manner, getting ready to listen to table reading.

We try to keep Benedict's admonition in mind: "The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent," and yet we know these words can be interpreted many ways. Therefore, besides the practice of intentional silence, we do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday nor Fridays during Lent. And on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, no dessert is served at the noon meal. These practices gives us a beautiful balance between the external and the internal, while encouraging an approach of moderation.

How will you rend your heart this Lent 2011?

photo: Sister Pat Kennedy distributes ashes to Sister Karen Streveler at the Ash Wednesday Eucharist in Sacred Heart Chapel on March 9, 2011.

Music at the Monastery

2011-03-08T14:38:00.001-06:00

submitted by S. Dolores Super

We have a new exhibit opening March 27 at the Haehn Museum: Resounding Joy: Our Music Heritage. It tells the story of our music ministry, which has touched many more people than we can imagine.

Our first prioress, Willibalda Scherbauer, OSB, was an accomplished musician. We know this not from a recording but from personal copies of piano compositions she used, copies full of pencil markings and worn edges. The degree of difficulty indicates none are for the “faint-hearted.”

Music—teaching, performing, directing, creating, publishing, sharing, enjoying—are all aspects of our music heritage which come alive in this exhibit. It’s like seeing the whole of it all at once. I am so proud to stand as a musician among these many talented Sister musicians.

The income from individual music lessons given week after week to 50 or more students was a major resource for our community in normal times and in hard times. Imagine this—in 1948 we had 76 musicians in 66 locations! I stood at the map of Minnesota and wondered at all the towns and cities where our Sister musicians served. And that’s not even counting neighboring states like Wisconsin and North Dakota. In fact, if you saw our exhibit last year, you know we taught music as far away as Kaifeng, China. The Minnesota map made real a recent comment: “It is no secret that you Benedictine women shaped the cultural life of many in Central Minnesota.”

And then there is our community’s dedicated work in liturgical music. From our own daily liturgies, this ministry reaches the people of God world-wide. You will want to learn the stories of our chant tradition exemplified by the Gertken Sisters to the compositions and hymn texts of current musicians like Delores Dufner, OSB, and Christine Manderfield, OSB.

As a Sister, if you had any musical ability, it was best not to let that be known because you would find yourself directing the children’s choir or playing the organ in church. This is how someone put it: “Sister taught second grade, was local superior, was sacristan, and she played the organ in church.” Examples of this are Sister Leora Juettner and Sister Agatha Zwilling.

Come see the instruments, including a rare piano harp thought to be only one of fifteen in existence. At a listening station, you can hear music and view Sister musicians of the past and present.

Did you study music with one of our Sisters? If so, let us know about your experience below! If you have a good story about music with the Sisters you'd like to share for possible inclusion in the next Benedictine Sisters and Friends magazine, send it to ssink@csbsju.edu.

International Women's Day

2011-03-08T14:04:00.002-06:00

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. In the picture above some of our Sisters and a few friends of ours got together for Noon Prayer and lunch to celebrate this international recognition of women on its 100th anniversary. I was only the photographer and not privy to their conversation but my suspicion is that their conversation went from rejoicing at the many inovative ways that women have taken their place in society to some sadness that there are still too many women who are disenfranchised.

Women have taken giant steps in the fields of science, medicine, and politics, to name just a few. Of course that is in the developed world, the northern hemisphere more particularly, but what about the millions of women who try to stand up for justice and peace in so many troubled nations of our world and are raped, attacked or assassinated by machine gun in the streets of their cities as happened on the Ivory Coast about one week ago? We have a long way to go to make the world safe and where everyone, not only women but men and children, can live in freedom and peace.

This day got me thinking of all the women in the last 154 years who have been part of this community and the many ways they have left their mark in Minnesota and beyond. In a short blog it is not possible to list the many accomplishments of these women but let me name a few anyway: the six sisters who went to China in 1930 and from whom we had no news for five years, the bold women who envisoned what is now the St. Cloud Hospital, built it and were left with a two million dollar debt that took a generation to pay back; I have wondered many times if Mother Louise Walz, the Prioress at the time of the construction, who had a Grade 8 education, lost sleep at night worrying how we would pay back this huge debt. Ten years earlier, in 1913, we built the Sacred Heart Chapel AND Theresa Hall, the first academic building of the College of Saint Benedict.

These were not privileged women and for the most part they did not have a high level of education, but they believed in service to the sick and in education. Today we can be proud of having one of the top hospitals in the country right in St. Cloud and proud of the excellence of education at the College of Saint Benedict.

One is never certain of what the future holds but one thing I do know: this community will continue networking and developing friendships with other women so that together we can build a better world around us.

Strong Women

2011-03-03T10:58:00.003-06:00

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed a national women's week to be observed in March, primarily honoring American working women. In 1987, Congress passed a resolution setting aside the whole month of March in honor of all American women. Academics in particular have given much time and energy to highlighting the role of women in forming and strengthening this nation.

Each March a theme is selected to guide various projects in making known women who have played key roles in society—locally as well as nationally. This year's theme is "Our History is Our Strength." When I read that, I was immediately reminded of the many strong women who helped form our monastic community, past and present. Surely, Mother Benedicta Riepp and, Mother Cecilia Kapsner, early leaders during our community's founding, were strong women, braving frontier conditions to anchor Benedictine life in central Minnesota. Following them, over the next decades and generations, a long list of Sisters attests to a desire and the will to foster religious life here.

I think of such forebears as Mother Aloysia Bath, Mother Louisa Walz, Mother Richarda Peters and Mother Henrita Osendorf… the latter two whom I knew personally. They were truly strong women, capable and determined, each in her own way. We indeed stand on the shoulders of giants! I like to think that the "beat goes on"—that we inheritors of a grand history will prove worthy of these great, strong women, and in turn give a breadth and depth to Benedictine monasticism which will enrich us and those around us.

Photo: Sister Richarda Peters

Sister Michaela Hedican Elected Prioress

2011-03-02T08:56:00.000-06:00

On Sunday afternoon, the Sisters completed a process they began in November with the election in the chapel of Sister Michaela Hedican as the 16th prioress of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Sister Michaela served as prioress of Saint Bede Monastery from 2008-2010, when the Sisters of that community transferred membership to Saint Benedict's Monastery. She said, "I am humbled and grateful for the trust the Sisters have put in me and for their support and love."

The Sisters are delighted with the way the Spirit moved, especially over the three days of the Chapter meeting, and called forth this wonderful woman as leader of the community for the next six years.

To learn more about Sister Michaela, visit our home page, http://www.sbm.osb.org/

photo: Federation President Sister Susan Hutchens blesses Sister Michaela during the Rite of Acceptance and Blessing following the election.

Push Play

2011-02-24T09:37:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been thinking about technology and the impact it has around the world and in our personal lives. Actually, it's the buttons on the remote control as my housemates and I watched TV that started it all. Suddenly the buttons had a larger dimension and meaning. Think about it: POWER, PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, FAST FORWARD, STOP.

Here before me was a perfect description of our spiritual life! Each day, rising from sleep, we push the POWER button. We are awake because "In God we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We are awake because of the breath of life given to us by God, who gives us another day to become all that God desires for us.

And we begin to PLAY out our day, making connections with the world around us to fulfill God's dream for us and for the world. It wouldn't hurt if we really did take some time to PLAY in this world, recognizing that the world around us holds amazing surprises and miracles.

It's a good thing to PAUSE during the day. Get up and look out the window to get a bigger view of life. Take five for a cup of tea and count your many blessings. For one minute, simply breathe in peace and breathe out tension; breathe in trust and breathe out fear. The PAUSE gives us a small moment to REWIND our being human in the world, before we FAST FORWARD to the completion of the day.

Ah, before we lay our heads on the pillow at night, we STOP and recall what this day has held for us. We call it the "Examination of Consciousness." Here are the easy steps.

Place yourself in the presence of God. Look at your day with gratitude. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to look over your day, not to find fault with yourself but to gain wisdom and understanding of your own gifts and limitations. How did I find God today and how did God find me? How did I gain freedom to cooperate with God's desire for me? End with your favorite prayer, confident that tomorrow you will be ready to push the POWER button with inner peace and inner freedom.

What I Learned from 30 Dogs

2011-02-22T10:40:00.004-06:00

From February 10-13, I was part of an "Eat, Pray, Mush" retreat with eight College of Saint Benedict alumnae/staffa nd two other Benedictine Sisters. We gathered in the pristine Boundary Waters area near Ely, Minn., where the Wintergreen Lodge guides quickly took us through the "Dos and Don'ts of Dog Sledding." Each day began around 7:30 a.m. when we were enthusiastically greeted by 30 dogs howling for their breakfast. To my surprise, being acknowledged and affirmed was as important as being fed and watered.

Harnessing and selecting a team of five dogs for each two-person sled wasn't simple. Dogs were placed next to dogs with whom they were compatible. Some dogs had to be "top dogs" while others pulled conscientiously without drawing attention to themselves. Some barked as though pleading, "Pick me!" Others got depressed if they weren't chosen. All appreciated being affirmed and thanked.

At the signal, "Hike, Hike!" the dogs took off with the enthusiasm of race horses out of the starting gate! Whenever they found their rhythm, pulling the sled across expansive fields of snow and frozen lakes felt effortless. They were completely focused, on task and enjoying it!

Pulling up steep hills required assistance-- we pumped, or got off the sled to make the climb easier. The dogs could be distracted by something on the trail, the scent of another animal, the need to "eat snow" or mark the territory. No matter how tired they were at the end of the day, the prospect of home revived them and they picked up speed.

It didn't take me long to realize they weren't simply dogs-- they were Curly, Heinzy, Steve, Sparky, Sheila, Elwood, Jupitor, Orion, Matilda, to name a few. Very quickly, bonding with the dogs as we traveled through the stunning winter beauty of Minnesota's forests turned our gathering of 11 women into a community. Thank God for dogs!

photos: (top) Patches (right) with a friend relaxing after the run. (bottom) Sheila getting a belly rub by Teri Carlisano, with Curly and Heinzy in the background.

S. Katherine Kraft talking about the dogs after a 2010 trip:

The Listening Heart

2011-02-17T08:26:00.002-06:00

Next weekend, we elect a new prioress for Saint Benedict’s Monastery. We follow a process called “discernment,” a special mode of listening to God, self, others and history/life experience. It isn’t easy to describe, but here is a sneak peek.

For months before this event, we prayerfully ponder and then publicly discuss in detail what we deeply care about as our monastic community moves into the future. This happens at our regular Chapter meetings attended by approximately 200 Sisters, with other Sisters Skyping their comments and/or praying for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Within the Chapter meetings, we watch our treasured Benedictine way of life come into focus and see both unique internal movements and emerging outreach potential revealed. Based on that information, we identify qualities that individual candidates possess which might lead us into our dreams for the future.

All the while we are called to a special mode of listening as monastics. The Prologue to the Rule of Benedict invites us to “Listen with the ear of your heart.” So each Sister prayerfully prepares her heart to be:

INTRIGUED by differences, instead of divided by judgment of the other
Poised to VALUE each perspective, hers and others
SURPRISED by the possible, instead of enumerating problems
Attentively LED by the Spirit when acknowledging what challenges her
TAUGHT by each speaker, because we are all equals.

All Sisters present at the Election Chapter, February 25-27(28) will cast their votes after having heard each candidate describe her leadership strengths as well as her personal challenges. The Sister receiving a 2/3 majority will be installed as the new Prioress on Sunday, June 5, 2011. Thank you for joining your “listening heart” prayers to ours during this time.

Choose Life

2011-02-15T11:27:00.006-06:00

Some time ago I was very impressed by a PowerPoint presentation that someone sent me on the Internet. It told the story of the bald eagle who, in midlife, at a time when his beak and talons are overgrown (at about 40 years of age), flies to a high peak and smashes his beak on a rock until it falls off. The eagle then waits for the beak to grow back. When it does, the eagle can resume taking care of his talons and cleaning himself.

What I have discovered is that the story is a myth or legend meant to teach us about choosing life. Another example of someone choosing life is the story of Aron Ralston who some years ago now while canyoneering found himself in a very narrow passage and his arm became pinned between two boulders when one of the boulders shifted. He was unable to call for help and so spent several days drinking what little water he had and hoping against hope almost that he would be rescued. After five days with his arm still pinned down, he realized that his hand was dying -- the skin was beginning to fall off. He began planning how he could break and then cut off his arm and thereby save his life. His story was featured on Dateline a couple of weeks ago and is the subject of the movie 127 Hours. Aron did make it out after cutting off his own arm. He said he felt elation (despite great pain) that he doesn't think he will feel again once he was freed from the rock.

Both stories, the legend of the eagle and Aron Ralston's dramatic gesture of removing his own arm, epitomize for me the sometimes difficult decisions we are called to make in life. Most of the time they are not as life threatening as Aron's was, but they can call for enormous courage all the same.

This past weekend we heard these words from Deuteronomy at Evening Prayer: ". . . I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you . . . may live." (Deut. 30:19). When was there a time that you chose life? What was that like?

Holy Talk: Feast of St. Scholastica

2011-02-09T20:17:00.005-06:00

Every year, on the Feast of St. Scholastica, we read a charming story at Morning Prayer about the last visit on earth that saintly twins Benedict and Scholastica experienced. The story from The Dialogues of St. Gregory tells of Scholastica's yearly visit to her brother's monastery.

He arrives with his companions to the gate, and the delightful visit takes place, with the siblings catching up on their separate but similar lives. When the time comes for him to return up the mountain, Scholastica begs him to stay the night so they can continue their holy talk. He, however, reprimands her, telling her to remember that he must return to his monastery.

Scholastica, not accepting his response, places her head in her hands and leans on the table
asking God in prayer to answer her request. Immediately upon her prayer, the sky opens up and rain pours in torrents. Benedict reprimands his sister but she simply replies that since he would not grant her wish, she prayed to God for help. No one was able to leave and they spent the night talking about spiritual matters.

In the morning, they return to their respective monasteries, but Gregory explains that this one time Benedict did not have his way, showing who had the greater love.

Three days later Benedict sees his sister's soul, in the form of a dove, flying up to heaven.

Hard Bodies/Soft Souls

2011-02-08T11:26:00.003-06:00

I have been attending a "hard bodies" exercise class on Monday mornings at Gold’s Gym for the last four years. Sometimes I am a little hit and miss, depending on my schedule. The other women in the class, young mothers in their 30s, did not quite know what to think of having a Sister in the class.
They warmed up to me as we all struggled through core exercises. Together, we groaned, had sore muscles and wondered why we kept coming back to class and putting our bodies through this workout. As a result, we have developed a common bond.

I have valued these women and their friendship. They always give me a fresh perspective on family life, juggling schedules to include workouts, jobs, husbands, children and school schedules. We have exercised a bond of friendship, care and encouragement for another.

When I didn’t show up because I was working at Starbucks, they came in to see me and buy coffee, asking when I was coming back. We often inquire about a person misses class. About two months ago, I invited the women to the monastery and to do a meditation/prayer class afterwards, called “Hard Bodies, Soft Souls.” They jumped at the idea and pursued making a time and date that we could all agree on.

Not knowing how many women would show up, I was surprised that six women found their way to Saint Benedict’s Monastery for noon prayer, a tour of our sacred spaces, lunch and prayer and meditation time. They all seemed to enjoy the experience.

When I got back to my office, a couple had e-mailed how much they enjoyed the day and asked if we could do it again. The next time we had class, the women asked when we were going to schedule the next one.

One young woman told me that the day had a large impact on her. She made some major life decisions for healing, truth and abundance for herself and family. Another woman overheard us and asked if she could join us the next time. It reminds me of the quote from the book of Esther: “For such a time as this…” Community is best formed when it’s a movement of the Spirit, souls coming together to form the body of Christ. Let us be Christ for one another and bring each other to Christ.

Present Moment

2011-02-03T09:50:00.002-06:00

When I was much younger in religious life, I frequently read writings by Father Gerard Sloyan. One of his statements has stayed with me over the years: We must live in the “sacrament of the present moment.” That is such an interesting, rich phrase. I am one who likes to anticipate upcoming events and am often busy with planning future moves. Remembering Sloyan’s phrase has caused me occasionally to pause and reflect on how and why the “present moment” is a sacrament of sorts.

Here in the monastery we live a schedule which dictates a pattern of actions in set times and manner—such as Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, meals, parties, dish charges, etc. One attends to these in a more or less dedicated way … but sometimes one doesn’t give complete attention to the at-hand task or pleasure. I find myself often anticipating when an event will be “over” and what I intend to do next, rather than giving full attention to what is immediately in front of me.

Perhaps this is a common occurrence; still, I believe there is a sacredness, a grace that can be found in even the most mundane of activities.
Being fully present to the at-hand event, person, thought, etc., calls for concentration and care. It can be taxing—but one owes that kind of attention, at least most of the time. Who knows what graces await us in any kind of situation, if we learn to live fully in the “now.”

Snowshoeing Centering Prayer

2011-02-02T10:42:00.000-06:00

submitted by Trish Dick, OSB

I woke up anxious. Why? Who knows! Drank my coffee, had lectio and was amazed at the healing of Jesus, but still I was anxious. I went to morning prayers thinking: I can get this anxiety out of my system. Instead, I was irritated by someone constantly coughing. Skip the centering prayer that would be impossible at this point. So I grabbed my snowshoes and headed out to the woods to snowshoe in the new snow. As I put on my winter gear, I almost talked myself out of it, thinking it was too cold and I didn’t have enough time. With a little self-talk and encouragement, I convinced myself I would benefit from the fresh air, solitude, silence and exercise. So I tromped out to the woods in the new-fallen snow, convincing myself this was worth it.

Soon my soul lifted as the snowshoes eased into the fresh powder. My tracks were fresh and I was alone except for the tracks of deer and rabbit. At last my soul started to find a groove, breathing in the beauty on the trail. On the trail, I was startled by a dead doe. It caught me by surprise and my heart was filled with shock and sadness. It startled any residue of anxiety right out of my soul and filled it wonder and care. Care for the creatures of our woods, for my life and breath, my friends and family. Consciously, I stopped and took some deep breaths to ground myself. I stopped and looked at the beauty of the snow fallen on the trail. I was amazed at the intricate designs of the snow, the color of the reflecting sun and chirping of birds that remind me that all life and breath is a gift. The center of God is all beauty.

As I write this blog, I watch the sunset out my window, grateful for life.

Suzanne Helmin, OSB

2011-02-01T14:53:00.000-06:00

This year we have an 80-year jubilarian, which doesn't happen every year. If you figure that a woman usually enters religious life between the ages of 18-24, she would have to be at least 98 to make it to 80 years! Sister Suzanne will turn 99 on April 1, 2011. She still lives at Saint Benedict's Monastery, gets around very well and enjoys visiting with people. Many have benefited from a visit with Sister Suzanne. In fact, she still gets visitors from some of her earliest teaching days, back in the 1930s, in small towns like Sobieski, Browerville and Cold Spring, Minnesota.

I sat down with Sister Suzanne on January 7 for a conversation about her ministries, her family live and religious life. Below are three video excerpts from our visit.

The Arena Culture

2011-01-27T09:55:00.004-06:00

Someone sent me a copy of New York Times’ columnist David Brooks’ recent commentary on All Things Shining, a book co-authored by contemporary philosophers Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly. It resonated with my own musings around the widespread interest in spirituality disassociated from institutional religion, and our culture’s intense devotion to sports. Could there be a connection between the two? These philosophers believe there is.

They characterize the past hundred years as a “secular age” strikingly unlike former times when people experienced “themselves as determined or created by God.” While many are still religious, “a unitary totalistic explanation for the universe” no longer prevails and there are no universally shared values. The only certain truth is scientific truth. Consequently, individuals are thrown back on themselves to create their own meaning and fashion their own spirituality—tasks so formidable that the result is “a pervasive sadness” and anxiety.

Fortunately, individuals are social beings who look outside themselves and find meaning in “whooshing up” experiences, namely, “transcendent moments” in which one is caught up in something larger than the self even if only for awhile. While these “whooshing” moments can be solitary: awe-filled encounters with nature, aesthetic responses to music or art, satisfaction from some personally fulfilling activity, they are often social or “arena” experiences associated with sports, political rallies, large public concerts and communal religious events.

Given the current situation, the advice offered us is:

1) be strong enough to live without a unitary and comprehensive explanation for the universe;

2) live open and receptive to transcendent ”whooshing” experiences, and

3) nourish a spirit of gratitude for all the good things the world offers.

None of this is bad advice. However, like Brooks, I’m not sure it’s adequate. I appreciate the critique of excessive individualism and the recognition that a completely “autonomous life is impossible.” Nonetheless, a nagging question persists: “Is their advice sufficient and satisfactory?” If there is no Truth and no certain values, isn’t it all a matter of opinion and personal preference? While I’ve had a fair share of “whooshing” moments and am an avid sports fan, their counsel leaves me hungry for something more substantial.

Walking in My Sisters' Footprints

2011-01-25T10:23:00.005-06:00

The first time I became aware of my Sisters’ footprints was while walking to Morning Prayer on a snowy morning. I found myself fascinated with the variety of prints and the variety of pathways. Sometimes the path was made by a lone walker, sometimes the footprints merged with others, sometimes it was an intricate back and forth pattern.

One day in particular the path of prints was almost surreal. The maintenance crew had swept through the moisture laden snow, and cleared the sidewalk. But the frozen prints remained, making the footprints stark white against the walk. I thought it might be angels who had walked there, but no, it was the footprints of my Sisters.

On another quiet morning, I was the first one to walk in the snow. The purity and brilliance of thousands of diamonds dancing on the surface took my breath away. I was making the first path, and it seemed such an honor that my prints would lead others to Morning Prayer.

One afternoon, on my way to Noon Prayer, the footprints were shadowy and mysterious, almost eerie. In various spots, the prints suddenly disappeared, as if the walkers had suddenly ascended into another realm.

Are our lives merely as ephemeral as the footprints in the snow? I don’t think so. These footprints remind me that I am walking the path trod by over a thousand women who have gone before me, walking the same walk, making the same journey. I see them in the beauty of the monastic buildings, the care of the earth, the vestments worn for celebrations, the memorials of their lives we make at each Evening Prayer, and the stories told over and over. I know that each footprint of my Sisters is unique, each carries a specific DNA, certain burdens, hopes, joys and fears. I am buoyed up by the sure and certain hope that all over the world, there are Sisters and brothers who are leaving their footprints in snow, sand, mud, dirt, grass, fields, forests, fire, homes, hospitals and schools.

I believe that we are walking in the footsteps of our ancestors, of our religious leaders, of all ambassadors of justice and peace, of love and forgiveness, of harmony and unity.

Walk with me!

The Faces of Peace

2011-01-20T08:50:00.004-06:00

Most of us readily recognize the feeling of peace when it slips into our lives. This is often true because it arrives some time after chaos, rage, sadness or fear has been our palpable companion. This weekend I spent some time with a high school friend, Kathy, and we were chatting about everyday things. At one point she told me about watching her 11 year old grandson, Mike, play hockey. She had just arrived and was standing near the rink board and Plexiglas protective divider. Immediately in front of her was her grandson Mike with the puck near him. A much larger player came from behind and jolted Mike at his shoulders with his hockey stick, causing him to fly head first into the boards and drop to the ice unconscious (an illegal check-move resulting in immediate removal of the offender from the game). As she watched them check Mike’s eyes and ears before carrying him off the rink on a stretcher, terror and rage rose inside her. Even though she saw Mike emerge later and sit on the bench in his street clothes, appearing OK, her rage continued.

As she was exiting the arena next to Mike a woman approached her, looked her in the eyes and said, “Mother to mother, I want you to know how sorry I am for what happened to your son. It was my son who pushed him.” Kathy said she could immediately feel her rage soften. As they were speaking, this woman’s son arrived, looked Kathy in the eyes and said, “I’m so sorry for what I did.” And then he looked at Mike and repeated, “I’m so sorry for what I did to you.” By that time peace had replaced rage in Kathy and she immediately said to the boy, “I give you so much credit for coming up to us and saying you are sorry. That took lots of courage because you had no idea how we would react.”

I was again shocked at the power of forgiveness to heal the person offended and allow the face of rage to transform into the face of peace. Only forgiveness given and received can yield such an amazing transformation in both.

Extravagant Love of God

2011-01-17T11:43:00.000-06:00

Every year I take 9-12 college students from the college of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University on a dog sledding eco-spirituality retreat in Ely, Minn., at Wintergreen Lodge. Wintergreen is owned and operated by SJU alumnus Paul Schurke. In support of the colleges and the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, Paul gives us a deep discount.

This is my fifth year taking students dog sledding. Every year I come away in awe of the retreat and full of wonder at how each group forms community and becomes as bonded as the previous groups. Today, I was wondering what contributes to the quick bonding on this particular retreat. My conclusion: extravagant relationships and extravagant generosity are the key ingredients.

Bonding takes place immediately with the dogs. How could you not respond to a creature that unconditionally howls when you arrive, looks you directly in the eyes and wags its tail, drawing up next to you waiting to be petted.

These dogs all want to go sledding; every day they howl “Take me! Take me!” Part of the Benedictine eco-spirituality retreat is getting up early in the morning to feed the dogs and clean up frozen poop from their pens. Believe it or not, the students relish being greeted by the crisp winter air, watching the beauty of a colorful sunrise and caring for the dogs. They come bounding back to the Lodge, sharing how they love this or that dog, hungry and ready to be fed breakfast. They have a sense of accomplishment from work and are anticipating dog sledding.

It’s a magical piece of the retreat that isn’t contrived: it happens again and again. So is the extravagant love that God has for us. We are all chosen by God. He loves spending time with us, nourishing us and caring for us. It’s fabulous when we encounter the tangible love of God and pure joy when we can extend the tangible love of God to one another. The good zeal discussed in the Rule of St. Benedict calls us to love one another extravagantly. Be of good zeal and tangibly share your love.

To view a video of dog sledding, click here to go to our home page.

photo: 2011 dog sledding group, including Paul Schurke (back row, third from right); Sister Janelle Sietsema (front row far left), Sister Lisa Rose (front row, far right) and Sister Trish Dick (back row, center, left of Paul).

Stones into Schools

2011-01-13T16:16:00.006-06:00

Given the recent tragedy in Arizona, I am trying to think of ways to remember that more human beings mean to do good for the world than the few who act out their aggressions and disagreements through violent acts.

I have been reading the book I will be using in my class beginning on Monday. If you have not read Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson, I highly recommend it as a rich tonic for thinking about how good humans are. I pray daily that when I look upon another face, I see the face of Christ, and I want to believe and know that with my whole heart.

Three Cups of Tea was Mortenson's first book about his work in Pakistan. But you do not need to have read his first book to thoroughly love this book about building schools for girls in Afghanistan. An ordinary guy, Greg Mortenson lives with his family in Livingston, Montana, when he is not in Afghanistan or on the road fundraising for CAI (Central Asia Institute) which has helped him promote more than 145 schools for girls in these remote regions.

I especially like what Admiral Mike Mullen has said about Mortenson, "What Greg understands better than most--and what he practices more than anyone else I know--is the simple truth that all of us are better off when all of us have the opportunity to learn, especially our children. By helping them learn and grow, he's shaping the very future of a region and giving hope to an entire generation."

Once again the power of story has raised my spirits and given me new hope because of one person's passionate determination to do good.

Ongoing Epiphanies

2011-01-06T08:50:00.004-06:00

January 6 has traditionally been the Feast of the Epiphany, although this year it was celebrated on January 2 in the Roman Catholic Church. The story of the three Magi coming to Bethlehem to see the Christ Child is a beloved one and carries with it much color and drama. The first visitors to the baby Jesus were lowly shepherds while the last visitors we hear about were “kings.” In between, I suspect, there were other visitors---probably small shopkeepers, assorted housewives and curious children. Babies are crowd pleasers.

On January 6, 1946, Pope Pius XII published his encyclical -- Quemadmodum --
which was a plea for the care of the world’s destitute children. He pointed out the millions of innocent children (post-WWII) without the basic necessities of life: home, food, clothing, etc.

How fitting that this encyclical came out on the feast of the Epiphany, featuring gift-bearers bringing a child precious offerings, not least being gold…which surely Mary and Joseph would have used to care for Jesus and to establish their family home.

Hard times can bring out the worst and the best in people. Thankfully, the generous-hearted are always with us and we in the monastery have certainly benefited and continue to benefit from their gifts.

Memories of a "Germans from Russia" Christmas

2010-12-29T09:55:00.000-06:00

There are dozens of ways to celebrate Christmas. Families have their own traditions passed down for generations. In my small North Dakota town, home to many German-French emigrants from Ukraine, we had several traditions which I treasure. The tree was decorated on December 24 and stayed up until February 2. After dark on Christmas Eve, we gathered around the tree listening for the sound of melodious bells signaling the arrival of the angels. Magically, they appeared in flowing robes, shiny tiaras and wings covered with sparkling stars. They blessed the tree, sang Silent Night in German and English, and presented each child with a gift from Jesus. I can still feel the anticipation in my child’s heart and the sheer joy of that evening.

I experienced a similar joy when I received the following prayer-poem from a dear friend. It expresses the reason for that lovely family tradition and the deepest source of our Christmas joy! With permission, I include it here.

“A Christmas Eve Prayer”

Why is this night
Different from all other nights?
On this night the fevered world lets go,
Closes its doors early, calls enough enough,
Honors other claims,
And a Sabbath stillness settles,
To muffle the heart like falling snow;
And while nothing has changed,
All problems remain, all bombs wired,
All griefs grievous to the last,
The world catches a kind of second wind;
We read our stories by starlight,
And open again the gift of hope
Born when God came down
The stairs of heaven
With a child in his arms,
On this night long ago.

-- Peter Fribley

submitted by Katherine Kraft, OSB