Sister Mary Damian Thaner

My vocation to the Benedictine Sisters was probably motivated by the fact that several of my family’s friends and relatives were Benedictines and I stood in awe of them. At the early age of thirteen I entered the Prep Class of the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh but delayed entry into the community until the age of twenty. Being more mature, problems were solved through a greater sense of understanding.

The greatest motivating force during my early days in religious life was the rhythm and the reverence at Community Prayer. Although most of the praying was done in Latin, an aura of reverence pervaded the atmosphere. The second important factor in my religious life was the time spent with the other Sisters; today this is known as Community Living. Community Prayer and Community Living are the basis of Benedictine life. When these are approached meaningfully, Benedictine life can only be happy. During the many years I have spent in this Benedictine community I have been challenged to make many decisions – many hard decisions. But in spite of, or maybe because of, the many hard decisions I have never had an unhappy day. If I were to live my life over, there would be some things I might do differently. But as of now, the only thing that I would like to say is: LIFE HAS BEEN GOOD!!!