Often when speaking about ministry the Sisters are asked: “What do you do?” For Benedictines the intentional living and interplay of community, prayer and labor is our first ministry. Our constitutions, Call to Life, direct us to the Rule of Benedict which tells us that: “Acts of hospitality, of receiving all guests as Christ, daily prayer on behalf of the whole church and world and manual labor continue to be fundamental manifestations of monastic ministry.” The daily life of each monastic woman is a source of energy and grace for this world and all people. Each sister, devoted to seeking God, living in peace and reconciliation with one another and offering generous service participates in the ministry and the gift of Monastic Living.
Hospitality is a hallmark of Benedictine life and ministry. Our doors and our hearts have been open to receive guests as St. Benedict urges us to do. The Sisters have sheltered refugee families from Viet Nam, Cambodia, Uganda and Bosnia. We have offered safe haven to a family from Mexico whose baby daughter’s health was threatened by the mold in their own apartment. We have offered lodging to student Sisters from foreign lands: India, Kenya, Uganda, Australia, Ireland, the Bahamas, Canada, and from other states.
The Rule of St. Benedict provides a guide to a life lived in balance. When each Sister lives that life well it demonstrates to those we encounter and all those for whom we pray that there is hope in their own lives; that they can bring all the disparate challenges that they confront from day to day into rhythm and wrap them in a spirit of PEACE. Now, that’s a ministry!
Often when speaking about ministry the Sisters are asked: “What do you do?” For Benedictines the intentional living and interplay of community, prayer and labor is our first ministry. Our constitutions, Call to Life, direct us to the Rule of Benedict which tells us that: “Acts of hospitality, of receiving all guests as Christ, daily prayer on behalf of the whole church and world and manual labor continue to be fundamental manifestations of monastic ministry.” The daily life of each monastic woman is a source of energy and grace for this world and all people. Each sister, devoted to seeking God, living in peace and reconciliation with one another and offering generous service participates in the ministry and the gift of Monastic Living.
Hospitality is a hallmark of Benedictine life and ministry. Our doors and our hearts have been open to receive guests as St. Benedict urges us to do. The Sisters have sheltered refugee families from Viet Nam, Cambodia, Uganda and Bosnia. We have offered safe haven to a family from Mexico whose baby daughter’s health was threatened by the mold in their own apartment. We have offered lodging to student Sisters from foreign lands: India, Kenya, Uganda, Australia, Ireland, the Bahamas, Canada, and from other states.
The Rule of St. Benedict provides a guide to a life lived in balance. When each Sister lives that life well it demonstrates to those we encounter and all those for whom we pray that there is hope in their own lives; that they can bring all the disparate challenges that they confront from day to day into rhythm and wrap them in a spirit of PEACE. Now, that’s a ministry!
