December 2020 E-Newsletter

December 2020

As Advent begins, we approach winter and the darkest time of the year. Daylight hours are shortened, and the night is long. This year, darkness takes on a new meaning. During this pandemic, our experience of darkness may be tinged with the depth of many feelings: fear, sorrow, loneliness, and hopelessness. As we journey through this present darkness, how we long for light!

November 2020 E-Newsletter

November 2020

The words thanks or thanksgiving are used in the Old Testament 72 times and in the New Testament 71 times, so they are not new to our vocabulary. This Thanksgiving will be different because of the pandemic. There may be an absence of a family member or friend at the dinner table, which will lead to a feeling of loss. The Monastic Community will feel that loss also. However, nothing can change the Thanksgiving Spirit in our hearts for YOU!

October 2020 E-Newsletter

September 2020

As a part of our commissioning service at the September 12 day of community meetings, each member of the community was presented with a copy of her first vows. We were invited to reflect on that original commitment to seek God with this community and to be of service to one another and the Church. The Benedictine Feasts days of February 10 and July 11 are typically the dates marked by commitment for a monastic. October 18 is my anniversary date. It was on this day in 1987 that I professed my first vows. The reason for such a date was due to the fact that I entered the Novitiate on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, September 14 of 1986, and so a date in October of the following year made sense.

September 2020 E-Newsletter

August 2020

Fall is a favorite season for many of us. All around we see folks collecting dried seeds for spring planting, some are nurturing the ground with rich soil or cleaning a bird feeder. Others may be modifying daily schedules to accommodate school or childcare needs. We are all seeking normality in a time of uncertainty amidst global health concerns. All around we are hearing the following words, intending to offer comfort: “We are all in this together.”

August 2020 E-Newsletter

August 2020

It has now been about a half-year, or perhaps a half-century, since the coronavirus pandemic exploded onto our national, communal, and individual consciousness. The end of the stay-at-home order and the reopening of Minnesota has not brought a return to normal, but a time that feels like no-time, like an in-between place. At the monastery, we’ve been encouraged to consider this no-time as a “covid pause.” During no-time, we are outside of our normal routine, making this a very good time for us to slow down and be reflective. We are all invited to consider and begin to act on what really matters, what doesn’t matter, and what needs to change in our lives.

July 2020 E-Newsletter

June 2020

The Feast of our founder St. Benedict is July 11. It is a very special time of celebration. Our Order, founded over 1500 years ago, means that Benedictines are the oldest religious community. I believe that this speaks to the depth and breadth of the foundation that St. Benedict built. When I am working with the youth, I have opportunities to explain Benedictine life to them. When they hear that Benedictines are 1500 years old, I usually ask “Don’t I look good for being 1500 years old?” Then they laugh or their jaws drop. I have to admit, this is one way I know whether or not the students are paying attention. And they are: Our youth are listening and looking to us for wisdom and guidance.

Category Archives: 2020

Upcoming Events

Hill-Murray Student Art Exhibition Opens

Choosing the Light: A Retreat on Hope

Deadline for Commemorative Paver Orders

Hill-Murray Student Art Exhibit Gallery Reception

Monastery Work Day