Benedictine Life…

"Listen carefully to the master’s instructions
and attend to them with the ear of your heart." RB Prd:1

is centered on community. The Order of Saint Benedict was not instituted to do any particular work; our corporate ministry is community. Benedictines are to be living signs that strangers can come together in Christ, care for one another, hold one another up, and challenge one another to grow.

Benedictines look at the work God has created and say: “It is good.” We affirm moderation rather than severe asceticism, transformation of society rather than withdrawal from it.

There is a distinctive rhythm to Benedictine life. The community gathers for prayer to mark the coming of light and darkness, the passing of night and day. There is time given to serving others and time set aside for reading and personal prayer. People come together for meals and discussion; individuals are encouraged to spend time in silence and solitude. Periods are devoted to study and time is given to leisure. All creation is treated with reverence; all time is seen as holy. As the days open and close, as the seasons turn and the cycles of redemption are celebrated, “the patterns form a whole and healing life rhythm.” The dynamic balance of forces – if she chooses to internalize them – allows each woman to become her best, her truest self. At the depth of her being, at the ground of her being, she discovers love.

Benedictine life focuses on three vows:

Obedience
Fidelity to Monastic Life
Stability

Obedience is a promise to be a faithful listener. With the ear of the heart we listen to the voice of the Spirit in scriptures, in the prioress and in one another, in the call of Church and the cry of the poor. Then we respond with generosity and courage.

Fidelity to Monastic Life is dedication to lifelong growth. We are never fully converted; rather, our lives are a continuing process of listening to the Voice of God, opening our Hearts to the Word, and growing in love.

Stability is a promise to be faithful to one’s sisters, to establish lifelong human bonds so necessary for healing and growth. We agree to search for God together, making our journey as honest, as loving, as human as possible.

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