Traditions and Celebrations

One of the best parts of autumn for me, other than the endless football games, the changing of the leaves and the evenings on the patio making s'mores, is the community traditions which all fall in October. 

One of those family celebrations is our annual Chicken Day.  While the rest of the universal Church celebrates St. Teresa of Avila on Oct 15, it is the day that we have fried chicken for dinner in honor of our founding generation of Sisters.

Here is the story, as I remember it (apologies in advance for any mistakes or omissions which may occur in this story).  When our Sisters were still living in Creston, IA, they were moving to a new, larger convent about 6 blocks away from St. Malachy's Church where they had originally resided. Our Sisters packed everything in crates including the chickens. Someone forgot to put air holes in the crates for the chickens. So at the end of the day after the long day of moving, the Sisters discovered that the chickens had all smothered in the crates. Being mindful never to waste anything, they fried the chickens that evening and used them as an evening snack.

Our Sisters love fried chicken and use any excuse available to have a celebration. So even more than 130 years later we still celebrate this event in our history.

This year we are also blessed to celebrate 135 years since our founding day on October 28. On this date we remember Mother Paula O'Reilly and her two companions who travelled from Pennsylvania to Iowa to start a new Benedictine foundation. May the spirit which enlivened these women continue to inspire us as we progress along the monastic way of life.

What are some family traditions that are important in your life?

Sr. Catherine

An Invitation...and A Challenge

Do you know a single, Catholic woman between 18 and 35 who might be interested in a 24 hour monastic experience?

Do you know single, Catholic woman who is looking for something more in her life?

Is there a single woman in your family, parish, Newman Center, college dorm, workplace that might possibly benefit from our 24 Monastic Moment experience?

If the answer is yes (or even maybe) to any of these questions, feel free to direct them to our website for more information or give them the information provided below.

Studies tell us that many of the men and women who are currently priests or religious brothers or sisters first thought of it after a personal invitation. It could be as simple as the question: Have you ever thought about religious life? It is okay to ask even those that don't seem like likely candidates...God can work with all kinds of people.

When I was young, my parents were pretty confident that there was a potential vocation in our family. We have a history of religious vocations in our extended family...so why not ours. My brother, John, proclaimed that he wanted to be a priest after he served his first Mass. My younger sister, Juli, could rattle off her prayers and bible verses before she was 4.  Then, there was me, the oldest who couldn't seem to sit still very well, loved to sing in the kid's choir and was always looking for the next adventure. Well, with two potential vocations--I guess I was okay. Oh, and I also proclaimed loud and long that I had no visions of religious life in my future.

When I was 18, one of our parish priests invited me to spend a weekend with some friends of his. He asked me not once but multiple times until I said: Okay, I'll go. That was about 35 years ago now. What I found in that weekend was that religious women could be fun and funny, intelligent and competent...and they even liked some of the things I liked. After that weekend I decided to give religious life a serious look. I entered St. Joseph Monastery 4 years later and have been here ever since.

That one invitation from that priest opened my mind and many doors for me.

Do you know a single, Catholic woman who might be ready for a change? Invite her to Monastic Moment.  For more information visit our website: stjosephmonastery.org or call (918)746-4203.

Sr. Catherine

Seeking Escape

Today we are looking at the fourth step of humility. This step encourages quiet acceptance of life circumstances, patience, and steadfastness of purpose. All of which are qualities that I struggle with regularly. It definitely seems counter-intuitive to me (my nature and will) to strive for these characteristics; yet I need to accept the fact that Benedict saw great value in these personality traits.

Quiet acceptance of life circumstances

There are some things in life that cannot be changed no matter how hard I try, how sincerely I wish things were different or how much I bargain with God or with myself to change it. It could be my height and weight, my quickly graying hair or my difficulties with a work situation. Benedict sees merit in simply acknowledging the reality and then moving forward rather than fighting, stomping my foot against life or yelling about the unfairness of my life. My tendency is more towards creating a fan base around my issue and rallying for support...unfortunately this does little to move me towards greater humility.

Patience
 
Patience has never come naturally to me. My preference is usually towards instant gratification--as in as soon as the idea comes into my mind. I pray daily for a greater appreciation and awareness of patience in my life.

Steadfastness of Purpose

For me, this aspect of humility deals with focus, perseverance and intentionality...none of which is high in my list of personal qualities acquired. I like things that are quick and don't require lots of effort.  As I tell my friends, I am much more likely to be a "sprinter" than a "marathoner." While there is definitely value in perseverance in life, I know that I do not have the stamina necessary to see things through to completion.  While I have completed many tasks in life, I know that about half way through my interest starts to waver and the only thing that sees me through to the end of a project is God's grace and lots of determination on my part.

Today I am being invited to reflect on what part these qualities have in my life and how I can increase them daily through prayer and continued effort.

Sister Catherine

Going Beyond Myself

The third step of humility is that a man submits to his superior in all obedience for the love of God, imitating the Lord of whom the Apostle says: He became obedient even to death (Phil 2:8). RB 7.34

I have definite ideas and opinions about what I like, what is acceptable, what is necessary, what is essential and tons of other issues. I am usually quick to search for the point or benefit of new projects or thoughts and am often reluctant to let go of my way of seeing the world. This comes naturally to me; partly because I never learned the skill of keeping my thoughts to myself. I have always liked telling others what is happening with me...and being an extrovert I cannot fully engage my brain unless my mouth is involved.

Today, I am being invited to at least be open to the idea that there might be someone who might know more than I do or who might have a fuller vision of reality than I do. I am encouraged to not feel compelled to fight to the end for my way of everything. Sometimes, it actually might be better for the whole group to do things in a way which seems opposite to my thoughts. Benedict reminds me today that it is okay to lay down my will once in a while for the benefit of the whole or simply so that I can follow Jesus' example of obedience.

I can choose to accept Benedict's challenge today to quietly accept a different way of living out of love for God and those with whom I live.

How is God inviting me to express humility today?

Please pray for the participants and staff of our School of Lectio which takes place October 1-4, 2014.

Sr. Catherine

The Way of Life

"...the Lord shows us the way of life."  (RB. Prologue)

I like self- help books and diy guides. I use them as suggestions for how to achieve a desired goal. So while I would never really follow a pattern exactly I would at least use it as a guide for knowing what the basic result should look like upon completion. The experimentation that I do along the way as I aim at this goal just adds more excitement and variety to the journey.

St. Benedict tells us that God shows us the way of life--in a sense, God hands us a basic plan of what life can look like if we follow the advice and guidelines set before us in the Rule. I like that because although the process for baking a cake or making a decoration might not be that important within itself; my life is. I want to make sure that I am heading at least in the correct direction in my life. I desire to know at the end that I have been heading towards God all along not just wandering about aimlessly. This knowledge gives me a little peace as I continue on my journey.

May God bless everyone today as we continue on our journey towards God.

Sr. Catherine

Now Is the Hour to Arise from Sleep

I am most definitely a "morning" person. Actually, more like a late night/early morning person. I function best between about 1:30 and 6:00 am. My thinking seems to be clearer (or at least, the racing thoughts are more slowed down) and I can be quiet and reflective. There is not much else that can happen at this time of day. Usually, I don't even feel tired or sleep deprived...just kind of calm and secure. I have been this way since childhood...my favorite time of day was early mornings sitting in the corner of the kitchen as my grandmother would get things started for the day.

Today, Benedict invites us to rouse ourselves and to face the deifying light which is Christ in our daily encounters. This search for God in daily life reminds me of waiting for the sunrise early in the day. Sometimes the wait can be long and seemingly eternal, at other times, it can be surprisingly quick. Sometimes seeing God in my life can feel like an impossible "treasure hunt" and other times it is an amazing gift. Yet, everyday (at every moment) God is there if my eyes and ears and heart are open to the encounter.

How is God being present in my life today?

Sr. Catherine

Listen with the Ear of Your Heart

I recently finished a major translation project for the Communio Internationalis Benedictarum (CIB), an international consortium of Benedictine Women. They are preparing to have their Symposium in Italy in a few weeks. Their Symposium is held every four years. The topic for this conference is "Listen with the Ear of Your Heart."  I was privileged to be invited to provide the Spanish translations for this event.

As I worked on preparing the texts, I was invited into the experience of attending this conference (although from a distance) since I had access to the material for all of the keynote speakers and most of the other information provided for the participants. In the process I learned a couple of things:

1. I was able to see that although I have good language skills in both English and Spanish...there is still plenty of space for growth in both.  Yet, once again, I do not know EVERYTHING...this time, though, I could be okay with this new understanding.
2. There is lots to continue learning and listening to and I can get really excited about all that is happening today in the areas of monastic research.
3. It is good to be able to do some of the background preparation to get an international event going--although I would love to be there one of these years.
4. In listening to one another and in sharing different insights everyone grows.

I can definitely see where there is a need for more collaboration on a global level. And I am excited to be able to participate even on a small scale.

Today, as we stop and ask for God's blessings on human labor, I pray for all to be able to find dignity and worth in whatever their work or ministry is in our world.

Sr. Catherine