Saint John’s School of Theology Offering Course in Benedictine Leadership During Fall 2026 Semester

Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary (SOT) is offering a one-credit course called Benedictine Leadership during the fall 2026 semester. Four of our sisters will participate as guest speakers throughout the six-week course. The course will be offered virtually and is open to anyone interested in Benedictine leadership. Participants do not need to be enrolled in a program through the SOT.

Course Description:

Students in this course will explore aspects of leadership through a Benedictine lens. This exploration will be both historical and contemporary. Students will read classic texts related to Benedictine leadership (e.g., the Rule of Benedict) as well as consider examples of effective monastic leaders. They will also encounter and dialogue with contemporary monastic leaders and lay leaders formed in the Benedictine tradition, who will join each class to share insights and stories. Through class discussions and readings, students will be invited to reflect on their own calls to leadership and consider how Benedictine wisdom can be used to deepen their leadership practices.

Instructor: Jessie Bazan, OblSB

Dates: Thursdays, September 3, 24, October 1, 8, 22, 29, November 5
Time: 6-8 p.m.

Week 1: Discerning a Call to Benedictine Leadership

Guest Speakers: Karen Rose, OSB, Prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, and Father Edward Vebelum, OSB, Prior of Saint John’s Abbey

Week 2: Benedictine Leadership for Communal Life

Guest Speakers: Father John Klassen, OSB, Monk of Saint John’s Abbey, and Kerry O’Reilly, OSB, Former President of the Monastic Congregation of Saint Benedict

Week 3: Sustaining the Practice of Leadership Through a Benedictine Way of Life

Guest Speakers: Kathleen Cahalan, PhD., Professor Emerita of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, and Abbot Doug Mullin, OSB, Abbot of Saint John’s Abbey

Week 4: Benedictine Leadership for Justice and Social Action

Guest Speakers: Lucas Briola, PhD., Associate Professor of Theology at Saint Vincent College, and Anne McCarthy, OSB, Benedictine Sister of Erie, Pa.

Week 5: Benedictine Leadership in Times of Change

Guest Speakers: Michaela Hedican, OSB, Sister of Saint Benedict’s Monastery, and Rev. Cody Maynus, OblSB, Pastor of All Saints Episcopal Church, Northfield, Minn.

Week 6: Benedictine Leadership for the Next Generation

Guest Speakers: Laura Suhr, OSB, Vocation Director at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, and Katie Gordon, National Organizer With Nuns & Nones and Staff Member for Monasteries of the Heart (Erie Benedictines)