Vocations
What are some prayer forms of Benedictine spirituality?
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Lectio divina (prayerful reading of Scripture)
- Eucharist
What does Benedictine spirituality include?
- Seeking God
- Using the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict as a guide
- Listening to one another
- Attending to God within
- Communal participation in Mass and Liturgy of the Hours
What are the signs of a Benedictine monastic vocation?
- Desire to live in community
- Love of prayer
- Willingness to accept obedience to one another and to the prioress
- Recognizing the importance of ongoing discernment:
- With yourself
- With the director of vocation ministry
- With the community
- With the prioress
What is monasticism?
Monasticism is a life where the priority is prayer. Prayer, work and community living are the key components of a monastic lifestyle.
What is a monastery?
The monastery is the place where Benedictine women live together in community.
How does monasticism differ from apostolic life?
The apostolic life focuses on active ministry.
What promises do you make as Benedictine sisters?
We make three promises of commitment:
- Stability
- Conversatio morum (continued fidelity to the monastic way of life)
- Obedience
Celibate chastity and monastic poverty are also indispensable to the common life.
What do the sisters do for work?
Our primary work is prayer through Liturgy of the Hours. Our ministries of service reflect the current needs of the Church and world.
How do I know if God is calling me to Benedictine monastic Life?
Reflect on the following questions: Is God calling you…
- To a deeper faith life?
- To a deeper relationship with God?
- To be part of a community committed to other women who are also seeking God?
- To a life of structured prayer, service and community living?
- To become your best self through a vocation in religious life?
- To religious life itself?
- To live under the obedience of a prioress?
- To follow the Rule of Benedict?
How do I apply for a visit to Saint Benedict’s Monastery?
Fill out an online application to schedule a visit. The director of vocation ministry will contact you and have a phone interview to see if an on-site visit is the next step for you.
What can I expect when I visit?
If you spend the night, you will be a guest of the welcoming community. The sisters who live in the welcoming community will help you feel at home and accompany you to prayers, Eucharist and meals. You will have a private room prepared for you with bedding, towels and reading materials about our community.
Please keep in mind the communal activities of prayer in the Oratory, Eucharist in the chapel, and meals in our dining room. We ask that you wear clothing that speaks of simplicity, such as pants or a knee-length skirt and a modest blouse or sweater top. You will want clothes to work in, walk in, and hang out in when with the welcoming house community.
Based on your needs, a schedule will be set up with Sister Marilyn Mark. She will talk about the opportunities available to you during your visit. There will be time for you to spend in quiet reflection, go for walks, and exercise if you so choose.
Once a woman has requested application to the community and visited with the prioress, she begins a more formal process of discernment with this specific Benedictine monastic community. The stages of formation are outlined below.
Affiliation
This is a time of becoming more familiar with the community through frequent visits while living and working independently of the community.
Postulancy
This stage is generally nine months long. The woman lives within the community learning the life of prayer, work and community living. You will learn about Benedictine spirituality and prayer through participation in daily Liturgy of the Hours, lectio and scheduled classes.
Novitiate
This stage is a canonical year of intense prayer and reflection on the Benedictine monastic way of life in this community. It is a time for the novice and the community to continue to get to know one another. This year is one of discernment as the novice and her formation director ask the question, “Is this the best community for her to seek God?”
First Monastic Profession
This stage is a period of four to six years. The woman lives as a professed member of the community, continuing to learn the balance of prayer, work and community. She is discerning if this is the best place for her to seek God and make a lifelong commitment to the community.
Perpetual Monastic Profession
If a woman decides to become a permanent member of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and the community agrees, she will make a lifelong commitment to seeking God according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. This decision comes after several stages of formation and discernment.