We are happy to share the following invitation from the Vocation Committee of New Jersey / New York to participate in a Rosary for Vocation Discernment on Thursday, October 17.
If you have a deceased loved one whom you would like remembered throughout the month of November, the Month of All Souls, we invite you to send your intentions to us.
I have come to believe that being a Vocation Director is like being a farmer. A farmer sows seeds in his field and waits and prays that the seeds will take root in their own time and sprout. The farmer has to let go of control and wait patiently for the harvest. So, too, Vo/news-and-events#advancedcation Directors.
When I do a talk on the liturgy, and especially on Eucharist or on the Church year, I usually begin by asking the participants to reflect silently for a few minutes on some significant turning point in their lives. I don’t ask them to share their turning points, but I do ask them to consider that a real turning point has three qualities: 1) it takes you irrevocably from an old life to a new life; 2) it grows as time passes, taking on new and deeper meaning; 3) it can be celebrated over and over, perhaps publicly, always personally, even if the celebration is simply the memory that “on this day…..(fill in the blank) happened.”
Most people have had to re-think every aspect of pandemic life, and this has certainly happened in the Sisters’ spirituality ministry. St. Walburga Monastery has long hosted retreats and other programs which have been happy occasions as new relationships are forged and new experiences gained through interactions between the monastic community and the guests.
This year Sister Ruth Rohr celebrates her 75th anniversary of entrance and Sister Diane Marie Kestler celebrates her 25th anniversary of religious profession. On January 30, to celebrate World Day of Consecrated Life, the Archdiocese of Newark recognized sisters who have special anniversaries from all communities in the Archdiocese at a live-streamed Mass.
The best word to sum up our pandemic isolation would probably be “grateful.” While so many have suffered from illness, the death of loved ones or just loneliness, we are grateful for the many blessings we have had during this time. Only one Sister and two employees had the coronavirus and all have recovered. We missed not receiving the Eucharist but connected with a wonderful parish in Milwaukee whose Sunday celebrations made us feel like we were really able to participate in the Mass.
It is with a deep sense of sadness that we, the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth, regretfully announce the closing of Benedictine Academy in June 2020, effective at the end of the current academic year. Over the last few years we have been monitoring enrollment and have seen a steady decline each year. Unfortunately, these circumstances are part of the larger national decline in Catholic Education which has led to the closing of more than 1,000 elementary and secondary schools in the past ten years.
In addition to being the final graduation class, the class of 2020 graduated in a two-part ceremony during a pandemic. The first part of the graduation was a live-streamed virtual ceremony on June 6. It began with the President’s address by Sr. Sharon McHugh, OSB, a joint welcome by the co-salutatorians, Ashley Hyppolite, and Ariana Dias, the Principal’s address by Ms Ashley Powell, and a video message to NJ graduates by Senator Cory Booker. The commencement address was by alumna Nyla Whyte, class of 2016, who spoke from Hampton University where she has been studying Speech Pathology. The ceremony also featured many pictures of various facets of the graduates’ lives.
On December 15, 2019, Saint Mary's Parish in Kingston, NY recognized the Benedictine Sisters for their 118 years of healthcare service in the city. The Sisters began Our Lady of Victories Sanitarium in 1901 which soon afterwards became Benedictine Hospital.
Little could St Luke, traditionally considered to be the author of the Acts of the Apostles, have known that his description of the early Christian community would become the model for over two millennia of Christian groups. Nevertheless, this was very evident on Sunday, November 17th, when our oblates were joined by the members of the Maple Ridge Bruderhof community of Ulster Park, New York.
It is not unusual for people to improve their skills by hiring a trainer, pro or coach to assist them. Organizations such as schools or hospitals belong to professional groups that provide peer review. Monastic communities receive this form of professional assistance from a “canonical visitation.” The Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth is a member community of the Federation of St Scholastica.
Ten sisters attended the Sister Mary Charles Donor Appreciation Reception, held by the Benedictine Health Foundation, at which they honored the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth.
Recently the Community celebrated the service of two individuals who have contributed to the mission of the community. On September 7, Mr. John Hannan and his family were invited to dinner at the monastery where John was recognized for his 45+ years of service and financial advice to the Community.
A mixture of sadness and pride accompanied the formal promotion ceremony on June 7th, 2019, as the students of Benedictine Preschool celebrated their moving up to new status in the academic world. There was the pride of the staff, the parents, and the Sisters as they watched the children, the twenty-third class of the Preschool, end the year with the unique and multi-faceted enrichment that the school’s program provided. But there was the sadness of knowing that this was the last promotion ceremony, and the last “graduating class”, of the monastery preschool.
Sister Mariette Thérèse joined other Vocation Directors from the Newark Archdiocese Office of Vocations for Religious Life and the Paterson Diocese Vocation Awareness Committee to offer programs to high school students. One, entitled “Evening with the Sisters,” has been offered several times and hosted by different high schools within the Paterson Diocese. The purpose of the programs is to give high school students the opportunity to interact with women religious in an informal way through prayer, food and activities. The latest one was held at the Academy of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ.
The community Retreat was held June 20-24, 2019. Sr. Karen Joseph, OSB, of Monastery Immaculate Conception, Ferdinand, IN, used Scripture and the Rule of Benedict to reflect on “A Spirituality of Cenobitic Living." The Community was joined by eleven Holy Family Sisters of the Needy who enjoyed hospitality in order to participate fully in the retreat.
The 104th graduating class of Benedictine Academy turned their tassels on June 8, 2019. Forty-one young ladies completed their high school education by Listening, Learning, Loving and Leading in the Benedictine Tradition.