Benedictine Life: A Journey of the Heart

Lynne Smith, OSBLiving in Community, Monastic Life, Rule of Benedict, Spirituality Articles Leave a Comment

In September of 1996, I read two ads and an article about the new ecumenical Benedictine women’s community, Benedictine Women of Madison, Wisconsin. By the time I saw the third ad welcoming women of any Christian denomination to join, I thought, “That means me. I have to check this out.” That’s how my journey in Benedictine life began. After months of visits and discernment with the sisters, I came to the monastery in June of 1998 and made first profession two years later. Benedict begins his Rule “Listen carefully, my child, to my instructions, and attend to them with the …

Eco-Spirituality: Healing Earth, Healing Souls

Holy Wisdom MonasterySpirituality Articles 1 Comment

“A spirit of reverence for all creation permeates the Rule, together with a sense of oneness with the land, the days and the seasons. Such conscious respect for all created goods makes it impossible to pollute the land, water or air; to waste resources or to forget about the children who will one day inhabit the earth.” – from Of All Good Gifts, a Statement from the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses, June 1980 People relate to the environment in various ways. In years past, humans viewed the environment as the ultimate source of life, a necessary factor in their …