The Olivetan Benedictine Sisters in Jonesboro ( NE Arkansas) welcome Come and Sees throughout the year. Just contact the vocation director to set up a visit. They are a contemplative/apostolic community working in the field of education and health care.
They wear a modified cream- colored habit with a black veil for those with vows- a white one for novices. They are a small community of 45 sisters. At present they have 5 junior Sisters and 4 novices with a postulant entering in August. Olivetan Benedictine Sisters

Here is a sort of recent news story from our Clyde, Missouri Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration. They were featured by PBS this spring but I just now discovered this clip. Click on the link, then go to "Watch selected stories by week", pull the drop down menu to the March 30 story called the Baking Nuns. They discuss how they developed a low gluten communion bread for people who cannot tolerate wheat gluten.

The Baking Nuns

Another Benedictine perpetual profession--the world just became a tiny bit better for it, IMHO .

Benedictine Sisters Go to the link for Sr. Mariette's perpetual profession.

those were very good pictures. There were two solemn professions when I was last at Christ in the Desert, and another one in the almost 2 years since I've been there. They also use the pall for solemn professions. they also place seven candlesticks around the pall. It heightens the imagery that much more

Just wanted to post this again: Benedictine Sisters Monastic Experience. The deadline is July 14. There is NO CHARGE for the week! .

Great photos of the solemn profession, StlMom!

I, too, am partial to the Bennies. PP's group, Colwich Abbey, looks great. Very devoted to Balance, the Bennies...

i notice an apparent variety of habits in the solemn prof pictures. A full modified, if you will, a civvie w/ veil and civvies with long skirt, etc. I wonder if they're giving an option or what. To my mind, what with the preference for habits among the young, an option would seem reasonable.

I don't know much about the group of Benedictine Sisters featured in the final profession ceremonies, except that they are among the few active Benedictines here who do retain some sort of habit. Glad you liked the pictures!

I just caught up with one of my favorite groups, osb's Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana

http://web.mac.com/annpatrice/iWeb/Our%20L...om%20Grace.html


...with pictures of a first profession and FOUR final professions.

...this in a community which wears civvies.

Amazing! There must be a resurgence going on!

hard to say why..with no direct meaning in this post regarding above mentioned Community...it just made me think...
..im reminded of a book i read last year will remember title one day) from a female, lapsed Catholic reporter who traveled the USA visiting very different types of Roman Catholic womens Communities and the interviews with novices who when reading there stories especially the 40 somethings, were radical feminists,with ruined relationships, wanting to live a bachelorette lifestyle supported by a volleyball playing, cake eating home of nurses..called a 'Monastery', made me sad...never a word about Our Lord and Saviour., or St Benedict the Great..(and Superiors spoke this way as well,) of Benedictines, and a couple other non-habited , not toooo Religious of a lifestyle Communities would generally say in the interviews.. ..."i dont agree with Papal Infallibility, catholic only means the local Community, women priests and 'gays' are a great!! whos time has come , Vatican =irrelevant etc etc." all this from young new Novices, and they had regular influx of vocations... in a Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration(which they dont really have) Community and another Benedictine one...so.....attracting young vocations and receiving Novices..growth....is happening in so called 'liberal' communities.isnt a sign always of orthodoxy, depends whom you are attracting...
a 19 year old i met in North Ontario who when speaking with her (in her Che Guevara t-shirt), and is more of an methodist meets Anglican in her way of life/belief...joined the Sisters of St Joseph , along with a young friend 2 years ago......and they rejoiced..
sigh..sorry the english part of my brain is being affected by this amazing heat!

EJ:
Sorry, I don't understand what your intention is with your last post---

Today is the solemnity of St. Benedict. Just thought I would point that out!

One of my favorite saints!

and another very moving final profession photo of a young sister at:

http://www.benedictine-srs.org/whats_new.htm

at Queen of Angels Monastery in Mt. Angel Oregon

Just wanted to add that the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have had a new postulant enter, a new novice, a sister making first vows and a final profession all in the last two weeks!

GREAT community!!! I love these sisters!!!

GREAT community!!! I love these sisters!!!

Like dominoes falling

Wonderful news, though

Sorry slow wireless..........double-post

I just wanted to drop in, because in my search for female benedictine monasteries i came across this thread. Since coming to Benedictine College i have really fallen in love with the benedictine way of life as well as this order. In my search for authentic benedictine nuns and sisters though i have been sorely disappointed. Most have lost their habit and do not follow the Rule.

To Ora et labora, the Benedictines are known for their hospitality, stability, and fighting of the devil. Here in Atchison, KS the Benedictine monks settled in the 1800's partly because of the devil-worshipping that was occurring here. As a result, the town grew, the faith flourished, the sisters followed, and many schools, parishes, and two colleges were founded. i truly love this order and am ardently searching for devout Benedictine sisters, does anyone know of any?

Yours in Christ,
Lauren

I just wanted to drop in, because in my search for female benedictine monasteries i came across this thread. Since coming to Benedictine College i have really fallen in love with the benedictine way of life as well as this order. In my search for authentic benedictine nuns and sisters though i have been sorely disappointed. Most have lost their habit and do not follow the Rule.

To Ora et labora, the Benedictines are known for their hospitality, stability, and fighting of the devil. Here in Atchison, KS the Benedictine monks settled in the 1800's partly because of the devil-worshipping that was occurring here. As a result, the town grew, the faith flourished, the sisters followed, and many schools, parishes, and two colleges were founded. i truly love this order and am ardently searching for devout Benedictine sisters, does anyone know of any?

Yours in Christ,
Lauren
[/quote]

Sure, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles right there in Kansas. There website is [url="http://www.benedictinesofmary.org"]Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles There is also Colwich Abbey in England if you don't mind going overseas.

There are some sisters in Vermont I think it is who are a part of the Solesmes congregation of benedictines. That congregation is known for beauty and attention to detail of its liturgies and Offices. They are cloistered of course. There is apparently a communtily of nuns trying to form in association with the monks of Clear Creek monastery in Oklahoma. There is also Our Lady of the Desert iin New Mexico just upstream from Christ in the Desert. They are planning to move to some land near Gobernador(sp?), NM sometime soon.

That's right, I forgot about them. They can be found at www.ihmwestfield.com There are also the following to check out:
Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, Colorado at www.walburga.org
St. Emma's Monastery and Retreat House in Greensburg, PA at www.stemma.org
Benedictines of Ancient Observance of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT at www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com

Thanks! These communities look really cool! I'll check them out.

-------------------------------------------------------------
-
Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
4103 VT RTE 100
Westfield, VT 05874
USA

Mail: monastery@ihmwestfield.com (they also have a Abbey in Canada)
related video..
http://vocation-station.blogspot.com/2008/...s-kergonan.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com/sitelive/index.htm
Abbey of Regina Laudis,
273 Flander Road
Bethlehem, Connecticut, 06751 U.S.A.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.walburga.org/Vocations2.html
Sister Pauline LaPlante, OSB
Abbey of St. Walburga
Virginia Dale CO 80536-8942
Telephone: 970-472-0612
E-mail: vocations@walburga.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and in the U.K. the awesome~
http://www.stceciliasabbey.org.uk/introduc...troduction.html
St Cecilia's Abbey(Novus Ordo Latin)
Appley Rise
Ryde
PO33 1LH UK
IW 562602

Abbey Church, Nuns grill on the right

Email: sca@stceciliasabbey.org.uk
http://homepage.mac.com/fahrenheit451/stma...stcecilias.html
-------------------------------------------------------------
and this video is of there Brothers down the road.
http://vocation-station.blogspot.com/2008/...dictinesuk.html

--------------------------------------------------------------
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles

http://www.oblatesofmary.com/

Rev. Sr. Therese, Prioress,
Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus
Attn: Mother Therese
1400 NE 42nd Terrace
Kansas City, Missouri 64116

Fax: (816) 455-2063
----------------------------------------------------
PAX
-

oops DP

If you are searching for Benedictine sisters and nuns in habit, here are a few more:

Benedictine Sisters, St. Mary's, Pennsylvania
Benedictine Nuns, Petersham, Massachusetts
Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, Huntington, New York
Benedictine Nuns, Louisiana
Benedictine Sisters, Queen of Peace Monastery, Florida
Olivetan Benedictine Sisters, Arkansas
Benedictine Sisters, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Benedictine Sisters, Canyon, Texas
Benedictine Sisters, Starr County, Texas
Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Missouri

You can link to most of them through the Deo Est Gloria website, though not all of them have updated their websites. Do give a look at the Benedictine Sisters at St. Emma's mentioned in another post. They have been growing again as of late!

Whoops, I forgot to include the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Norfolk, Nebraska--they are an international congregation with the motherhouse in Tutzing, Germany.

The Benedictine Year Book is published each year with details of houses in in Great Britain, Ireland and their
overseas foundations - it gives lots of communitys, a brief overview of them, contact details and a short guide to different congregations and the Rule. It is printed by the English Benedictine Congregation and can be obtained through them if needed http:www.benedictines.org.uk - but is not exclusive to them.
Our own main web site gives an overview of Benedictine spirituality too at http://www.colwichabbey.org.uk
hope it helps,

afaik the Benedictines and Franciscans vary so widely from place to place that it's hard to even distinguish. seems like you can find the right one in almost any flavor. yum! the Dominicans, however, seem to be more into preaching and teaching.

just thought this would be the appropriate place for this
Benedictine tags in my Blog.
pax
http://vocation-station.blogspot.com/searc...el/Benedictines

Just wanted to post that the Benedictine Nuns at St. Emma Monastery, near my old hometown, have had another solemn profession: Benedictines ---go to the newsletter link --Spring '08 .

Well, there's me, for one:
Starets, in habit

Very cool!! Thanks for posting.

I am just thrilled at the Blog and the Monastery website. The Pictures of you and the Monks were terrific!

Count on my prayers!

hmm I gotta say, I'm right here by St. Emma's and I'm not sure what "steady new growth" is, but I'm not seeing much of it...that's not to insult them at all! Just sharing my observations.

Anyways just have to give a shout out to SAINT VINCENT MONASTERY - THEE BENEDICTINE ARCHABBEY BASILICA that founded all the others everyone is mentioning. So make sure you check out them since they started it all!!! But thanks to those that mentioned St. Emma's since they are the first Benedictine nuns in the US who came to help out Saint Vincent.

carry on.

And to be clear Benedictines traditionally should = teaching, hospitality.

[quote name='-I---Love' post='1510120' date='Apr 25 2008, 10:47 PM']hmm I gotta say, I'm right here by St. Emma's and I'm not sure what "steady new growth" is, but I'm not seeing much of it...that's not to insult them at all! Just sharing my observations.


This is a community that hadn't had anyone come and stay for many years. Most of their founding sisters were in their 80's and older and for the most part have passed on to eternity. While they remain a small community, most of the sisters now have entered in the past 10-15 years. I am hopeful that they will continue to grow. They operate a great retreat facility, and seem to have much support in the Catholic community.

Really? I have my Rule of Benedict here, and can't find any reference to what ministries Benedictines "should" or "should not" do. Hospitality, of course, is an important Benedictine value. Yet I don't recall St Benedict proscribing to his monks what ministries they "traditionally should" be doing. Please correct me if I be wrong!

I don't think you're wrong. I know a couple of Benedictine communities whose "emphasis" is on other areas than education. Hospitality is something you'll always find with Benedictines, albeit in differing extents. But I don't think St. Benedict says anywhere that his monks and nuns should be particularly involved in education.

I really don't buy that most of their sisters have entered so recently although I hope this is true. Each time I've been to Vespers there has been no more than 10 sisters absolute max. I have only seen 3 younger" (30+) postulants, etc.. The two oldest sisters recently passed away. I know of 3 that have seemingly been there for the long haul and are from Germany.




That wasn't a dogmatic statement. Traditionally, when you look at what Benedictines have done it is build and teach at schools and in conjuction with that, be hospitable. It is a matter of history.

Excerpted from the website of the Monastery of St Benedict at Arcadia (Australia)
.....Nevertheless, most would agree that the essence of Benedictinism is a Christian community formed by prayer (both communal and individual), sacred reading (lectio divina) and work. At different times in history it has happened that one or other of these elements has been particularly stressed. Thus, in the Early Middle Ages, Benedictine monasteries were valued chiefly as centres of intercessory prayer, on which it was felt the well-being of society depended. This is not to deny, however, that medieval monks were involved in other activities as well - for example, they helped the spreading of the Christian gospel in Central Europe during the eighth century, and contributed to the literary, artistic and general intellectual development of Western civilization"

I believe this is a clear and consice statement regarding Benedictine history, though it is not (nor do I believe is it meant to be) a "complete work" in any sense of that phrase. To say that Benedictine EQUALS teaching (historically)is, I believe, an overstatment, though no one would deny that the Benedictines make good teachers.