PHOTO: Benedictine Sisters and Oblates begin filing into the Adoration Chapel for a special Mass on the Solemnity of St. Benedict. The Mass coincided with the annual Oblate retreat hosted by the Sisters.
Oblates from around the country gathered with their hosts, the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, for their annual summer retreat in July.
Participants represented all of the Congregation’s active deaneries and hailed from Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Wyoming. Centered around the Feast of St. Benedict on July 11, this year’s event also featured an extra celebration of the Congregation’s 150th jubilee year.
“To celebrate both our Benedictine heritage and the century and a half of our monastic community, some of the Sisters gave presentations related to our historical background as well as our present works,” Oblate Director Sister Kathleen Clare Lahl, OSB said.
Sister Sean Douglas, OSB led an extensive tour of and shared the history around the historic dairy and horse barns as well as the monastic grounds. Sister Ruth Elaine Starman, OSB presented a program detailing the low-gluten alter bread department.
Sister Sarah Schwartzberg, OSB talked about the history of the charitable Caritas movement, the Congregation’s publications and about the background and her role with Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Sister Cathleen Marie Timberlake, OSB led a tour of the Soap Shop and related the development of Monastery Creations, the Sisters’ line of handcrafted products.
“Along with the celebration of our monastic community, there were several conferences on lectio divina, a presentation given by our Oblate Sharon Hammond who was delegate to the Fifth International Oblate Congress, lots of prayer and bonding together,” Sister Kathleen Clare added.
On the Feast of Saint Benedict, the Oblates gathered with the Sisters for a special mass and a meal in the refectory.
“As the retreat came to a close, I feel it’s safe to say that the Oblates departed with hearts full of gratitude and inspiration, carrying with them the deepened bonds of community and a renewed commitment to their spiritual journey,” Director of Communications Kelley Baldwin said. “The Benedictine Sisters’ partnership with beloved Oblates reminds us of the enduring power of faith, tradition and shared purpose.”
The celebration of the Congregation's 150th jubilee, intertwined with the Feast of Saint Benedict, served as a powerful testament to the legacy of monastic life and the continued relevance of its values in the modern world.
“Afterward, the Oblates returned to their daily lives and carried forward the spirit of St. Benedict and the wisdom gained from their time with the Sisters, ready to infuse their own communities with the same sense of purpose and devotion,” Baldwin said. |
