The Gatekeeper Volume 3 Number 8 June 2013

The Gatekeeper
S t S c h o l a s t i c a M o n a s t e r y, Fo r t S m i t h , A r k a n s a s
The Benedictine Value of Conversatio Morum...
When we make monastic
profession, we make three
promises. Our promises are
Stability, Obedience and
Fidelity to the Monastic
Way of Life, which, in the
original Latin in which
Benedict wrote the rule,
was Conversatio Morum.
Conversatio Morum entails
chastity and poverty, which
we call simplicity of life, or
being satisfied with what
you need, not what you
want. But it is also so much
more.
One of the most powerful
verses of scripture for me is
Jesus’ statement in John
10:10. I have come that
they may have life and have
it more abundantly. When I
was in 9th grade biology
class we were asked the
question, “What is Life?”
The answer was simple and
profound. I have never forgotten it. Life is change
and growth.
alism that has become our regular mainstay in thought and
action.” The Rule of Benedict
is the guide written for monks
as we seek to be conformed to
Christ. It is a small book with
73 chapters, but they apply to
every aspect of everyday life.
Some of the ways which the
Rule uses to promote spiritual
growth are: prayer – both
communal and private– the
celebration of the Eucharist,
scripture study, and meditation
on scripture or Lectio Divina.
Christians have been given
the gift of faith, and if that
faith is alive and at work in
us then it will bring about
change in our lives- spiritual growth. St. John says in
Chapter 15:9 of his Gospel
that we are to live on in
Christ’s love. Living on
would be a continuous process, and so we as Christians are called by this How does all this call the
verse to constant growth seeker to growth and change?
It calls us to Listening, which
and change.
may sound a little bit funny,
In the rule, Benedict de- but God speaks to us in many
scribes his way of monastic different ways: spiritual readlife. Conversatio Morum is ing, prayer, the Church, nathe Latin phrase which is ture, each other. If we aren’t
translated as Conversion of actively listening, think how
Life or Fidelity to the Mo- much will be missed? We
nastic Way of Life, which can’t expect to really plumb
should be a life of con- the depths of this topic in this
stant change and growth small article. I hope however
in Christ. Because its that it has planted a seed that
roots, as stated above, are will lead you to further study.
biblical, it applies to all
committed Christians and My personal recommendation
not just monks. Michael would be to spend time in
Casey,
a
Cistercian prayerful reading and study of
scholar and author, says the Prologue and Chapters 7
that we are called by and 73 of the Rule of BeneConversatio Morum to dict. These chapters particular“the ongoing conversion ly speak to Conversatio
that is demanded of us; Morum. May God bless you as
more and more to view you seek “growth and change”
things with the eyes of in Christ.
Christ and leave behind
the self-serving individu- —Sr. Cecelia Brickell, OSB
Volume 3, Issue 8
June 2013
Special points of interest:
• Meet a member of our
Vocation Advisory Board
• Vocation Events
• Come and See opportunities
• House of Discernment
• Benedictine Bookends
• Prayers for vocations
Inside this issue:
Communicating
2
VAB Member:
Dorothy Sullivan
2
Benedictine Bookends 3
Come & See
Opportunities
4
Trees and Dreams
5
Monastic Word
6
Summer Discernment 6
Retreat 2014
Page 2
The Gatekeeper
Communica ting the Religious Life has its own TEXT
Most of us are, if not already,
coming of age in the technological world. From emails, instant
messages, apps, Skype, I pads
and I phones to text messaging,
its all about communicating.
How many know that monastics
have been texting long before it
was the norm of the twenty-first century?
Monks were the first to scribe and experience the original web design, web casting,
posting, and tweeting. Monks would often spend dedicated time making sure
each divine word penned to parchment
was not just accurate but also crafted expressions of sacred art.
Today we might message and communicate BTW, LOL, BFF, ROFL, IDK, JK,
BBL, CUL8R, and GNBLFY.
For those unfamiliar
with theses terms
they mean Laugh
Out Loud, Best
Friend
Forever,
Rolling On The
Floor Laughing, I
Don't Know, Just
Kidding, Be Back
Later, See You Later, Got Nothing But
Love For You.
Those of us in religious life may not
know all these acronyms, of the modern
text world, but we have some acronyms
familiar to us.
Here are a few examples of text talking in
monastic life: OSB, DOLR CCD, DRE,
PRE, MLF, RB 80, RCRI, NADI, BSWR,
NRVC, LCWR, ABA, ABFC, NBVDC,
and CBP.
What these terms mean, Order of St.
Benedict, Diocese of Little Rock, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Director of Religious Education, Parish Religious Education, Monastic Liturgy Forum, Rule of St. Benedict, Resource
Center for Religious Institutes, Novice
and Director Institute, Benedictine Spirituality Workshop and Retreat, National
Religious Vocation Conference, Leadership Conference of Women Religious,
American Benedictine Academy, American Benedictine Formation Conference.
National Benedictine Vocation Directors
Conference and Conference of Benedictine Prioresses. So when it comes down
to it, even though technology is evolving
faster than we can keep up, it seems
texting lives on as a lasting way to communicate! Isn’t that just GTK? (Good To
Know) —Sr. Kimberly Prohaska
Meet our Advisor y Board Member: Dorothy Sullivan
Much of my time
is spent volunteering at my parish church Immaculate Conception and at the
Benedictine Monastery of St. Scholastica in Fort
Smith. The Sisters of St. Benedict
educated me from kindergarten
through high school. As a graduate
of the Academy I am able to call myself one of the ‘Scho Girls,’!
Appreciating the sacrifices the Sisters made for
my mother, sister, brother and
me, I am grateful to have the
opportunity to give back in a small way
by helping plan & prepare meals for
large groups at the Benedictine Retreat
Center, getting volunteer workers and
working the Sisters’ Annual Bake Sale
and occasional garage sale.
who feel as close to me as if they
were my grandchildren. I have so
much to be grateful for.
—Dorothy Sullivan
I also serve on the Monastery’s Vocation Advisory Board.
At my parish church I am active in the
Ladies Auxiliary and president of the
Parish Council.
I have been retired fourteen years from a
local company. I am a widow and have
no children but have two great-nephews
Dorothy Sullivan
Volume 3, Issue 8
Page 3
Benedictine Bookends: Wha t a Monastic Reads!
The Fisherman’s Wife
Sometime just before Lent one of my
sisters in the community stated she
needed to get a book for her Bona
Opera. This is part of our monastic
practice of letting our superior know
what our Lenten observance will be
and what book we will use for the
sacred time prior to Easter. I began a
frantic search for something different
for my reading needs. Not too many
years ago I read a series entitled, The
Women of Genesis: Sarah, Rebecca
and Rachel by Orson Scott Card.
Why is this relevant to mention?
When I discovered The Women of
Genesis I was surprised by the fact
that the author is famous for composing science fiction, not scripture based
texts. Card presented his series in a
light easy stance that allowed me as
the reader to see things from various
views. I enjoyed the nuance of each
book in the trilogy because it spoke in
story form and yet could be believable because the text was based on
Scripture.
The book by Dianne G. Sagan, The
Fisherman’s Wife, is much like the
writing of Card’s and The Women of
Genesis. Each author is easy to read
and invites the reader in such a way
that the story seems to be happening
here and now even though it happened over two thousand years ago.
In The Fisherman’s Wife we learn of
Simon from the view of his spouse
Johanna. She relates their initial meeting and the history of the impulsive
and driven Simon whom Jesus later
calls Peter.
cessful fisherman named Simon.
Come to the wedding, share the families’ joy at their marriage union.
Walk with Johanna, a newly wed at
this time of religious renewal. Journey with her and the friends of Simon
as they live the day to day struggles of
Palestinian life. Feel for Johanna and
Simon as they strive to build their life
together based on their faith in God
and on the expectations of society.
The couple struggle to find God in
their loss as Johanna is not able to
carry children to full term.
When Jesus of Nazareth invites Simon to come follow, Johanna is not as
sure as her husband. She struggles to
believe the way her husband does.
She listens, she fears, she is strong
and at times bitter in her uncertainty
while seeking out what is true. She
witnesses the feeding of the thousands, she hears the rumblings of the
church leaders, she fears the fallout of
the Romans. She has faith but is it
enough when Jesus of Nazareth goes
to Jerusalem and her Simon “Peter”
goes with him? The women around
her, Mary, her sisters, her mother
Leah, and her mother in law all have
opinions about Jesus and the fishermen of her town, Capernaum. Is God
really in their midst?
ing of the Christ, her wondering about
the Messiah grows. News reaches her
from Caleb that no one knows where
Simon Peter and the others are. Several days pass with little word of what is
happening. Finally on what feels like
the loneliest evening Simon bursts
through their door exclaiming, to Johanna, “He is alive—we have seen
him!” She feels herself spun around
by her impetuous spouse, she hugs
him to be sure he is well. How wonderfully well he seems to her! Johanna
lets out a long breath praying,
“Thank you, Adonai, for sparing my
husband and brother-in-law. Thank
you for bringing them safely home.”
Despite the trouble they had conceiv- I invite you to read Johanna’s faith
ing their daughter, Petronilla, and the story. It can bring a person home...just
ebb and flow of uncertainty that like Simon Peter.
creeps into her heart about Simon’s
—Sister Kimberly Rose Prohaska
love for her, she wants to believe.
Will she ever have the faith that Simon and the others hold? Is the kingdom to be found in Jerusalem?
“Thank you for bringing
Step back in to first century Palestine
with Johanna and a moderately suc- After hearing about the horrible kill-
them safely home.”
Page 4
The Gatekeeper
Come and See Oppor tunities:
Summer Discernment Retreat 2014
Consider your Call: Live in Experience
This program allows women seekers
to live within the cloister and experience the daily life of the monastic
community.
Participants have sessions on topics
pertinent to the Benedictine way of
life, while having the opportunity to
meet like-minded seekers.
The retreat includes presentations on
The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, discernment, Lectio Divina, obedience,
stability and conversatio morum.
During the four day event, there is
time for prayer with the sisters of St.
Scholastica Monastery, opportunities
to share in-house ministry, and to talk
with the vocation director about a
possible call.
Participants take an active role in the
common prayer and common table.
There are day trips to Hesychia House
of Prayer and visits to interesting
places in Fort Smith. The seeker
will have time for prayer, quiet reflection and to Emmaus walk with a sister
while on retreat.
This opportunity is for women ages
17-50. We invite you to visit our
website to register today!
Observership Opportunity!
Observership: This program allows
seekers to have a more in depth experience of monastic life as lived by the
sisters of St. Scholastica. Applicants
for the program experience monastic
life as they live at the House of Discernment for one to three months.
Participants join the sisters for common prayer, common table and recreation. Observers are assigned a service that helps with day to day needs
of the monastery. As an Observer,
Vocation Prayer by Pope Francis:
A
t his Angelus audience the
Pope addressed his challenge to the young people in St. Peter's Square: “I want to ask you, has
there been a time when you have
heard the Lord's voice, who through
a desire, a restlessness, has invited
you to follow him more closely?" He
exhorted those who have heard such
a call: "Ask Jesus what He wants of
you, and be courageous!"
The Pope reminded the audience as a
whole: "Behind and before each vocation to the priesthood or the consecrated life there is always someone's
strong and intense prayer: a
grandmother, a grandfather, a
mother, a father, a community."
there are opportunities
for classes on the Holy
Rule and Introduction
to Monastic Life and
for personal spiritual
growth. This opportunity allows
for self reflection and the experience of monastic life at a deeper
level than that of day or weekend
opportunities. Observership programs are adapted to each individual inquirer and can be designed to
fit any economic and employment
schedule. Inquire today!
Day & Weekend: Experiences
Both day and weekend opportunities are
available to any
seeker. Scheduling is
flexible.
Organized Come and
See weekends can be found by
looking at our website:
http:// www.st.scho.org
April 21, 2013 World Day of Prayer for Vocations
G
od our Father, you made each of
us to use our gifts in the body of
Christ.
We ask that you inspire young people
whom you call to priesthood and
consecrated life to courageously follow
your will.
Send workers into your great harvest so
that the Gospel is preached, the poor are
served with love, the suffering are comforted, and your people are strengthened
by the sacraments. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Volume 3, Issue 8
Page 5
DREAMS & TREES
H
I
old fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken winged
bird
think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree. A tree
whose hungry mouth is prest—
Against the earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
That cannot fly!
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that in Summer wear
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
A nest of robins in her hair;
Life is a barren field
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Frozen with snow.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
—Langston Hughes
—Joyce Kilmer
Reflecting Tr ees & Dr eams
Trees are more than seeds.
stretching forward for something
more than ourselves.
Seeking a way in life is more than just
a moment on a path. In any given day
where do your steps take you?
We branch out to dream and envision
something more real than the senses
know. It is more than words.
Seeking God is remaining true to the
course on which one is sent. How
will you be sent?
What is the dream you carry but do
not dare at this moment express?
Dreams are more than words.
In thinking about vocations recently
the poems by L. Hughes and J.
Kilmer came to mind for Sister
Madeline Clifton.
These thoughts led to conversation.
This conversation led Sister Madeline
and I to a point of reflection.
We ask the seeker to—
Find God in your dreams. Take time
of quiet to examine the beauty in
every limb in the tree of this life.
We hope that when persons dream
about their life—maybe their dream
will couple with our dreams...
To have someone to come and spend
time with us is a joy. Hopefully the
seeker will find along the way a liking
to our tremendous and rooted
monastic life.
What inspires us to try to live the
contemplative life? What does monastic life call us to encounter?
In our life there is a reaching out, the
What is the one thing that your
heart’s voice must let take flight?
What is so solid that in its sureness
is the possibility that it breathes to
soar? We invite you to take a walk
and become alert to the world —she
is yearning to speak the truth of
what it means to see with the vision of
a clear dream. Look at the tree.
Hold your dream. Find solace in
knowing that God is in the quiet of
every dreamer and leafing anew in
vocation.
—-Sr. Madeline Clifton
and Sr. Kimberly Prohaska
St. Scholastica Monastery
1301 S. Albert Pike
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903
Monastic Live In Experience
Summer 2014!!
For Women ages 18-50
Phone: 479-783-4147
Fax: 479-782-4352
Cell: 479-926-7149
E-mail: [email protected]
St. Scholastica Monastery
1301 S. Albert Pike Ave.
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903
To attend this annual summer retreat
Check out our website!
contact:
Http://www.stscho.org
Sr. Barbara Bock, OSB
Please Call: 479-783-4147 or email:
[email protected]
The Gatekeeper
Vol. 3
No. 8
Gatekeeper is published quarterly by the vocation office of St. Scholastica
Monastery PO Box 3489 Fort Smith, Arkansas 72913. Vocation Department Email: [email protected] Telephone: 479.783.4147.
Anyone is welcome to be on our mailing list at no charge.
Sr. Kimberly Rose Prohaska…Editor, Design, Photos, Circulation
Sr. Elise Forst………………..Advisor, Copy Editor
Sr. Madeline Clifton………..Contributor
Sr. Cecelia Marie Brickell…..Contributor
Mrs. Dorothy Sullivan..……..Contributor
Monastic Word of the Month
Procurator
This term is also known as the Cellarer in the monastic setting.
It has its own place in the Rule of Benedict. Refer to Chapter 31. In the
Roman Empire a procurator was “One authorized to manage the affairs
of another; an agent. An employee of the Roman emperor in civil affairs, especially in finance and taxes, in management of imperial estates
and properties, and in governing minor provinces”.
Do you know a woman we’d like to know?
Does she have a listening heart-like ours?
A heart filled with passion for being a God Seeker?
We are Benedictine Sisters:
Committed to seeking God, rooted in a rich monastic tradition. Women who
seek to be a voice for the voiceless—by living a life balanced in hospitality,
simplicity and the wisdom of the Gospel.
We join together in prayer, community life and service to help create a loving
world! Come live out our 20/20 vision by sharing in our dream of being a prophetic and contemplative community!
Please share with women
Do you know a woman who would like to know more about us?
information about the sisters of
St. Scholastica!
Write, or Call today!
We’d like to know her too...