our new guest house – opening for you!
Transcription
our new guest house – opening for you!
Vol 33 No 3 Sept 2012 OUR NEW GUEST HOUSE – OPENING FOR YOU! Bethany House, our guest house, is about to open! After two months of major work to freshen and brighten Bethany House, we will celebrate our “grand opening” on Tuesday, October 9! Some of you will remember Bethany House as the original Augusta convent guest house, for it is the same building with ten single bedrooms. We think you’ll be amazed at the extensive refurbishing, from a variety of polished bedroom furniture to fresh, new linens and pillows to the hallway painted “snowfall blue.” In Bethany, two of the guest rooms form a suite with a shared bathroom, perfect for a couple or good friends. The lovely large-windowed common room and kitchenette have also been updated for your comfort. WE’RE EXCITED – COME AND SEE! 1st row: Linda and Faith Anthony 2nd row: Mary Lois, Benedicta, Cintra Pemberton, June Thomas 3rd row: Grace, Cornelia, Barbara Lee, Ruth, Ellen Stephen 4th row: Ellen Francis, Carol Andrew, Ann, Miriam Elizabeth Not present: Rosina, Elsie GENERAL CONVENTION 2012 Sr Ellen Stephen: It was a privilege and a delight for me to be one of the four sisters to represent OSH at General Convention this year. Among the many highlights were greeting friends I hadn’t seen since my days in the convent in Seattle, the Poor Clares on Long Island, and one of the bishops who dropped by our exhibit hall booth whom I hadn’t seen since he was a young parish priest in a little town in Connecticut and came to tea at my mother’s farm! But the real highlight of Convention for me was the profound sense of respect and Christian community that pervaded throughout. Yes, there was anxiety and maybe even stronger emotions around some of the issues, but when the votes came in, there was a perceptible lack of expressed rancor or malevolence. The church, as Christ’s body, was not without its wounds, but those wounds were and are healing wounds. Sr Miriam Elizabeth: In attending General Convention for the first time and viewing the Church from our booth, I was struck by the breadth and depth of our particular gathering of the Body of Christ. I heard Peter say to Jesus, “It is good for us to be here,” and I knew the wish to build booths, to mark the glory of this moment and these people. There was the 97-year-old man who has been present at every convention since 1946 and the young college student who was five when I lived next door to her family in seminary. I heard slow Southern drawls, Canadian speed-talk, and accents from Massachusetts to Minnesota to Mexico. There was a beautiful African-American woman dressed in pastel ruffles, pearls, and a clergy collar; a Native American bishop in shorts; and a young Hmong girl dressed in her mother’s colorful wares. I stopped counting after hearing seven different languages and there were many more. Underneath these surfaces lived varying theologies, opinions and interpretations. The networking and conversations varied from peace and justice for the Middle East, to the temperature of baptismal waters, to who makes the best woman’s clergy shirt, to money and mission and how they are related, or not. Old friends greeted one another with a shout and a hug, and old adversaries nodded with recognition. Young people were everywhere and active – as deputies, volunteers, exhibitors and visitors. They are dreaming dreams as the Church and moving to live them out. There was also a great sense of energy in the folks who visited our booth. Many old friends were glad to see us and learn more of our life here in GA, while others were eager to engage “the dancing nuns” for the first time.1 Plans for building a new convent were greeted with affirmation and applause. Above: Ellen Stephen with one of her two new books, A Poet’s Eye, a collection of her poetry. It is available on Amazon and at the convent. Below: Ellen Francis with Associate Karen Powers at convention. Karen won the raffle to receive the icon Ellen Francis is holding (also written by her). Karen named the icon “St Clare.” Clearly, the Church is changing and regenerating, and this convention is evidence of that change in many respects. I am grateful to have been a part of the gathering in Indianapolis and to have seen the presence and movement of the Holy Spirit in the midst of such change. I am grateful for the Church and all that it is – an unwieldy, messy, raucous and glorious Body of Christ. 2 Sr Ann Prentice: The OSH booth at General Convention was a colorful and attractive magnet for those interested in purchasing distinctive items made by sisters. Others came by to reconnect with a specific sister with whom they had a close relationship in the past, or to share vivid memories of visiting one of our convents and encountering God in a surprisingly personal way. Rather than creating arts or crafts, I have a passion for finding a “Holy Spirit connection” with others, whether that’s in the moment or long term; in a setting such as General Convention, that was almost overwhelming! One of the most touching aspects of connecting was the blank book in which we encouraged people to write messages to OSH sisters that we could bring back to them – especially to Srs Ruth, Cintra, and Cornelia who had attended so many past conventions. A special joy was the Liberian delegation who remembered our sisters who taught in the Holy Cross Mission in their country decades ago! As a native Nebraskan and friend of the new bishop of that diocese, J Scott Barker, I was delighted to be invited to their “Nebraska Night” dinner and to get to know those dedicated men and women. I also made the acquaintance of a camel at the Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries booth, where Donna Tuten had high praise for a pilgrimage she had taken with Sr Cintra. The connection which did my heart the most good was the opportunity to spend an evening with Sr Elsie! Thanks to her son, Eric Reid, Elsie and I enjoyed a reunion and tour of the Memory Care Unit where she now lives in Fishers IN. She is well and we had a good conversation about OSH. I was glad to spend time again with members of the other monastic communities, as well as our friends Thomas Mark Liotta and James Mahoney of the Brotherhood of St Gregory, who had often joined our worship at the Vails Gate convent. It was a particular blessing for me to meet our transgendered brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Church. So many heart-warming connections with OSH Associates and old friends and new, “my cup was overflowing!” 1 At https://www.facebook.com/OrderofSaintHelena, see a video of us dancing to steel band drumming during the “prelude” to a morning Eucharist. PROGRAMS, EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS 3042 Eagle Drive, Augusta GA 30906-3326 706-798-5201 ext 1 [email protected] http://www.osh.org/events.html REGISTRATION FOR PROGRAMS AND ACCOMMODATIONS Presentation, let us reflect together on the glorious canticle, the joy that made Simeon utter, “Now I am content to depart this earthly life.” And let us remember that this is not something that happened some 2012 years ago but that it is happening in each of us today. You are welcome for morning prayer at 7:30, Holy Eucharist at approximately 8:10, and a simple breakfast, as well. Sr Faith Anthony entered OSH in 2008; she’s now in her third year of annual profession. She draws cartoons, does calligraphy, plays the organ, and loves looking at DNA sequences. Faith enjoyed guiding Bible gatherings while working in New York and found it fascinating to read Scripture in depth with a group. Her wish is to let intellect and spirituality walk together in her ministries. Faith first started meditation practice in a Zen temple in Tokyo. Though she has had a strong conversion experience to Christianity, she has Buddhism in her blood. Register for all events and overnight accommodations through the convent guest email, [email protected], or by calling 706-7985201, ext 1. Guest house reservations are $60 per night per person. A deposit of 50% of the total of program and accommodation costs will confirm your reservation. Guest deposits are nonrefundable but transferrable unless otherwise stated. Please make checks payable to “OSH” and mail c/o Guest Registrar. We also accept Visa and MasterCard. Overnight accommodations include three meals daily, and day programs include lunch. See http://www.osh.org/events.html for additional guest information. Coming soon! Watch our website for the new online registration form and PayPal access! Were You There? Voices of Witness, a Lenten Retreat with Sr Miriam Elizabeth Bledsoe, n/OSH. Friday Vespers, March 1 – Sunday dinner, March 3. Program cost: $80. There were many who witnessed the events of the week that led up to Good Friday and into Easter morning. Some you will know and some you might not have considered before. Come and let their voices resound in your heart through a series of meditations, silence and reflection. Let their experience of 2000 years ago deepen anew your experience of Holy Week 2013. Sr Miriam Elizabeth, a novice in the Order, is also an Episcopal priest who enjoys Biblical story-telling that speaks the gospel message from unusual voices and perspectives. She currently serves the Order as the new program and publicity coordinator. Miriam Elizabeth came to OSH from the Diocese of West Texas where she served as a parish priest for nine years. Saint Helena Series for Spiritual Growth 2012 Sponsored by OSH and St Augustine’s Episcopal Church Rabbi Rami Shapiro Biblical Wisdom for Post-Biblical Times – Learning to Read the Bible Like a Mystic Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13 AT ST AUGUSTINE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AUGUSTA GA Program cost: $135; register through the convent. See www.osh.org/events.html for details and www.rabbirami.com. +++++ Rabbi Rami Preaching the Sunday Sermon Sing to God a New Song: Learning OSH Canticles, a retreat with Sr Ann Prentice, OSH. Friday Vespers, April 19 – Sunday dinner, April 21. Program cost: $75; Associates pay room and board only. A weekend to honor our OSH Associates and for them to renew their commitment at Saturday Vespers with a new Associates service. There will be three teaching periods – a brief Friday evening session, with more extensive Saturday morning and afternoon sessions – making it possible for Saturdayonly participants to attend. The weekend is open to all, and we encourage attendance from local church members who wish to expand their range of spiritual songs. New canticles in the OSH Breviary were composed by our own Sr Cintra Pemberton. Sunday, October 14, Holy Eucharist AT THE CONVENT OF ST HELENA The Bible doesn't speak in one voice, and different voices speak to us at different times. According to Rabbi Rami, the voice of Wisdom – the voice of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes – is a voice speaking to many in our time. In this workshop Rami will help us hear this voice and discern for ourselves what She has to teach. Rami Shapiro is the author of six books on the Wisdom Tradition, notably, The Divine Feminine, The Way of Solomon, Ecclesiastes Annotated and Explained, Proverbs Annotated and Explained, and Ethics of the Sages. His newest publication is Writing, a Sacred Art. We urge you to learn more about Rabbi Rami at his website, shown above. Saint Helena Series for Spiritual Growth 2013 Sponsored by OSH & The Church of the Good Shepherd The Rt Rev Frank T Griswold Former Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, USA Holy Eucharist on the Feast of the Ascension LISTEN! My Beloved Is Knocking: an Advent Retreat on Prayer with Sr Ellen Stephen, OSH. Friday Vespers, November 30 – Sunday dinner, December 2, 2012. Program cost: $80. This retreat will touch on the areas of quiet and sacred space as the atmosphere for prayer; personal prayer or the relationship with God in meditation, contemplation and silent intercession; the development and stages of our prayer; and prayer together—the Psalms and the Holy Eucharist. Sr Ellen Stephen, an Episcopal nun since 1964, has published a number of books on spirituality. In July, her two new books became available: The Poet’s Eye (Academica Press), a book of her collected poetry, and Some Antics, a whimsical collection of her watercolors paired with poetry snippets. ES’ ministry in the Order includes spiritual direction; preaching; leading retreats, quiet days, and conferences; and new writing. Bishop Griswold presiding and preaching. Free buffet luncheon following the service. RSVP! Thursday, May 9, 11:00 am at the Convent of St Helena +++++ Encountering the Risen One: Our Experience of the Ever-Eastering Christ at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd Fri, May 10, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Sat, May 11, 9:30 – 3:30 Program cost: $135; register through the convent. See www.osh.org/events.html. For My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: a day of reflection around the Nunc Dimittis with Sr Faith Anthony, OSH. Saturday, February 2, 2013, 10:00 – 3:00. Program cost $60. “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” Since February 2 is the Feast Day of the As many of you know, we celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of our Chapel of the Ascension on Ascension Day each year. We are honored that Continues on page 6 3 COMMUNITY NEWS Sr Barbara Lee: During this past year I have continued to participate in the faith community at Advent Lutheran Church in Augusta. Currently I volunteer with the Parish Education, Evangelism and Service Boards. I also sing with the adult choir. Early in June I was one of the story tellers for the lower grades of Vacation Bible School. At the convent, I have enjoyed preparing our mid-day meal 2-4 times per month. As part of our Guest Ministry Team, I was responsible for the preparation of Ascension House for guests and am currently involved with the transition of overnight accommodations to Bethany House (the original guest house), opening October 9. Sr Grace: Over the last few months, I have enjoyed some wonderful travel/retreat time in New York, Maryland and California. Another glorious “first” for me this summer was to make a guest connection with the Order of the Holy Cross brothers (both in West Park NY and Santa Barbara CA) and to visit family and friends. God willing, in October 2012, I will be privileged to begin full-time work as a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) student, with the potential to earn four credit units in a one-year residency program at Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly MCG). I will continue to train as a hospital chaplain while still living/ working at home with the sisters at the convent. It is a dynamic duo of active and contemplative ministry, right where my heart lies. Specific areas of focus at the hospital include labor and delivery and the outpatient cancer center. Prayers are much appreciated for me this coming year! Sr Ruth: Although I am senior member in community, I continue to have a few responsibilities, principal of which is my intercessory prayer for many people. In July I had a lovely visit with my youngest nephew and his family, including two Dachshunds with whom I fell in love. One day we went to a large park in the northern part of North Carolina, and I had a first Sr Ruth preparing Associates birthday cards for mailing with Joan of Arc standing guard. time-ever experience of panning for gems. I came home with more than a half dozen of sundry kinds. Sr Benedicta: I continue reading and writing a good deal. My current read is a great new book from Spanish Civil War historian, Helen Graham, who has devoted a full chapter to my and my brother Ramon’s mother, Amparo Barayon Sender. Graham dedicated the book to us and our cousin, Magdalena Maes. The book is titled, The War and Its Shadow: Spain’s Civil War in Europe’s Long Twentieth Century. Dr. Graham praised my brother Ramon Sender’s book, A Death in Zamorra, on his research for information on the death of our mother. Sr Benedicta has discovered another good book! Sr Ellen Francis: I am astonished by joy and opportunities for ministry in Augusta GA. Being a native New Yorker, it’s been quite a change, and all quite wonderful. I continue to serve as priest-in-charge of All Saints Episcopal Church in Beech Island SC and am greatly enjoying the spiritual friendship at this little country church. While serving on the OSH Leadership Council, I delight in talking with women who are discerning a call to religious life and also in working with our own newest members. I have recently finished icons of the Trinity, of Saint Francis, and of the Last Supper (including women and children at the table)! Sr Linda: July 23 marked my tenth anniversary in community. In one sense that seems a long time; in another, the time has flown. As of June, I became the guest registrar for the Order, and you can contact me at 706-798-5201 ext 1 or [email protected] whenever you want to register for a program or an overnight visit in our “new” guest house! I love meeting with the monthly Wisdom Group, and I also feel a particular call nowadays to pray for people who are hurting physically. The most fun I’ve had in recent months was a full four-day trip to be with much of my Louisiana family to attend the wedding of my niece, Laura, and her fiancé, Adam. Srs Cornelia and Cintra: We are both residents at The Place in Martinez. August 8 was 4 “Family Night,” a quarterly offering. This time Cornelia stole the show with her tambourine act. Several sisters from the convent came to be our family. Both of us attend the Church of the Good Shepherd every Sunday, where Cornelia especially enjoys participating in the Food for the Hungry program. She says it reminds her of her work in Liberia. Cintra goes to a knitting class every Thursday morning, and sometimes Cornelia goes with her. Sr Rosina: I have been traveling in the US recently, first to Long Island for my three students’ graduation from the Ghanaian CPE program that I supervise. As well, I am participating in the Episcopal Health Services' preparation for its accreditation review at St John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway NY as part of my training to prepare for the review that must take place in Ghana. I also flew to Highlands NC to visit with the Rev Bruce Walker and his family. Next I go to Seattle to see the Rev David Mesenbring and his family, as well as to visit with Associate Ellen Freeman. Sr Faith Anthony: I tended to try outside ministries without much considering whether they are “beyond my spiritual income” (as H A Williams describes) and ended up with doing more than I could afford. Now I am in a phase of re-centering myself. Currently I am introducing more calligraphy and borders into the scriptorium and learning the new assignment as the archivist. Also I am taking the final stage of my discernment toward Life Profession very seriously. I thank you for your prayers. Sr ES: I continue to do missions and had a splendid time in June in Baton Rouge, leading a retreat for the Board of the St James Center for Spiritual Formation. My new book of collected poetry has arrived: The Poet’s Eye (Academica Press). It is available on Amazon and at the convent. A little book of my watercolors and bits of poems – Some Antics – is also available. If you purchase either of these at the convent, I will sign your copy! I look forward to several more missions and retreats in the fall, including a visit to our Associates in San Antonio. Sr Miriam Elizabeth: As a novice, I’ve recently accompanied sisters on missions, attended General Convention and served at the convent altar. Currently, I am stepping into the role of program and publicity coordinator and am working with others to prepare Bethany House for its opening as our guest house on October 9. In the spare moments, quilting (commissions accepted) and kayaking the GA and SC waters bring me great joy. Meanwhile the Spirit continues to blow and I am listening for the sound of it. Sr Linda Julian left the community in early August and has moved to Toronto. We love her and miss her very much. THE OSH LIFE HISTORIES PROJECT Associates Column by Donna S Mote In May 2011, I made my first retreat at the Convent of St Helena and felt myself immediately at home in the midst of the Daily Offices and Eucharist in the chapel. As a person committed to practicing the principles of Sabbath-keeping regularly, from the daily to the annual cycles of my life, I was grateful to have found this oasis of worship and rest in easy driving distance from my home. Since then I have retreated at the convent regularly and as I write this in July 2012 I am on my sixth visit with the sisters in Augusta. In between the Offices, I have been conducting the first life history interviews for a new project about OSH with Sr Cintra Pemberton and Sr Cornelia. It has been a great delight and a profound blessing to spend a number of hours with each of these amazing sisters, videotaping their reminiscences of life in the Order, memories stretching back decades that are unique to them and recorded in their particular words and in their distinctive voices. On subsequent visits in the near future I will undertake interviews with each of the sisters in turn. The working idea is that the history of the Order is in a very real sense a quilting of many fascinating life stories in community. Excerpts of the film footage from these conversations will be combined with videography of the community’s life, including prayer and liturgy, ministry and meals, chores, and so on with the aim of producing a series of ethnographic films. The first intended film will be a brief introduction to the Order that picks up where the last video, completed in 1999 and largely featuring the former convent at Vails Gate, leaves off. Another proposed film will be a longer narrative history of the Order that combines excerpts of the previous video and other archival materials with the contemporary footage. A third anticipated film will be an observational work that focuses intently on practices of the sisters’ life together with little to no narration (think Into Great Silence with an OSH accent). This project was inspired in part by hearing multiple sisters remark after the death of Sr Mary Michael Simpson in 2011 that, while OSH has numerous excerpts of various interviews with her and various news clippings in the archives, no one ever sat down and recorded at length many of the fascinating stories from her life as told by her. Further inspiration has come from the felt need of the sisters to update the OSH introductory video and from an awareness of the uniqueness of this period of transition for the Order, with only one convent currently (in Augusta GA) and the anticipated move of all the sisters into a new convent just across the river in North Augusta SC. CONVENT OF ST HELENA 3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326 Phone 706-798-5201 Fax 706-796-0079 [email protected] http://www.osh.org I have begun this project as my in-kind contribution to OSH as an Associate of the Order, donating my time and the required equipment to the effort. I am writing some grants to support the film project going forward. It’s my strong hope and sincere intention that these films will increase knowledge of the Order of St Helena and of Episcopal monastics more generally both inside and outside the Church by recording, preserving, and distributing both the story and practices of the Order and the individual life stories of sisters. Donna S Mote, PhD is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion in the college department of religion at Sewanee: The University of the South. An anthropologist and historian of religious cultures, she is an ethnographic filmmaker, an Associate of OSH, and a postulant for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Atlanta. Visitors of all ages may encounter Sr Grace as hospital chaplain this coming year. Her four-unit CPE training program will include full-time ministry to patients, their families, and the staff at Augusta's teaching hospital (Georgia Health Sciences University) while also balancing the contemplative life at the convent. Grace is shown here volunteering at University Hospital, Augusta. Thank you for your prayerful responses and financial support of our ministries. And thank you for an annual contribution in support of the newsletter’s publication. Please mail checks made to “OSH” c/o Sr Linda Elston. If you would like to begin receiving the newsletter or if your contact information changes, please write to the convent or email us at [email protected]. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Convent of St Helena, 3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326. saint helena (USPS 487-590) is published four times a year by the Order of St Helena, 3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326. Periodical postage is paid at Newburgh NY. 5 PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT NEWBURGH NY AND OTHER OFFICES The Order of St Helena is a religious community for women in the Episcopal Church, founded in 1945, which witnesses to a contemporary version of traditional monasticism. Vol 33 No 3 Sept 2012 Pictured above are our faithful and beautifully spirited staff: Clara Avery, Kathleen Murray, Laura Ann Whitaker, and Lois Robinson. We celebrated them on July 24, Staff Appreciation Day. Pictured below are Sr Rosina with her three August graduates of the Ghanaian Indigenous Clinical Pastoral Education program. To her left is Pastor Amos Amoh from the Pentecostal Church. To her right are Roman Catholic priest, Fr Francis Acquah-Sagoe, and Anglican lay member, Nana Osei Yaw Thompson. The monthly Wisdom Group at OSH has been meeting for 2-1/2 years . Standing above are regulars Keith Claussen, Pat Darden, Pat Moss, Trina Ford, former sister Linda Julian, and Tara Simkins. In the circle are Sr Linda, Lydia Giusto, and Karen Wheeler. We have become a true community, and more souls are welcome! We work with recorded material by Adyashanti, a spiritual teacher who emerged from the Zen tradition who draws on all great spiritual traditions. Says Sr Linda, “If Adyashanti is for you, his teaching is so calming and freeing. I imagine the effect of hearing him must be similar to the effect on people who heard Jesus speak.” We watch and reflect on one DVD, meeting from 9:30 until noon, and closing with a time of silence. If you’d like to attend these gatherings, please contact Sr Linda at 706-798-5201, ext 1 or [email protected]. See www.adyashanti.org for more. prepared and rendered open to the sometimes wild and unexpected ways in which the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah,” as the Risen One is named in the Book of Revelation, bounds into our lives and lays claim to our hearts and imagination. Continued from page 3 Bishop Griswold has accepted our invitation to be celebrant and preacher on this day. Additionally, Bishop Griswold will present a weekend teaching entitled, “Encountering the Risen One: Our Experience of the Ever-Eastering Christ.” The program will be an exploration of the various ways in which we are Icon Workshop 2013 led by Fr Damian Higgins. Wednesday, September 18, 7:00 pm: an introduction to iconography, $15 per person. Thursday morning, September 19 – Sunday dinner, September 22, the icon workshop. Program cost: $375, meals included. Accommodations are a separate expense. ANNOUNCEMENTS OSH is now on Facebook, and you can find us at this website address: http://www.facebook.com/OrderofSaintHelena. If you haven’t heard by now, our four sisters attending General Convention led the way dancing to steel band drummers before one of the services at Convention. See the video on Facebook! If you receive the saint helena by snail mail yet also use email, we’d be grateful if you would email [email protected] and give Laura Ann your current email address. Many email addresses are out of date. Every rare once in a while, such as with the nationwide publicity of Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s program, we need to communicate with you via email. If you’d like to switch to receiving the color version of the saint helena by quarterly email notice, let Laura Ann know that, too. Thank you. NEW CONVENT Architectural work – The Leadership Council is meeting weekly with Cheatham Fletcher Scott Architects of Augusta on designs for the various new convent buildings. This stage is expected to take several months. Stay tuned! Contributing online to OSH – We appreciate and prayerfully steward your contributions to the Order, which are used in many beneficial ways. Your financial gifts support our guest programs and our guesthouse (including scholarships), outreach, chaplaincy work, spiritual direction, parish involvement, and care of our buildings and grounds. You can donate easily: go to our website, press the “Donate for Good” button, and follow the directions. See http://www.osh.org/contributions.html. 6
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