Sister Barbara Langel Makes Monastic Profession

Sister Barbara Langel considers the Benedictine way of life a perfect fit for herself. "I am filled with a deep sense of contentment and peace," she says as she makes her lifetime commitment to religious life. Several years ago, Sister Barb began the journey of faith which led to her monastic profession as a Benedictine sister at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, on January 17, 2005.

Sister Barbara was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. After receiving a degree in art from the University of Nebraska, she went to Texas Woman's University to earn her master's degree in occupational therapy. She worked as an occupational therapist in Omaha for ten years before coming to Atchison to join the community at Mount St. Scholastica. The move to a monastery enhanced the life of prayer and service which she had already embraced. "I find communal life and the daily prayer to be so life-giving. It provides the daily support and energy I need to go out and minister to others in the larger community." Her commitment to serving those in need of health care remains strong. She is currently living with other Benedictine sisters of the Mount in Kansas City, Mo., and is employed by Providence Hospital Home Health Care in Kansas City, Kansas.

Her years of preparation have given her opportunities not only to deepen her spiritual life, but to enrich her artistic life. She has continued to do pottery and her stained glass work has contributed to the beauty of the monastery. Artistic insets enhance some of the doors at the monastery and a large depiction of the biblical "Woman at the Well" graces the main hall. She explains the joy she feels in her art, "It is a way for me to become centered and add a different dimension to my prayer. I feel I let go and let my hands do the creating."

Letting go of her previous life and letting herself be formed within a community has "enriched, surprised and challenged" Sister Barbara. This time of monastic profession is a time to celebrate with family and friends and to give public witness to her commitment, but she knows that the creative process of her own life will continue. There is much more ahead for her both as artist and as a "work in progress" within her monastic community.