Reflection for the Golden Jubilee 2011
July 31, 2011

by Anne Shepard, OSB

“Come to me all who are thirsty, come to the water...Heed me and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.” Isaiah 55:1-2

“Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’”
Matt 14:18

1961 was an eventful year. For instance, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated the first Catholic president of the United States who later in his first year instituted the Peace Corps as well as encouraged all American homes to build bomb shelters. Castro declared Cuba a communist country. The Berlin wall was erected. Alan Shepard landed on the moon. Fifteen thousand five hundred dollars purchased a new house and a new car. For less than a dollar you could buy a dozen eggs and a pound of bacon.

1961 marked an event for us, the profession of nine young women who made a public ecclesial commitment to serve God with eagerness and fervor. We are gathered today to celebrate the gifts that our generous God made manifest in the lives of these women who spent themselves to nourish this community and so many that they served throughout their monastic lives.

In the story of Jesus and the apostles which we just heard, Jesus is healing and preaching in parables when at the end of the day, his followers wanted to send the crowd home so they could cook their own meal. (Clearly, these guys were not trained by Benedictines!) Jesus said no, feed them yourselves with what you have. They then shared, made sure that all were fed and later collected many leftovers. They gave what they had, inviting others to do the same by their example.

When the jubilarians entered, I suggest that they had no idea they would be where they are today. They began in Catholic schools serving in multiple capacities. As their lives unfolded and our community continued to discern the unmet needs of the people of God, they broadened their service to include: spiritual direction, retreat work, hospice care and training, energy medicine, school and university administration and development work. As they generously gave of themselves to feed others, more of their gifts were revealed and then the more God kept asking of them.

Similarly, when they entered the community, their service to the community broadened. The first three years of their formation included manual labor for the most part. They scooted the chapel floors and halls on their knees. They polished furniture and swept staircases daily. On Mondays and Tuesdays they laundered the clothes and bedding of the monastery, abbey and college, careful to stay alive in the building on the west side of our grounds in the heat of the summer days wherein the thermometer in the laundry reached its maximum reading of 115 degrees by 7:30 in the morning.

The sisters we honor today are women who value being fed by the Eucharist and who value praying with and feeding others. Most in the class are exceptional cooks who treasure presenting tasty and well prepared meals to their sisters and their families. They acknowledge that the practice of gathering at the Eucharistic table nourishes them with the strength to serve their loving God in newer and deeper ways. They come to the common table in the monastic dining rooms here at the Mount and on mission prepared to break open the words of advice and insight gained from the events of the day. They stay nourished by reading and studying the Word of God, monastic literature, spiritual authors and by meeting Christ in their sisters, friends, clients, patients, students, family members and parishioners. By spending their lives for others, their gifts have multiplied and their influence spread. They have fed the community with their wisdom and care, just as importantly as their breads, cookies and pies. They have fed their contacts outside of here with love and hope which comes as a result of their modeling fidelity to Christ for these fifty years.

Our jubilarians have approached their God for nourishment when they were hungry and thirsty. They have eaten well and delighted in God’s rich fare. They have listened so that they would have life. In turn they have been life for us, for all here, for others. For that we are grateful.

View some photos from the celebration.