Threshold - Spring 2004

Stability: Lovers of the Place
Judith Sutera, OSB

When Benedictines make their vow of stability, they commit to a way of life which demands a holy stewardship. We proclaim by our vows that we intend to stay in the same specific place with these same valued companions forever. We recognize this physically as we reside in the same familiar buildings on a single piece of real estate and see our beloved dead buried within our view as well.

We are here for the long haul, in contrast to a culture which would rather use up and move on, throw away and get more. This piece of Atchison is the space God has given us and God expects us to make the best of it. When the sisters first came here, they encountered the poverty and rigors of typical pioneer life. They were blessed when they were able to acquire a parcel of land where they could raise livestock and grow food. The previous owner had even begun an orchard and vineyard.

Growing food and meeting other water needs wasn’t always easy, but the sisters have always been careful stewards. When the present monastery was built in 1900, it was equipped with several underground cisterns and the building’s downspouts were designed to route all the available rain and snow to storage for the parched summers. Gravity tanks and, later, electric pumps could send this water to the monastery for washing before the days of city water, as well as to the gardens.

Sister Seraphine Tucker, who was director of maintenance for many years, was always inspired by the community’s history of resource management. When she was at risk of losing many young trees to summer water rationing, she looked to the overflow condensate water that was being poured out of the Dooley air conditioning tower. Loading an old tank onto a trailer, she was able to bring wasted water and thirsty trees together. She also persuaded engineers, after many deaf ears and even laughter, that the whole plant could be heated off the Dooley system, eliminating the old boiler system, with its constant danger, inefficiency and heat loss.

Sister Seraphine learned many other lessons about the resource of the land itself from her predecessor, Sister Jeannette Obrist, who had taught natural sciences in the college. “She was a real botanist,” says Sister Seraphine. “She taught botany, but she also lived it and applied it. Her love of the earth was evident.” Reverence for the earth is one of the greatest motivators for the way the land is stewarded at Mount St. Scholastica.

When much of the food had to be grown locally, there was more than water that was of concern. It was not unusual to see someone taking the ashes from the incinerator to work in around the plants, or melting down soap scraps to paint the base of a tree for pest control. “Companion planting” is a method of planting which pairs crops which require or replenish different things in the soil, or which act as a natural repellent for pests. Hay mowings, shredded paper and gypsum wallboard became mulch and garden walkways, eventually decomposing to nourish the earth.

Sister Seraphine led the community in stewardship of the buildings and grounds for 22 years. Costs and personnel now limit the amount of gardening done by the community but Sister Elaine Fischer, current maintenance director, is still very concerned about the health of the earth. “My philosophy of land use is simple: You take care of it and it will take care of you.” She learned this lesson early, growing up on her family’s farm. “My father taught me to watch and listen to the earth and to be happy with what it produces.” Being satisfied and grateful means not trying to force the unnatural. The garden receives compost as fertilizer, but no chemicals are used on the lawns or crops.

All of the community’s maintenance directors have also had to deal with the responsible care and preservation of the buildings. The recent renovations within the monastery are only the most recent in a lifelong history of changes. Since the beginning, the sisters have made improvements to reflect the changes in technology, usage, and need. Turning large dormitories into small private rooms, making way for better dining, health care or ministry spaces, adding new safety devices like sprinklers, or accessibility needs like elevators, ramps and automatic doors, means that there has almost always been some kind of construction going on in the monastery.

“The challenge of this place,” says Sister Elaine, “is also its beauty. It is such an adaptable space. Our demographics and needs are always changing. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of things, but there is the trade-off of having something become better for us.”

The process involves the sisters themselves in many ways. Almost everyone has learned to plant and harvest as part of their novitiate. Many have also learned building and demolition skills. When the fourth floor of the monastery was turned from three large rooms into multiple bedrooms, living rooms and baths, and more recently in the new guest department, sisters have been involved in everything from designing the space to tearing out walls to tiling bathrooms and laying woodwork. They know sheetrocking and subflooring, puttying and painting. The consultation of the sisters, the talents of designers, artisans and laborers within the community and a constant care for the material environment of the house, have made for many improvements which maintain the integrity and simple beauty of the monastery.

Therein lies the real secret to good stewardship, according to Sister Seraphine. “It’s home. That’s why we do what we do. Stewardship is more than saving money. Sometimes it even costs more, but it’s worth it when you’re dedicated to a cause. Whether it’s global justice and peace, or preserving the balance of nature, or a religious ideal, there has to be a belief and then decisions are made based on commitment. The real question is always ‘What is our value?’”

Sister Alberta Hermann gets pruning advice from Sister Seraphine Tucker in one of the flower gardens.

When Sister Presentasia returns to Africa, she will have some new carpentry and repair skills, thanks to the guidance of Sister Elaine.