Monastery News and Notes

Maur Hill–Mount Academy Students Visit the Mount

As a sponsor of Maur Hill-Mount Academy (MH-MA), the Mount invited students to visit on February 8 and 9, 2024, to learn about how the sisters live out their Benedictine life. After a short presentation by Sisters Suzanne Fitzmaurice and Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, students engaged in conversation with sisters in the dining room and then took a tour of the mainfloor of the monastery. The sisters continue to pray regularly for the MH-MA students and their teachers.

Sister Suzanne Receives Master’s Degree

Sister Suzanne Fitzmaurice graduated from the University College of Cork on March 6, 2024, with a master’s degree in Beginnings of Irish Christianity.

Sisters Barbara Conroy, Bridget Dickason, and Oanh Pham traveled with Sister Suzanne to attend the graduation ceremony, after which Sister Suzanne led them on a pilgrimage. Highlights of the trip included visits to Cork, Blarney, Dublin (where they saw the book of Kells), Kildare (the site of St. Brigid’s well), Kylemore, and other historic and monastic sites.

Sister Suzanne commented, “It was a wonderful experience to travel with community members and have them present at my graduation!”

Oblates Gather for Earth Day

Approximately 30 oblates and oblate inquirers gathered at the Mount on Saturday, April 20, 2024, for an early commemoration of Earth Day. In the morning, Sister Elizabeth Carrillo presented the Laudato Si platform that has been developed to help communities respond to seven goals articulated in the 2015 encyclical letter by Pope Francis. Sister Elizabeth described the many ways the sisters are taking action to meet these goals and invited oblates to develop their own personal action plan. In the afternoon, some participants helped with gardening and cleanup on the Mount grounds, while others watched the movie The Biggest Little Farm.

Sisters Host Employee Service Awards Picnic

On May 23, 2024, sisters invited employees of the Mount and Dooley Center and their family members to an indoor picnic. The sisters enjoyed meeting employees’ spouses and children, and everyone enthusiastically applauded those receiving service awards: Alice Diebolt (30 years), Julie Gillispie (25 years), Gary Seever (20 years), Rhonda Soden (15 years), Diana Ernzen (5 years), and Elaine Nadeau (5 years). Sister Mary Elizabeth thanked all the employees for their dedication, and the sisters gave the employees and their family members a blessing to conclude the evening.

Community Listens to Stories of Wisdom at Annual Retreat

“Listen: Does Not Wisdom Call?” was the theme of the Mount’s annual directed silent retreat, which was held June 2-8, 2024, and was coordinated by Sister Cecilia Olson. The director was Oblate Mary Stommes, former editor of Give Us This Day and oblate director at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Through storytelling, poetry, and music, Mary spoke about the connection between baptism and joy; the hospitality of God; what it means to have “fear of the Lord”; delight as a characteristic of wisdom; the wisdom of Mary, mother of Jesus; discernment; and humility. The community was grateful to Mary for sharing her insights in a gentle, inspiring, and creative manner.