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Are you being called?

Is your heart whispering to you — “Seek God”? Come.

We, the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, welcome you to join our community.

What is a Benedictine?

A Benedictine is rooted in seeking God within a monastic community and gives witness to the value of the Rule of St. Benedict – love, prayer, humility, stewardship, and hospitality. A balance of work and prayer forms the rhythm of this way of life. Benedictines are not identified as an apostolic order, but rather a contemplative order. While monastics are frequently engaged in work outside the community, their ministry does not take precedence to the primacy of community and prayer.

Schola choir singing for the Holy Triduum.
Schola choir singing for the Holy Triduum.

“AS WE PROGRESS in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.”

The Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 49

The Benedictine monastic life

As Benedictine sisters, we seek Christ together by taking the Rule of St. Benedict as our guide for living the gospel in a lifestyle that embraces community life, prayer, work, service to God’s people, and care for creation.

The Rule of St. Benedict is a guide for seeking God with others in community. Rooted in the gospel, it has been adapted again and again for 1500 years as women and men seek to know and serve God in the times in which they live.

Benedictine Vows

Obedience

We listen to the voice of the Spirit in Scriptures, in the Rule of Benedict, in the prioress, in one another. We are guided by the question of what is truly best for ourselves, and for the community. Then, we seek to respond with generosity and courage.

Stability

Rooted and strengthened by our lives in this community, celibacy enables us to devote our time and energy as Christ, in the service of others. Celibacy allows us to share ourselves fully with the world. Monastic poverty asks that we live simply, balancing our wants and needs.

Fidelity to the Monastic Way of Life

We seek to be faithful to this way of life … and this life transforms us when we are faithful to it. It transforms us so that we turn to God in the midst of everything that happens in our lives — in joy, in pain, in everyday events. It transforms us during communal and private prayer, so that we can deal with the everyday experiences of life.

A sister signs her name in a book at the altar while another sister looks on.
Sister Jennifer signing her final vows in front of Sister Esther (prioress at the time).
A sister in a chapel sings with arms raised up
Sister Jennifer taking final vows.