Our Way of Life
Imagine a world of deep political divisions, disease and dictators. A world of conflict, violence and unrest, unbridled ambition and deep mistrust. Sound familiar?
We’re not talking about today. That was the world when St. Benedict, in sixth century Italy, wrote what he called his “little rule for beginners.” Today, fifteen centuries later, it’s shockingly modern.
As Sisters of St. Benedict, we’re guided by four pillars of that Rule: community life, hospitality, work and prayer. They offer a clear way forward in a world as turbulent as ours.
But they offer something more. For each of us, they offer a way to live that brings out the best in us, and that allows us to help make life better for others. In many ways, they take us back to things we knew as children, and can re-learn as adults. Here’s how they do it.
Community Life
We seek God together in community with a common mission and vision. Every day, we work at turning this mixed bag of personalities, ages, backgrounds and careers into a community. As we do, our life together focuses and amplifies our energies in spreading the Gospel. Our community adapts and evolves as the world changes, so that we can continue to seek God in this time and place and to minister to his people where they are today. We laugh together, learn together, love together, grieve together and grow together, united by God’s presence in our hearts and lives.
Hospitality
We endeavor to receive all people as Christ and to share who we are and what we have. Our hospitality begins in our own community, then reaches out into the rest of the world. We welcome guests at the monastery, and work outside these walls to help all others feel welcome in the world. Our hospitality extends to God’s Creation, as we seek to live in harmony with nature and be good stewards of the earth.
Prayer
Our prayer, whether together or alone, keeps us connected to the other principles by which we live. Our prayer, in common and on our own, draws us back into the heart of our community and to God who called us to this life. Our prayer for others helps us to “see each person as Christ,” and to extend our hospitality freely. Our prayer sustains us as we work and reminds us of the need for service and the sacred nature of shared labor.
Work
Our work puts hands and feet to the Gospel. Whether within the monastery or out in the wider world, work is the most visible way we live out our Benedictine values. We recognize the value and sacredness of labor. We work to be good stewards of the resources that have been entrusted to us. We advocate for fair treatment and just wages for all.