Monastic Life Is...
Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Sí, On Care for our Common Home, is a call to us to take responsibility to care for all God’s creation. We are to move beyond indifference – to embrace the challenge.
More than 10,000 people have viewed the press release posted by the Benedictine Sisters after they were accused of voter fraud. A canvasser reported that 53 voters were registered at the monastery's address and "no one lives there." The report was posted on X along with a list of the sisters, violating their privacy.
Erie Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney appeared in conversation at the Erie Convention Center last week.
The Benedictine Sisters of Erie alerted to false and misleading information about their membership posted on X by PA CHASE’s Cliff Maloney
Benedictines for Peace is offering the opportunity to learn to de-escalate and defuse verbal or physical violence that you may encounter at any event or place, including polling places. Practice active bystander intervention and de-escalation in election scenarios.
With the presidential campaign in the United States in full swing, it's important to know the issues, to ask questions, to vote, and to pray for good and healthy leaders to emerge. Joan Chittister's Prayer for Leadership is available as a free digital download. Sister Joan's prayer asks God to give us insight in choosing leaders who can distinguish between strength and power, growth and greed.
Sister Placida Anheuser turned 107 on October 15--an accomplishment she didn't earn for herself and that she finds hard to believe--although she feels like someone who is 107. "It's hard to be this old," she said in a conversation a few days before her birthday. "I don't have much energy." In spite of decreased energy, Sister Placida still motors around the monastery on her scooter. She spends much of her time in prayer. Her lifelong love and study of Scripture gives her a lot on which to reflect. And, she says, "I look forward to meeting everyone in heaven some day!"
A new ecourse at Monasteries of the Heart is based on a recently released book of Sister Mary Lou Kownacki's writings, Everyday Sacred; Everywhere Beauty: Readings from an Old Monk's Journal. The book is a compilation of the best of her blog posts which the Monasteries of the Heart community treasured for over a decade. Until her death in January 2023, Old Monk's posts always sparked conversation, laughter, and thoughtful disagreement. The new course, “Reading With Old Monk” is an opportunity to experience Sister Mary Lou's words again, or for the first time.