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.

Earlier this year Sister Anne McCarthy presented a webinar, "Mary Lou Kownacki's Spirituality of Nonviolence." Sister Anne drew from her years-long deep friendship with Sister Mary Lou and used Sister Mary Lou's 1990 chapbook, "The Sacred in the Simple: Monastic Mantras for Daily Living" as the framework for the webinar. "Sister Mary Lou's spirituality was not an intellectual exercise...she started with the gospel and her monastic life and grew into a deep spirituality of nonviolence from that place," said Sister Anne in her introduction. The presentation is now available at John Dear's Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus YouTube page here.

Katie Gordon, member of the Pax Priory community of the Benedictine Sisters, was a responder at the 2024 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly in Orlando, Florida this past August. She was asked, as a lay woman, to respond to the question, Who Do We Need You to Be for the World? In her comments Katie shared with the 750 participants that she is "drawn to a form of religious life that does not yet exist...we do not know how to name what it is I am trying to live into." Her future depends on the trust and openness of women religious to listen and believe that the charisms are big enough to hold all, to risk the questions that will lead to new forms of living a way of life rooted in spirituality and community.

Erie Benedictines, including Emmaus Ministries director Sister Val Luckey, were among the thirty cyclists who took part the Emmaus Ministries Urban Bike Tour on September 13. The 18-mile ride was planned as a special forward-looking part of Emmaus' 50th year providing "bread for the body, food for the soul."

We gathered to pray for stabbing victim Michelle Sue Hanson and all those affected by her violent death.

What is the current situation of workers and their families? What are their needs? How can they best be addressed?
These questions are being raised throughout the political campaign. They are important questions, but they are not only political questions. The issues of work and workers are basic human issues. Of spiritual concern. With ecological ramifications.

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.

Prioress Sister Stephanie Schmidt, (left) presented Dr. Alice Edwards, (right) chair of the department of Anthropology and World Languages and Professor of Spanish at Mercyhurst University, with the Benedictine Sisters' 2024 Prophet of Peace Award on Sunday, September 21 during a special evening prayer. Oblate Mary Hembrow Snyder, longtime friend and colleague of Alice, nominated her for the award writing, that "Alice is the epitome of someone who listens deeply with the ear of her heart, a practice foundational to Benedictine spirituality. To whom does she listen? Anyone in need of her compassion, her honesty, her wisdom. That includes family, friends, colleagues, students, refugees, abused women, those grieving the loss of a loved one, and many more. She is a beloved inspiration to all who know her."