Tour Erie's only monastery!
If you've never been to Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, we invite you to come for a guided monastery tour at 4:00 p.m. on December 7 followed by supper with the sisters in the monastery dining room, then stay and join us for the Advent Vigil at 7:00 p.m. Reservations are needed for the tour and dinner, CLICK HERE to reserve your spot or call Michelle at 814-899-0614 ext 2507. RSVP DUE BY NOVEMBER 30. Our address is 6101 East Lake Road in Erie.
Please join us in the monastery chapel for Advent Vigils each Saturday during Advent, November 30, December 7, 14, and 21 at 7:00 p.m. with no reservations necessary. The tour and dinner invitation is only for December 7 when reservations are needed. Thank you!
Monastic Life Is...
This week is a confluence of meaning. We celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the Annointed One (Christ the King) last Sunday, November 24. We celebrate Thanksgiving Thursday, November 28, and next Sunday, December 1, Advent begins. On Sunday, Oblate Priscilla Richter offered insightful reflections that illuminated the meaning of all these events in light of the gospel reading from John 18:33b-37 and our current reality.
Pierogis. Shawarma. Bratwurst. Sushi. Collard greens. Empanadas. Can’t you imagine the delicious tastes offered by each of these foods? Need a bit of sweet? We could add: Biscotti. Kolache. Chocolates. Baklava. The list of our food preferences has expanded and internationalized quite naturally. We see what others are enjoying. We try it. We like it.
December 1 - 25 Monasteries of the Heart is offering Into the Light: Daily Advent Journey. Register now.
The Benedictine Sisters are offering a reflective and interactive Advent retreat on Saturday morning, December 14. This Advent lectio retreat will explore our call to love. It begins at 9:30 a.m. at the monastery and concludes at 11:00 a.m. Registration are required, and donations are welcome. To register, for more information, email retreats@eriebenedictines.org or phone (814) 899-0614, ext 2403.
Laurie Smith, right, from Havre de Grace, Maryland, recently began a six-month commitment in the Benedicta Riepp live-in monastic experience program. Prioress Sister Stephanie Schmidt, pictured, and the community welcomed her with a blessing and acceptance ritual followed by a shared meal in the community dining room. “I felt such a welcome,” Laurie said. “I feel like I belong here.”
The Winter 2024 issue of The Mount is available in PDF format.
I like wordplay and books, so I keep my eye out for clever names, including titles of cozy mysteries (Buried in the Stacks, by Allison Brook) and book/gift shops (the Bayfront Bookshelf run by Friends of the Library at Blasco, for example). But I didn't know why the gift shop at Mount St. Benedict (6101 East Lake Road) is called Chapter 57 until Sister Valerie Luckey, OSB, director of Emmaus Ministries, explained its origin. (I am also a freelance writer for Emmaus.)
The Serra Club of Erie presented a congratulatory cake to the ten 2024 Erie Benedictine Jubilarians in honor of their years of service to the Diocese of Erie. Serra Club member Dave Wayman, picture here with jubliarians Sisters Lucia Marie Surmik, Carolyn Gorny-Kopkowski, and Diane Rabe (L-R), delivered the cake which the community enjoyed. The Serra Club promotes vocations to the religious life and priesthood. They gifted each of the communities of women religious in Erie with a cake.
