Category Archives: Benedictine monastery

Watermelon and Paul’s Letters

I’ve spent the last ten days, and really the ten before it, being mostly overwhelmed. Starting a new job, making food, finishing up a large volunteer project — but most of my energy has gone into working through the New … Continue reading

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The Polka

Stearns County is a German Catholic stronghold, and for at least 150 years, the polka has reigned. As I’ve written before, even those who grew up poor on farms grew up with an accordion in the house, and maybe also … Continue reading

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Sister Suzanne

Tonight I went to a Prayer Vigil at the monastery, which is what they do as a wake. It was the first time I’ve gone to a wake because I knew it would make me feel good. Everything about knowing Sister Suzanne … Continue reading

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Landmarks

On Monday, I accompanied Sister Josue Behnen to St. Cloud Hospital, where she was giving a “lunch and learn” presentation on prayer. Sister Josue spent most of her working life as a nurse, including 17 years on mission in Taiwan, … Continue reading

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Installation Day

Sunday the monastery where I work installed a new prioress. I was at my college reunion in Grinnell, Iowa, from Thurs-Sat noon, and drove back to be on duty for the event. When someone asked why I had to go back, … Continue reading

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Web 2.0 for the Sisters

This past week I was at a conference in Denver, one very specific to what I do. It was the National Communicators Network for Women Religious (NCNWR). It was attended by 114 communication directors and others from Roman Catholic women’s … Continue reading

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Strings Too Short to Use

At today’s birthday lunch with the Sisters from my office, the talk turned to stories of nun frugality and of savers extraordinaire. One story was of a Sister who saved and reused everything, beyond reason. In her office she had various boxes marked … Continue reading

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Nun Conference

I was in Ferdinand at a conference on Vocations. It was five days long, which is a really long time to be at a conference. It went at a nun’s pace, which meant the breaks were long for those who … Continue reading

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Merging Monasteries

This week I’ve been working on a big story at the monastery. On Saturday, the Sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, voted at their Chapter meeting to accept a request from Saint Bede Monastery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, … Continue reading

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Turkey Girls

My other video project has been putting together some short video tours of the Haehn Museum exhibit, “By the Work of Our Hands,” that closed on December 23rd. The exhibit explored sustainability at the monastery over the past 152 years, … Continue reading

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