Catholic Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill., blog with inquirers discerning their religious calling to monastic life.
Posted in Benedictine Sisters, vocation story on Mar 13th, 2013
As a Catholic girl growing up in Peoria, Ill., Margaret Mary “Marmee” McGrath (shown in red at left) never dreamed of becoming a nun. Nicknamed for the mother in Little Women (“My mother loved that book!”), Marmee attended Catholic school, prayed the rosary before morning Mass, and helped her teacher Sisters keep the sanctuary clean. [...]
Posted in Benedictine Sisters on Feb 10th, 2013
What kind of woman makes a good Benedictine Sister? We asked Sister Mary Core, OSB to share her thoughts with us. Take a look, and email us if her answers resonate for you. We look forward to hearing from you! Q. What kind of woman is best-suited for Benedictine life? A. Religious life is for emotionally, mentally [...]
Posted in Benedictine Sisters, discernment, monastic life, religious life, vocation story on Jul 22nd, 2012
From the beginning of recorded time, living as a religious Sister has been countercultural. We give up our possessions … our bank accounts … our cars. We take on a new set of priorities. We take on a new set of responsibilities. In other words, it’s no longer about “me.” It’s about “we.” What might [...]
Posted in Benedictine Sisters, Benedictine practices, Benedictine values, Benedictine vows, monastic life, religious life, retreat on Jun 7th, 2012
That’s a mouthful of a title! Although the path to holiness can be lived out in other ways – marriage, singlehood – we Benedictine Sisters have chosen religious life (St. Scholastica, left, founded the women’s community to follow her twin brother’s Holy Rule, which we follow 1,500 years later). Today, Bishop Joe – a member [...]
Posted in Benedictine Sisters, discernment, religious life, vocation story on Feb 1st, 2012
By Sister Catherine Cleary, OSB Left to my own devices I would never have entered religious life. I thought it was dull, stilted, without fun, zest, relationships or community. I was interested in my friends, stylish clothes, a social life, my education. So how did it come about?
Posted in Benedictine Prayer, Benedictine Sisters, Benedictine practices, Benedictine values, discernment, monastic life, religious life on Jan 26th, 2012
By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB After taking a few years to work and live my Catholic parish life, God sent me another message. I was at church with my father and youngest sisters, when Sisters from a habited community filed in. The pastor introduced them, and they seemed very nice. Several years before, I had [...]