Sacred Stones, Sacred Stories

In 1997, Pope John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2 as He is our model and our guide.  It is with Christ, and in Christ and for Christ that we dedicate our lives in a special way to the church.  These faithful are a special sign of the mystery of redemption (CCC 932).

All the baptized are consecrated to God by the very act of baptism.  Those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ in a special way to all peoples.  Those who follow a narrower path of consecration freely choose from various forms of consecrated life within the Catholic Church.  Most consecrated members of the church are men and women who join religious communities and live their celibate chastity in union with others called in the same fashion.  However, included under the umbrella of consecrated vocations we have:

• hermits who live secluded from the world and live a life of deep prayer and penance for the world, renouncing even the comfort of human contact.
• consecrated virgins and widows who live within society but do so in a state of virginity and perpetual chastity.  In this state of consecration they become an eschatological and transcendent sign of the Bride of Christ.  Sometimes these people form associations to observe their commitment more faithfully.
• those who join secular institutes who vow chastity and charity to serve the world and work for its sanctification.
• brothers and sisters in apostolic life who pursue the work of the church and live within communities but do not take religious vows.

You can learn more about the different walks of consecrated life from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Prioress General Sister Pat (left) and Formation Director Sister Lynn (right) with Rosa Cruz, our newest postulant

Asking for entrance into the Adoration Chapel…and the Congregation

We are delighted to announce that Rosa Cruz has entered our postulancy!

On Sunday, our Clyde, Missouri, community hosted the entrance ritual during Day Hour, which began with Rosa’s ceremonial knock for entrance into our Adoration Chapel. And, of course, we let her in!

Rosa, 25, is from San Luis, Arizona, and is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology.

During the next year, Rosa will live in community at the monastery, participate in personal and communal prayer and will further discern her monastic vocation. She will continue to wear her own clothing (our habits are reserved for professed Sisters) and take classes on a variety of subjects.

“The first Sunday of Advent is a very fitting day to celebrate Rosa’s entrance,” Formation Director Sister Lynn Marie. “Advent marks the beginning of the new Church year, and the postulancy is a beginning in monastic life. Both events are filled with expectancy, eagerness and the joyful hope that God’s promises to us will be fulfilled. I pray that Rosa’s trust in God and her courage to follow his call will continue to be her strength and that they will inspire others to give themselves in service to God and his Church.”

We are blessed with Rosa’s vocation and are joyed to share this journey with her. Please remember her in your prayers as she transitions to monastic life and discovers what the Lord has in store for her.

We’re excited to announce that Sister Ruth, our wonderfully cheerful vocations director, has launched her new blog aimed at vocations and those who are discerning a calling to religious life. It also comes in handy if you have a loved one or a friend who might be thinking about becoming a religious sister, giving some insight into what she might be feeling.

Sister Ruth shares about her life as a vocation director and her experiences of living in a contemplative monastery.

An example? This is her thoughts about entering monastic life in 1993:

“I was excited but scared. My desire to try religious life was stronger than my fears. That is a key sign in discernment, I think. Fears are normal and inevitable and I’m more concerned if someone doesn’t have some fears. To step into the unknown should cause some fears to arise. However, it’s when you don’t let the fears stop you that you can be more assured that this is an authentic call.”

Follow Sister Ruth’s thoughts, find out where she’ll travel next to vocation events and peek inside the life of a contemplative sister. As she says, “God’s grace is amazing…and it can be amusing as well.”

Please click here to view the blog.

Members of our Tucson monastery recently assisted with a bilingual discernment retreat hosted by the diocese on Sept. 25 at the Bishop Moreno Pastoral Center.

Sister Lupita Barajas, OSB, Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza, OSB and Postulant Erma Relunia helped with the day-long event presented by the Diocese of Tucson’s Women Religious Vocations. Thirty-two girls and women, ranging in age from 14 to 42, spent the day learning about the call to religious life, the longing to make Jesus’ mission her own, community life and about married, single and religious vocations.

“The retreat was an undeniable success,” Sister Lynn remarked. “They eagerly and enthusiastically participated in sharing and talks and asked insightful questions. There was much hope kindled as we saw so many young women sincerely seeking to know God’s will for their lives.”

The diocese will hold a similar retreat in December. For more information about vocations with the Benedictine Sisters, please contact Sister Ruth Elaine Starman, OSB at (660) 944-2221 or vocation@benedictinesisters.org or click here.