Inspired by Scholastica

On August 21, 2017, residents in a swath extending from Oregon to South Carolina will be able to see a total solar eclipse for approximately two minutes and 40 seconds. It is the first one to be visible across the country in 99 years. During a total eclipse, the moon comes between  the sun and the earth. Darkness will cover the earth and a cool wind will be felt. During the eclipse viewers should be able to see planets and even stars. One place that will be viewing this phenomenon is Atchison, Kansas. The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica are sponsoring a  retreat and picnic in connection with the event. Dr. Aileen O'Donoghue, associate professor of physics at St. Lawrence University and former observer at the Vatican Observatory, will lead the retreat. She will incorporate the ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, Beatrice Bruteau, and others to explore the origin and evolution of the universe. It will be a time "for seeking the presence and creative action of God in the...

Churchwomen martyred in El Salvador in 1980 We usually think of martyrs as saints from long ago who were burned at the stake or beheaded. A number of holy people were martyred in the 20th and 21st century in modern gruesome ways. Surprisingly, a number of them were women and a priest from the United States. Ohio-born Sister Dorothy Stang was a missionary in the Amazon Basin of Brazil for four decades. She fought for the rights of the landless poor and was shot by assassins hired by illegal loggers and ranchers. She lay in the forest in the rain for a whole day because the farmers were afraid to remove her body. In 1992, five women religious were killed in Liberia by soldiers in the army of warlord Charles Taylor during a civil war that left thousands dead. Sisters Barbara Ann Muttra, Mary Joel Kolmer, Kathleen McGuire, Agnes Mueller, and Shirley Kolmer were Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Ruma, Ill. They too ministered to the people who were being persecuted. Ursuline...

As we grow older we forget many experiences of our childhood, but often we remember the unhappy stuff. Like spilling ink on a red, white and blue dress and hiding it in a drawer so my mother wouldn't see it. When she found it she was furious with me for not showing it to her right away.  I also recall getting my mother a white orchid for Mother's Day with my own money. She didn't like it because she thought white flowers were for dead people. I felt so hurt and unappreciated. How does our mind pick and choose what to remember? I wish I could remember more of the good things like winning a speech contest or making my First Communion or meeting my half sister for the first time but those memories have faded. I have very few pictures of my childhood since Mom didn't have a camera and besides she was too busy working. But I do have one of my brother and I in a wagon with my mother pointing to the camera. I guess our minds get so crowded they just can't find room f...

Benedictines take a vow of stability, of being rooted in one place instead of always looking for greener pastures. St. Benedict condemned monks who were gyravagi, always moving from one monastery to another. He believed that monks should have everything they needed inside the monastery walls with no need to seek sustenance or attractions outside. Nowadays, of course, Benedictines often travel for renewal, retreats, and refreshment. We live in a different culture and age than sixth century monastics. Yet we still have an identity with our “home” monastery.  It is where we are nourished, attached, and acclimated to become who we are called to be.  Those looking for the perfect monastery will certainly be disappointed. Most monasteries are pretty  ordinary, full of ordinary people. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, an important voice in the new monastic movement, writes in his book The Wisdom of Stability , “Stay put and pay attention – learn to trust God in the place...