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Archived Monastery
Happenings
July 2009
Look at what Sister Ruth Margaret found
when she watered a geranium plant in the
sister's courtyard!
Four sleepy little sparrows, born on the 4th of July!
They are appropriately named Cracker Jack, Sparkle, Bang and
Shoot
Notice mama bird sitting at the entrance of the pot.
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Sisters Celebrate 50th and 60th Jubilees
On Saturday, July 11th, Sister Grace Dahmus will celebrate
her 50th anniversary of monastic profession with her family
and her monastic community. Sister Rita Miller will
also celebrate her 60th anniversary of monastic profession
the evening of July 11th! Congratulations, sisters!
To read their Jubilee stories, please click on our current
issue of Tidings (Summer 2009) on the web site!
 Sister
Grace Dahmus, OSB
Sister Rita Miller, OSB
50th Jubilee Celebration for Sister Grace Dahmus
~ Reflection from Prioress Sister Nancy Miller
July 11, 2009
Do you
remember what the United States was like 50 years ago?
Well, since it isn’t within my lived experience, I did a
little research on the Internet and here’s a snapshot of
what I found: The United States admitted two new states to
the union, Alaska and Hawaii. Unemployment eased to 5.5
percent. A gallon of gasoline cost 25 cents and you could
buy a new car for right around $2,000.00. Dwight Eisenhower
was president of the United States; and the musical “The
Sound of Music” made its debut on the Broadway stage.
Closer to
home, our monastic community moved into a new home, the
building just to the north of us and our sisters embarked on
the adventure of what is now known as the University of
Mary.
1959 was
a very good year. It was the year you, Sister Grace, as a
young 20 year old, made your monastic profession as a
Benedictine Sister of Annunciation Monastery. Today we
celebrate and rejoice with you on the 50th
anniversary of your commitment to the monastic life. This
is a special day for us. We give thanks for your 50 years
of service to God’s people. During those 50 years, you
taught children in Catholic grade schools and summer
religion classes. You comforted people as a hospital
chaplain and in hospice and home health care. You gave your
time to assisting in the University of Mary library and the
Retired Seniors Volunteer Program. We are grateful for
your kindness in the many ways you support our senior
sisters such as assisting in creating prayer services for
your small group, donating time at the care center and being
with them in leisure activities.
In
today’s Gospel Peter wants to know what Jesus’ disciples
will receive in return for giving up everything to follow
him. Jesus responds, “Anyone who has given up houses or
brother or sisters or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.”
Now
giving up all those material possessions and the people we
love is hard. But what Jesus really means is that in
whatever lifestyle we are, married, single or consecrated,
we are called to put Christ first in our lives. St.
Benedict in Chapter Four of his Rule echoes this when he
says that “the love of Christ must come before all else.”
Everything else is superfluous. Everything else has no
meaning unless we are connected to Christ.
It is
Christ’s love in our hearts that makes us happy and selfless
in giving to others. It is this love that carries us
through the joys and sorrows of life.
All of us
live with human weaknesses and limitations. And we learn to
deal with them along our journey.
Daniel
Ward, a Benedictine monk, says that “monastic life is not a
static life of perfection…but a journey of coming to
recognize human weaknesses and then depending on God’s mercy
and help to grow into a tender, understanding and gentle
person.” It is a journey that takes a lifetime. He goes on
to say that with monastic profession, a person promises to
be on a constant journey of seeking God. The journey is not
complete on the day of profession, but on the day we enter
eternal life. A monastic always seeks God, always grows and
always depends on God for loving kindness and merciful
forgiveness.
Sister
Grace, you, like the rest of us, are learning to live with
our human weaknesses as well as our gifts. You and we know
it is not easy. All of us depend on God’s help to make the
best of what we have and use it for the good of others.
No matter
our lifestyle, we must keep growing. We continually ask God
for help in becoming more loving and more rooted in Christ.
It was God who chose us as we heard in the second reading
from St. Paul: “In him we were also chosen, destined in
accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all
things according to the intention of his will, so that we
might exist for the praise of his glory.”
Very soon
we will hear Sister Grace recommit herself to the monastic
life. She will renew her promise of stability, fidelity to
the monastic way of life and obedience. I’d like to share a
bit about what this means for us as Benedictine Sisters of
Annunciation Monastery.
Stability
means that as Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, we will
live our entire lives with this group of women, in this
community, in this place. It permits the establishment of
life-long human bonds – bonds that permit healing growth.
Stability invites us to grow deep roots with God, each
other and with all God’s people.
By the
promise of fidelity to the monastic way of life, we commit
ourselves to keep on growing in the Benedictine way, to make
God the center of our lives, to open ourselves continually
to the transforming grace of God. It means being faithful
to the entire monastic lifestyle – prayer, hospitality,
solitude and community - however long we have been here.
Obedience
means listening, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit
in the Scriptures, in the Rule of Benedict, in nature, in
the prioress and in one another. We listen to those we
serve; we listen to the call of the Church and the cry of
the poor. We listen and then respond in obedience to what
we hear.
Today we
are thankful for you, Sister Grace and we are grateful for
all that Gad has given us. We rejoice, celebrate and pray
for you as you continue the Benedictine journey of seeking
God and growing in wholeness and holiness.
May all
of us continue on the journey of growing in Christ’s love,
peace and joy.
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