Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Prayer

Aquaponics Scholarships Needed

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This is a great opportunity to help others. As you know, here at Holy Name Monastery we have been developing a sustainable food producing system for many years.  The fresh produce and fresh tilapia we bring to our kitchen has been a wonderful source of nutrition.  Unfortunately, many around the world are suffering from a lack of food.

We are having our fall Aquaponics training this October. Due to the difficult financial situation with our current economy, many are interested in attending yet find themselves short on cash to pay for the tuition. Here’s where you can help. In the past we have offered scholarships to students who qualified and so we were able to successfully assist them in their mission work abroad.

You can be involved by offering funds to be utilized for student scholarships for the fall training October 17-21.  The cost of the 5-day training is $990.  Please let me know if you have an interest. Thank you very much.

Contacts:

Phil Reasons, President Aquasol International – email: office@aquasol.org

Sister Roberta Bailey, Prioress Benedictine Sisters of FL – email: roberta.bailey@saintleo.edu

Sister Miriam Cosgrove, Aquaponics Coordinator – email: miriam.cosgrove@saintleo.edu

 

 

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Make a Will Month

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Did you know August is Make a Will Month?

People often put off making a will. Why? Some believe they don’t own enough to have a will. (They probably do.) Others believe that everything will automatically go to their spouse or children, so they don’t need to do anything. (It may not.) And still others simply don’t like to think about the fact that they’ll die someday. (But they will.)

August is Make a Will Month…and for good reason. If you don’t have a will, making one is the only way to ensure that everything you’ve built or been blessed with goes to those you intended to have it.

And if you do have a will, here are three quick things to check off your list:

  • Keep your will in a safe, secure place. Let a family member or two know where it is, and who prepared it for you. Be sure your Executor has a copy.
  • Pull it out every three to five years and see if anything needs to be changed. Sometimes your circumstances have changed. You may have sold some things or purchased others. Sometimes outside circumstances change. The person you named as Executor may no longer be able to serve in that capacity. You may have switched banks or insurance companies. So take a look.
  • Make sure you’ve named beneficiaries wherever you can — on insurance policies, investment and retirement accounts and so on. And check those to make sure they’re all up to date.

Here’s something else to ponder. As you think about your will and your legacy, consider including a gift to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida in your planning. There are lots of ways to do this, and all of them allow you to continue supporting the good work of the Sisters even after you’re gone.

 

 

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Federation of St. Scholastica Celebrates 100 Years

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Benedictine Sisters from 17 monasteries across the United States and Mexico gathered at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, from June 15-19 for the Federation of St. Scholastica Chapter. Besides the Sisters conducting their regular meeting, held every four years, to discuss matters of concern, plan for the future, and elect new leaders for this union of autonomous monasteries, they also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Federation’s official approval by the Vatican on February 25, 1922.  Sister Eileen Dunbar was the delegate from our community who attended.

Visiting Sisters were greeted at the Sophia Spirituality Center on the Mount St. Scholastica campus with historic displays coordinated by Elaine Nadeau, who serves as archivist for both the Atchison monastery and the Federation. Photos detailed previous Federation chapter gatherings and presidents, along with artifacts collected over the past century.

Postulant Dorothy Herring from Valley Falls, Kansas, who began her formation at Mount St. Scholastica in January 2022, contributed her artistic talents to a series of banners, featuring photos of the many Federation delegates who have served over the decades.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be tasked with such a large project,” Herring said. “Seeing what the women have done in the past 100 years gives me hope for what impact my generation and future generations of women religious will have not only in the Church but in the world.”

To open the Chapter, Sister Esther Fangman, prioress of Mount St. Scholastica, welcomed the Sister-delegates. A ritual followed, where the delegations presented portraits of their respective monastery’s prioress at the time of joining the Federation, and pledged to “welcome the challenges, questions and opportunities of radical hospitality.”

The Sisters at Mount St. Scholastica embodied that radical hospitality, serving at the hospitality desk, washing dishes, preparing meals and a wide variety of home-made snacks for the delegates to enjoy.

“So much as changed in the past 100 years,” said Sister Esther. “Yet, the Benedictine charism continues to thrive because it adapts to the times. Welcoming the delegates to our monastery offered a chance to enrich each other and look toward the future with hope.”

Sister Judith Sutera, OSB, of Mount St. Scholastica, facilitated a discussion on the role of the portress – traditionally, the Sister who greeted monastery guests – in radical hospitality on June 16. Sister Maricarmen Bracamontes, OSB, of Monasterio Pan de Vida, Torreon, Mexico, looked at radical hospitality in the context of Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti on June 17.

Delegates also met in the evenings after supper, with Sister Judith Ann Heble, a Benedictine Sister of the Sacred Heart, Lisle, Illinois, speaking June 16 on “Creating a Legacy – One Community,” and Sister Lynn McKenzie, Federation president, giving her address on June 17.

The Federation re-elected Sister Lynn McKenzie of Cullman, Alabama, to serve as president. Sisters Elaine Fischer, Atchison, Kansas (first councilor); Maricarmen Bracamontes, Torreon, Mexico; Kimberly Porter, Covington, Kentucky; and Anne Wambach, Erie, Pennsylvania; were re-elected as councilors. Sister Susan Quaintance, Chicago, Illinois, was elected to a term as councilor, as well. The delegates also voted to change the Federation’s name to the Monastic Congregation of St. Scholastica, to better describe their purpose.

During the Chapter’s closing ritual on Sunday evening, each delegation received a plant and seeds to sow “deep listening and radical hospitality by the mercy and grace of God” upon their return to their respective monasteries.

 

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Christmas in July!

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If Virginia were to write to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida to ask the question, “Is there really a Santa Claus?”, the Sisters would respond with a resounding YES.  They would add that he lives in the hearts of the Columbiettes of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Parish in Tampa, Florida.

On July 16, 2022, the Sisters were graced with a visit by the Columbiettes to celebrate “Christmas in July”.  The Columbiettes hosted a barbeque luncheon in the monastery dining room.   Sisters and members of the Columbiettes enjoyed getting to know one another as they ate.   Each sister received a personalized gift bag.

The Columbiettes are a witness to the loving generosity of our God.  They find joy in giving to others as St. Nicholas did so many centuries ago. May their example inspire us all to achieve ever greater heights of virtue!

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