Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

monastery

Because you were faithful in small matters…

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Because you were faithful in small matters…

come, share your Master’s joy.

Like the Master in this Gospel, St. Benedict teaches us “journey lessons.”  We sense a journey motif from the opening words of Benedict’s Rule when he bids us: “Listen! The labor of obedience will bring you back (“coming back” requires a journey, doesn’t it?)  “Let us get up then (he says) at long last, for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: “It is high time for us to arise from sleep… (come from the land of your dreams) …run while you have the light… go out to seek workers in the multitude of the people …”.  Listen to Benedict: “moving on in your journey of faith, (and life in the monastery) “You will say, ‘Here I am Lord’.”   Then he tells us how to prepare for our journey: “Clothed with faith and the performance of good works, let us set out on this way, with the Gospel for our guide…. Be just in all your dealings, speak the truth from the heart and do not practice deceit or listen to slander.”

By the time Benedict wrote Chapter 67 one can tell he’s had some experience with monks who journeyed far from the home monastery.  We know that Benedict, in his youth, had escaped “big city life.”  So, he wanted to protect his monks from the evils and temptations of the prevailing society.  Those at home are to remember the absent ones in prayer for their confrere’s safety and protection from temptation.

I have to smile when I read what Benedict cautions next.  He certainly knew human nature: “No one should presume to relate what was seen or heard outside the monastery.”  Benedict didn’t want stories of the world to creep in and cause dissension or dissatisfaction to rankle or upset his community.  We need to be on guard that we balance charitable interest in each other versus the drive to know every intimate detail about what was seen or heard on the other’s journey.

Benedict is solicitous of his monks sent on a journey that they appear neither embarrassingly shabby nor be clad in “rich folks” clothing.  He charges the superior with checking that hemlines are a decent length and the members’ clothing be suited to the weather.   And, it’s obvious that times were different when Benedict walked the earth.  He makes provision that the members be LOANED underwear from the wardrobe that is to be laundered and returned after the trip.

In line with his admonition to pray always, Benedict reminds his monks when they are on a journey to keep an eye on the sun and listen for the bells from neighboring abbeys announcing prayer times. Benedict reminds them though at a distance too far to join the community, they should “observe the prescribed hours” as best they can.  Thus, probably began the custom of the Angelus.

The Rule closes with this journey-question: “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?  Then keep this little rule … as you set out for loftier summits of the teaching and virtues we’ve mentioned.”  Benedict, in his own unique way, shares Paul’s message to the Philippians: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”   Benedict adds this promise: “Under God’s protection” (together) we will reach our heavenly home.”  That’s the same promise Jesus makes to his trustworthy followers: Because “You were faithful in small matters … come, share your Master’s joy.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

Have a pleasant Thanksgiving… give thanks for all that has been and open your heart to all that will be…give another a reason to rejoice on this day.

 

First Reading:   Proverbs 31         Second Reading:  1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel:   Matthew 25:14-30
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Earth Day

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Earth Day – April 22, 2022

Ever hear a mother ask her child, “Where on earth were you?”  This year Earth Day falls the week after the world celebrated Jesus’ conquest over death through his resurrection.  Where are we every earth day?  How have we treated our planet earth this past year?  What has changed?  So much.

Here in the monastery’s sacred environment we breathe in the fragrance of Easter lilies, freshly baked bread, and alas, we know the taste of worldly reality.  Much has intensified since last Earth Day.  Our belief in Jesus’ presence in everyday personal situations which contrasts with an awareness of world polarities on our mother earth as the amount of prayer requests on our website increases.

On the opposite side of the globe, souls scream for change as ice glaciers continue to warm and break off, as satanic evil power destroys our neighbor and land –similar to the Roman Empire era of Jesus’ day.  Caring persons work tirelessly doing good to eradicate mounting desperation, poverty, ignorance, violence, war and greed. So much reform needs to happen to save our earth.  None of us lives in isolation.  All events impact us because all are our neighbors.

If daily news overwhelms us, it’s mandatory to get back to garden therapy  to pray with and for the earth’s peoples, uproot a weed, rearrange a shelf, reseed a crop, prune a blueberry branch, harvest a squash, and bring a yield to the kitchen.  As developers invade the land causing fewer organisms to exist, our sacred monastery space becomes all the more special.  Some Sisters faithfully walk our prayer path seeking strength, relief, comfort or peace for others on their earthly journey just as Jesus breathed the same air we breathe and walked this earth.

Our souls are eager for bits of good news – a friend who will finally get her green card, a new grandpa-to-be, Easter e-cards from friends, an innocent child singing her grace before meal prayer, kind donors who faithfully support us, a pension application in process, several volunteers who help to carry the load.  The greatest Good News is proclaimed and heard each morning as we continually relive the death and resurrection of Christ and of ourselves.  May these thoughts give hope to your Earth Day.

~by Sister Miriam Cosgrove

 

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God’s Work Through the Benedictine Sisters of Florida

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Face-to-Face Fundraising for causes that do good work in our communities is rapidly changing.  The pandemic continues to linger and people are not yet ready to attend big-group gatherings.

Giving Tuesday has become a world-wide phenomenon since it’s 2012 inception.  Amazingly giving was up even during the Year of Covid-19.  Even so, it has been sad to see that some non-profits still did not survive.  That has made Giving Tuesday even more important in making more people aware of charity.  The 24-hour event has also inspired younger people – not always prone to giving.

Income the Benedictine Sisters of Florida traditionally make both within the monastery and through jobs held, has been dramatically reduced since March 2020.  A few of the Sisters lost jobs outside the monastery as well.

Please consider being an Ambassador, sharing our story and encouraging your friends and and family to join you in donating on Giving Tuesday, November 30, 2021.  Make it more fun and more impactful by forming your own Giving Circle (email Faith Pridmore to learn how easy it is)!    hnmdevelopment@saintleo.edu

 

The “How to” on GivingTuesday:

1.  Donate by Mail:

  • Send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters of Florida postmarked by Nov. 30th
  • PO Box 2450, St. Leo, FL 33574-2450

2.  Donate Online:

  • Go to our website: benedictinesistersoffl.org
  • Click on the “Donate Now” button at the top of the page
  • Fill-in the form and designate your donation for “Giving Tuesday”

 

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Pope Praises Evangelization Through Prayer, Care For Creation, Welcome

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Pope Francis speaks during a Sept. 8 meeting with a group of Benedictine sisters at the Vatican. Forming a community of women from different backgrounds and uniting them in prayer, in care for the earth and in hospitality to others is a powerful witness of Gospel values, Pope Francis said. (Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media.)

ROME – Forming a community of women from different backgrounds and uniting them in prayer, in care for the earth and in hospitality to others is a powerful witness of Gospel values, Pope Francis told a group of Benedictine sisters.

“Today there are many people in the world who seek to reflect in their lives the tenderness, compassion, mercy and acceptance of Christ,” the pope said Sept. 8. “To them you offer the precious gift of your witness, as you are instruments of God’s tenderness to those who are in need.”

The pope met about 120 Benedictine nuns and sisters from a variety of independent monasteries and congregations participating in a symposium in Rome. The theme was the admonition from the Rule of St. Benedict, “Let all be welcomed as Christ.”

Making a monastery a place of “welcome, prayer and generous hospitality” is an “essential work of evangelization” that always must be expanded and strengthened, the pope told the women.

He also thanked them “for the special care you show toward the environment and for your efforts to protect the gifts of the earth, so that they can be shared by all.”

Many of the Benedictine monasteries are found “in places of great beauty where people go to pray, to find silence and to contemplate the marvels of creation. I encourage you to continue this style and service, so that God’s wonderful works can be admired and speak of him to many persons.”

The life the women live within the monastery walls, lives and relationships that visitors can observe and sense, also is a Gospel witness, the pope said.

“Your life in community bears witness to the importance of mutual love and respect,” he told them. “You come from different places and experiences, and each of you is different, and so the way you accept one another is the first sign you offer in a world that finds it hard to live out this value.

“We are all children of God,” Francis said, “and your prayer, your work, your hospitality, your generosity, all combine to reveal a communion in diversity that expresses God’s hope for our world: a unity made of peace, mutual welcome and fraternal love.”

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Klar and Klar Architects: Holy Name Monastery Addition Serves Community

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New Wing will Help Benedictine Sisters of Florida Provide Hospitality to Visitors and Retreat Participants. This addition is the culmination of a relationship that came to life through a mutual commitment to supporting those in need.

Tampa, Fla. (PRWEB) July 10, 2017

An addition to the Holy Name Monastery, home of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, was recently completed in February 2017. Designed by Klar and Klar Architects, the 4,000 square foot addition, finished two years after the completion of the main monastery, will house guests to the Florida Benedictine Order. The addition, which serves as part of the sisters’ original master plan for a new monastery, includes 10 bedrooms.

“We are proud to help the Benedictine Sisters of Florida fulfill their mission to serve both the local community and the community of God,” says Roberta Klar, Co-Principal of Klar and Klar Architects. “This addition is the culmination of a relationship that came to life through a mutual commitment to supporting those in need.”

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida originally contacted Klar and Klar Architects after learning of their Veterans Housing Facility on the Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP) campus in Clearwater at a seminar on area homelessness. At the time, the sisters lived in a 100,000 square foot, 1950’s facility that originally operated as a high school dormitory. The sisters had lived in the old multi-story school since 1960.1  While the building originally housed 65 nuns, the space had become too large and expensive for the 14 sisters that inhabit the monastery today.1,2

Klar and Klar worked closely with the sisters to create a master plan that serves their immediate and long-term needs. Ideas and wishes for the project were developed during a one day charrette where the sisters shared what was most important to them. After God, the sisters’ love of nature and music stood out as possible design inspiration.3

“We gave the monastery a contemporary organic aesthetic that is both in-tune with the sisters’ love of nature and resonates with the surrounding landscape,” adds Klar. “The building is also energy efficient which serves to protect our environment and save on energy costs.”

Roberta Klar, Co-Principal of Klar and Klar Architects, talks about the design of the Holy Names Monastery.

Klar and Klar finished the design of the main monastery in the fall of 2014. The original design included a light-filled chapel, administration office, community dining and living areas and 20 private bedrooms. The living areas and exterior porches constitute 15,700 square feet. Soon after moving into their new home, the Sisters installed a hydroponic garden that grows fish and vegetables together.

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida are dedicated to living the monastic way of life and working in ministries that serve the People of God and further the Gospel message.4  For 125 years, the Benedictine Sisters of Florida have played a significant role in the spiritual growth of the local community.1  However, their ministry extends beyond the spiritual. For example, the sisters provide a Thanksgiving meal every year which feeds more than 200 people.1  In addition, they have been instrumental in local schools and have served on organization boards including Sunrise Spouse Abuse Shelter, Saint Leo University Haitian Mission Project, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, Catholic Charities, Coalition for the Homeless, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity, and DayStar Hope Thrift Store and Food Pantry.1

Holy Name Monastery is tucked away from the rest of the world, you can find your own comfortable place to recharge… a sanctuary from the bustle of everyday life.  Come give yourself the gift of time away in quiet reflection and concentrate on what you know is important; connect with your deeper inner self or just enjoy yourself and nature’s beauty.

For more information go to our website: Benedictine Sisters of Florida

    Call: (352) 588-8320

Email:  Hnmdevelopment@saintleo.edu

1.    Manion, B.C. “The New Holy Name Monastery: A Place for Spiritual Growth, Refreshment.” The Laker/Lutz News. N.p., 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 June 2017.

2.    Kinsler, Laura. “Benedictine Sisters Plan New Monastery in St. Leo.” TBO.com. N.p., 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 30 June 2017.

3.    Buie, Lisa. “Planned Monastery a Blessing for Nuns.” Tampa Bay Times. N.p., 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 June 2017.

4.    “Welcome.” Benedictine Sisters of FL. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2017.

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