Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

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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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We are Commissioned…

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First Reading  Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11  Second Reading  Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel Matthew 28:16-20

When someone commands you to do something, it is all on you.  You will either succeed or fail, but no matter how it turns out, it’s on you.  Even the consideration of whether you have the capacity to do it doesn’t necessarily factor into the equation.  You have been commanded, and now you must obey, sink or swim.

But being commissioned to do something, that’s different.  When you are commissioned you are not merely commanded but also equipped, empowered, and given the necessary authority to accomplish your duty.  Police officers and leaders in the military, for instance, are given many commands over the course of their careers, but before those commands come, they are commissioned into their offices – that is, invested with the necessary authority and support to accomplish their mission.

In life, maybe we’re most aware of this happening in religious life in community – we are often asked to do something that seems impossible.  It may be presented as if it is intended to be a request but it comes across as a command, certainly not a commission since it does not include a package of skills to complete the task.   Benedict in his Rule describes how the monk should respond when asked to perform what for them may seem an impossible task.  He apparently decided to include these directives after some time of living with the various characters who joined the ranks of community.  Chapter 68 is in the portion of the Rule thought to be a collection of after-thoughts.   It’s like “oh, and by the way, after what I said about obedience in Chapter 5, it could happen that: “A Sister may be assigned a burdensome task or something she cannot do. If so, she should, with complete gentleness and obedience, accept the order given her.   Should she see, however, that the weight of the burden is altogether too much for her strength, then she should choose the appropriate moment and explain patiently to the superior the reasons why she cannot perform the task.  This she ought to do without pride, obstinacy or refusal.  If after the explanation the superior is still determined to hold to her original order, then the junior must recognize that this is best for her. Trusting in God’s help, she must in love obey.”

We sing about the scene in today’s Gospel in the one of our hymns: “Lord, you gave the great commission … with the spirit’s gifts empowering us, for the work of ministry.”  The disciples, and we, are being entrusted and enabled to continue Jesus’ own work – to share the news of God’s love in word and deed.  And, not only that, but to invite those who receive it to be co-workers in bringing the kingdom to fruition. .

To be effective it takes willing teachers as well as willing pupils.  More than that, it takes disciples as well as students – pupils may be just there, students are open to learning – absorbing and putting into practice.  Everything we do in life initially begins with being directly or indirectly taught.  Children raised in environments where there is inadequate attention, care and interaction, suffer failure to thrive and many die at a young age.  We come into this world ready and willing to learn.  God gave us the power of reasoning that we might learn.  God sent us into this world to learn his will for our lives so that we might influence others to recognize God’s glory.  Remember the 2nd question in the Baltimore catechism?  “Why did God make you?  God made me to know, love and serve Him in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next.”

We are commissioned both as individuals and as a community.  Thus, we are accountable as individuals and as community.  Benedict places much of the burden of responsibility on the prioress.  However notice the role of mutual obedience in our lives … each one to each other.

If we are com-missioned then we have a mission.  But, it’s easy to lose sight of our mission.  We can get excited about proposed projects, ministerial opportunities, and personal pursuits.   New projects may have appeal but if they do not reflect our mission as Benedictine Sisters of FL, they are not for us.  Or, we need to discern and then endorse a new statement of mission.

This little story – maybe true – illustrates the principle of accountability – “inspect what you expect.”

The story goes: a young soldier was deployed for a minimum of a year.  When he left, his fiancé gave him a harmonica. Strange gift – but she said, “I want you to learn to play this: it will help to keep your mind off the war and the girls.”

He wrote to her often and told her that he was faithfully practicing his harmonica every evening.

After a year she met him at the airport, he grabbed her to kiss her and she pushed back and said, “Wait before you kiss me, I want to hear you play the harmonica.”

She was no fool.  She knew that the man’s love would be reflected in what he did. If he’d done what he’d promised – she’d know it by his actions.

So, too, does God know by our actions how sincere, how faithful we are to our God-given personal mission, and our community commitments.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

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$1 Million Dollars Motivated a Boot Scoot’in Celebration!

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CheckPresentationThe Benedictine Sisters of Florida’s Hoedown event on March 4th was over-the-top!  Over 160 attendees enjoyed good food, home-made desserts, square and line dancing, auction bidding and awesome entertainment.  It was fun for all ages!

With country music accompaniment, Faith Pridmore in boots and cowgirl hat boot-scooted across the stage to introduce John Picciano, chair of the Future is Now Campaign.  The purpose of the $1,650,000 campaign is to fund an additional wing onto Holy Name Monastery.  We have been challenged soon after the building the new Holy Name Monastery in 2014 to have enough rooms for large groups wanting to stay for a 2, 3, or 4 day retreat and women desiring a live-in experience with our Order.

As a graduate of Saint Leo University and former priest with the Orlando Diocese, John shared his feelings about the Sisters and their influence on his life.   Then he called Sister Roberta to the stage and presented a $1 Million check for the Sisters and their construction project!

 John Picciano has been a friend of the community since his days as a student at Saint Leo University.  He is the CEO of Oglethorpe, Inc., an inpatient multi-hospital system dedicated to substance abuse care and counseling.  John has been doing God’s work helping individuals and families throughout his career.  His profound gift brings the total raised for the campaign as of March 4, 2016 to $1,329,896.  God is good!

Of course with the presentation, a standing ovation followed, red napkins encircled heads and the party really got started!  $1 Million Dollars got lots of people up danc’in!

With just $320,104 to go, please consider being a part of helping the Benedictine Sisters of Florida spread God’s Word to all those who come seeking spiritual guidance, peace and love.

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