A Day in the Life of... A Benedictine Sister

A long time ago, a friend asked me what my passion was. I felt bad because I didn’t exactly feel like I had one. I thought of lots of answers that I should have. The passion of a Benedictine sister (which I was, and am) should be “prayer.” The passion of an English teacher (which I was, and am) should be “literature.” The passion of a former Jesuit volunteer (which I was, and am) should be “social justice.” But as much as I cared about all of those things, I couldn’t honestly name any of them as a passion. In the last twenty years or so since that conversation, I have come to realize that what impels me (what my friend called passion) is being present to other people as they become who God created them to be, and supporting them in that process as I am able. Hopefully that desire is what shapes and colors my “typical day.”

I have been a Benedictine Sister of Chicago since 1988. I have taught some combination of English and/or Theology at St. Scholastica Academy, the all-girls high school our community sponsors, since 1991. That’s what we call “external” ministry, work done, for remuneration, outside the community per se. (Other external ministries include working in a social service agency, being an archeologist, doing spiritual direction, etc.) But I also have jobs inside the community (you guessed it; that’s called “internal” ministry). I am the Director of Initial Formation for the community, as well as serving on the Monastic Council and the Liturgy Committee.

The Benedictine values of prayer and work, humility and hospitality, have enriched my life more profoundly than I can express. The Rule of Saint Benedict, it seems to me (and many others in our culture right now – check amazon.com) offers such a smart and sane way to live, mindful of the rhythms of God, other people, nature, and oneself. Sharing those values with the students in my classroom and women in initial community formation gives me great delight. It is satisfying to feel that I have a part to play in the transmission of a tradition that has lasted for 1500 years and isn’t going away anytime soon. Helping others learn about that tradition, and witnessing the impact it can have on their search for spiritual, intellectual, and physical wholeness, is nourishing for me. I am very blessed that that’s how I get to spend my days.

Of course the word passion comes from a root which means “suffering” and is closely related, in meaning and etymology, to the phrase “paschal mystery.” My life has its share of difficulties and frustration, as does anyone’s. Mirroring many modern Americans, my life often seems unbalanced (though the built-in components of common prayer and common meals are advantages I have). Because of all the jobs I do, I yearn for more contemplative time. I should do more lectio; I should do other kinds of spiritual reading; I should be still more. I suppose I could get up earlier, but 4:30 a.m. (to allow for exercise and a shower before morning prayer) seems early enough! It is also a challenging time to be a woman religious. Our culture doesn’t really know what to do with a life lived out in a context of faith and community (except laugh at it – I’m not a big fan of Sister Act). Our church struggles with how contemporary American religious women live out their vows; the recent Apostolic Visitation seems proof of that. When I entered my community, there were over 100 members; now there are forty-six, with a median age of seventy-seven. Discussions of the financial and sociological implications of that reality are necessary but daunting – and can seem endless. However I know that no one – not married people or single people or religious communities - can predict the future, except to say that it will be different than the present. That ambiguity is part of the human condition.

My “typical day” gets its structure from a monastic horarium and a conventional school day. It gets its direction from the gospel, viewed through the lens of Benedict. Its gets its joy from life shared, and love received, from community, friends, family, and students. It gets its passion from that paschal mystery I spoke of earlier – the cycle of life, death, and resurrection that we participate in through faith.

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