Message from the President - federationofstgertrude.org

Message from the President

By Sister Joella Kidwell

I write this message as we are in the midst of the Lenten season. By the time you receive this issue of The Gleaner, we will have celebrated the resurrection and will be experiencing the hope and beauty of springtime. Each year as we celebrate these mysteries, we are reminded of the paschal journey that each of us experiences in the ups and downs of our individual lives as well as those of our monasteries.

In an article in the recent issue of The Occasional Papers, a periodic publication of the LCWR, Sister Liz Sweeny writes: "At the heart of Jesus' message and the very source of its urgency and power is his consciousness that the reign of God, the reign of Love, is already irrupting on our earth and requiring our total investment. God is doing a new thing, right now in 2016, in the midst of an old world with old ways of seeing--and we are urgently-needed pioneers of this transformation."

Sister Liz suggests that transformation is the fruit of contemplation. She suggests that "As we bring to every situation an integrated consciousness purified through individual and communal contemplation, shadow work, and deep dialogue, we enlarge our capacity to create communities of love and compassion among ourselves and those we serve."

Transformation (hopefully through contemplation) is a great word to describe what is happening in our monasteries. The short articles and photo captions in this issue tell the story of some of the new ways of seeing that are present. You might find the first article in the current issue of The Occasional Papers (Winter 2016) an interesting read. All LCWR members receive this publication so there is probably a copy available in each monastery.

Number 65 ? April 2016

The sisters involved in the recent visitation for Our Lady of Grace in Beech Grove, Indiana, stand with prioress, Sister Jennifer Mechtild Horner (second from left) in front of the soon-to-befinished renovated reception area of the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center. Joining Federation president Sister Joella Kidwell are Sister Adrienne Kaufman, of Watertown, and Sister Mary Kay Panowicz, of Yankton.

We've updated the Federation website!



This Issue

President's Schedule Sister Shawn Carruth Installed

A Multiplicity of Blessings Changes in Beech Grove

Care for the Sick Creative Responses

St. Scholastica's Temporary Professed Members Continue

Ministries

Winnipeg Elevator Woes Turned to Blessings

Elder Care Programs Help Honor Ancient Values

Around the Federation

In the middle of the home page, you'll see a box that says "Login for Federation Members." Click this button and enter this information:

User name: fedmember Password: Gertrude2013 You can now click on "Member Files" to access the directory, other Federation documents, and past issues of The Gleaner.

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Sister Shawn Carruth installed as Prioress at Crookston

On January 13, 2016, the Crookston Benedictines celebrated the installation of Sister Shawn Carruth as the 12th prioress of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery. Sister Joella Kidwell, president of the Federation of St. Gertrude, presided at the installation. Msgr. Roger Grundhaus, their chaplain and presider at this Eucharistic celebration, bestowed upon Sister Shawn the blessing of the universal Church in the presence of family and friends. After the installation Sister Shawn favored those present with a short reflection.

With this installation, Sister Shawn begins her new ministry of service to the community as prioress. We Crookston Benedictines bless her as we move into the future under her leadership and offer her our love and support.

Right: Sister Joella joins the community in congratulating Sister Shawn on the occasion of her election as prioress of the Crookston Benedictines.

President's Schedule

April 3?5, 2016 Meetings with leadership at Mt. Angel, Oregon

April 5?9, 2016 Federation Council Meeting, Mt. Angel, Oregon

April 13?16, 2016 Federation Finance Committee Meeting, Crookston, Minnesota

April 14?17, 2016 Discernment/Election, Rapid City, South Dakota. Facilitator: Sister Mary Catherine Wenstrup; presider: Sister Jacquelyn Ernster, first councilor

April 21?24, 2016 Fifty-Five and Under Meeting, Beech Grove, Indiana

May 2?4, 2016 Pastoral visit to Sister Joyce McNerney

May 6?9, 2016 Fort Smith visit in preparation for fall visitation

May 12?15, 2016 Discernment/Election, Martin, Kentucky. Facilitator: Sister Aileen Bankemper; presider: Sister Joella Kidwell

May 19?23, 2016 Discernment/Election, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Facilitator: Sister Kathryn Huber; presider: Sister Joella Kidwell

May 23?28, 2016 Nanaimo, British Columbia

June 5?10, 2016 Visitation, Ferdinand, Indiana. Visitators: Sister Jacquelyn Ernster, first councilor, Sister Jennifer Kehrwald (Yankton), Sister Kathy McNany (Lutherville), Sister Agatha Muggli (Bismarck)

August 9?13, 2016 LCWR, Atlanta, Georgia

September 18?24, 2016 Visitation, Rapid City, South Dakota. Visitators: Sister Joella Kidwell, Sister Maria Goretti DeAngeli (Fort Smith)

September 25?October 1, 2016 Visitation, Watertown, South Dakota. Visitators: Sister Joella Kidwell, Sister Antoinette Purcell (Beech Grove), Sister Susan Hutchins (Rock Island)

October 2?9, 2016 Visitation, Fort Smith, Arkansas. Visitators: Sister Joella Kidwell, Sister Lorraine Coffin (Rapid City), Sister Jennifer Kehrwald (Yankton)

October 11?14, 2016 RCRI Conference, Anaheim, California

October 21?23 Facilitation of Direction Statements, Lisle, Illinois

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A Multiplicity of Blessings

In responding to both Visitation

recommendations and the 2014

Federation Goals, we at Queen

of Angels Monastery in Mt.

Angel, Oregon, are reviewing our

realities and challenges. In the

past eight months we have had a

"multiplicity of blessings" in terms

of those who have been assisting

us with this. Most recently, Matt

Wade was with us to explain our

TRENDS analysis. Additionally,

Stephen Schneider has begun

working with us in what we are

calling "Heritage Planning." We will be "drawing on the wisdom of the sisters, creatively engaging and discerning our realities, and

Matt Wade explains the TRENDS analysis to the sisters in Mt. Angel.

creating a plan that is open to the

future."

Federation of St. Gertrude

Changes in Beech Grove

The corporate ministries of Our Lady of Grace, St. Paul Hermitage, and Benedict Inn, are in the midst of renovation projects. The retirement and nursing care facility is building a new physical therapy lab, enlarging resident rooms, and upgrading restrooms and other public areas. The renovations are made possible through a capital campaign that has raised over $6 million. The retreat center is improving and enlarging three floors of bedrooms and relocating office areas to better greet and serve those entering the building. There will be new and, for the first time, private bathrooms in the enlarged first floor bedrooms at the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center. These renovations are the result of the generosity of a major donor. It is an exciting time for the Benedictines in Beech Grove, Indiana, and has instilled in them hope for the future while guaranteeing their ministries for years to come.

Stephen Schneider, who is helping Mt. Angel with Heritage Planning, sits with Sister Alberta Dieker (right) and Sister Dorothy Rausch (left).

A new physical therapy lab is being constructed at St. Paul Hermitage Retirement and Intermediate Nursing Care facility in Beech Grove, Indiana.

Care for the Sick

The Dwelling Place in Martin, Kentucky, is a young monastery but like all of the communities in our Federation, we have an aging population with all the changes in routine and accommodations that requires. For the first time in our short history, we are living with the serious illness of one of our members, Sister Carolyn Lambert.

This month in discussing our submission to our Federation's newsletter, the topic of living with a community member with serious illness came up. The sisters were asked to give a brief thought of what this experience means to them.

and "coming face to face with my own fragility and mortality."

The beauty of living in community with so many different personalities is the opportunity to see life through a different lens. What seems obvious to one becomes a revelation to another. The struggle of one is experienced by all, and hopefully compassion and mercy grow.

The sisters said serving "gives me joy," taught them to "be available when needed and not according to my planned schedule," and "helped me with becoming more patient." Challenges include "respecting her boundaries and independence"

We appreciate your prayers for Sister Carolyn and our community as we travel the latest path God has placed in front of us.

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Creative Responses to the Federation Direction Statement

We commit ourselves to develop collaborative methods to share resources for study/lectio of Scripture and monastic

spirituality as a means of nurturing newer members and promoting personal and communal transformation

of all members.

Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, South Dakota, has had several systems in place which have assisted us in meeting the goal to "develop collaborative methods to share resources for study/lectio of Scripture and monastic spirituality . . ." Since the renewal days of Vatican II, Sacred Heart has held a Theology Institute. Initially this was one or two weeks long, and helped the sisters keep informed of the teachings of Vatican II and the subsequent theological and liturgical developments. This has transitioned into a semiannual Saturday morning presentation to which the public is also invited. Our recent speakers included Father Leslie Hoppe, OFM, Massimo Faggioli, Sister Diane Bergant, CSA, Sister Marielle Frigge, OSB, and Bishop Remi de Roo. On April 9, moral theologian Sister Dawn Nothwehr, OSF, will present Laudato Si' and Catholic Environmental Ethics in a Franciscan Key." (That will stretch us Benedictines!)

Coming out of the tradition of house meetings and conferences by the prioress, we have extended this to monthly educational community nights. In our recent series, members of Sacred Heart Monastery have been invited to share with one another a way of praying that they find meaningful. The Ongoing Formation Committee has also worked with the prioress in providing reading materials for living group discussions and daily reflections for Advent and Lent. Of course, an annual retreat is part of ongoing spiritual formation. Our 2016 conference retreat speakers will be Father Eugene Hensell, OSB, on the Gospel of John and Sister Ann Billard, OLM, on the Spirituality of Aging. (You are invited to join us for these retreats; go to center-events for information.) Sister Marielle Frigge heads the On-Going Formation Committee which plans the Theology Institute, community nights, and community retreats.

Another way that sisters are able to continue their growth is by taking advantage of classes and retreat presentations offered by our sisters in their respective areas of expertise. The Benedictine Peace Center, directed by Sister Jeanne Ranek, makes programs available to our sisters; several are currently attending Scripture study groups. Sisters have been invited to be part of some of the formation classes for Postulants Theresa Lafferty and Sue Albert. Currently Sister Jeanne Weber is teaching liturgy and Sister Marielle Frigge is teaching Christology. Formation director Sister Sharon Ann Haas is facilitating a discussion on the Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si' for Sister Peggy Venteicher (in temporary profession) and her living group. And, just for fun and mental stimulation, Sister Cynthia Binder is teaching a French reading class!

Vatican II expert Dr. Massimo Faggioli presents "The Liturgical Reform and the Church of Vatican II" at the Sacred Heart Monastery's Theology Institute.

Sister Madonna Schmitt (third from left) interacts with members of the Wednesday morning Scripture group.

Sister Clarice Korger (left) makes a point in a liturgy class taught by Sister Jeanne Weber (right) for Postulant Susan Albert (center).

A number of sisters took advantage of the opportunity to share in Sister Marielle Frigge's Christology class, offered as part of the formation program for Postulant Susan Albert.

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Federation of St. Gertrude

St. Scholastica's Temporary Professed Members Continue the Community's Education and Health Care Ministries

Last June, two novices--Sisters Judith Maria Timmerman and Michaela Marie Boucaud--made temporary profession at St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and within a few months both began ministry in the community in their former professions.

Sister Judith Maria, who had taught fourth grade

and Spanish in Immaculate Heart of Mary School

in North Little Rock before entering the monastery,

began teaching Spanish at Christ the King School in

Fort Smith last August. To improve her skills for this

position, Sister Judith traveled to St. Joseph Priory

in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, to attend a six-week

Spanish immersion program geared to seminarians,

religious, and laypersons working in ministry.

Principal Ann Cannon is delighted that Sister Judith is continuing St. Scholastica's traditional ministry of education in her school. "As someone who has chosen

Sister Judith Maria's older students at Christ the King School exchange letters with St. Scholastica's scholarship students in Esquipulas, Guatemala. In this photo, the girls open mail from their Guatemalan penpals.

religious life as her vocation, Sister Judith provides an explicit example of spiritual dedication and Christian testimony for the children," she said.

Before entering St. Scholastica Monastery, Sister Michaela Marie had worked for a number of years as a nurse practitioner in New York City. Because her license had expired, Sister Michaela spent six months at Hesychia House of Prayer, assisting the core

community there and preparing to become recertified as a nurse practitioner. She passed her exam last December and, in February, began a period of clinical preceptorship at Mercy Clinic in Fort Smith under the direction of Mercy's medical professionals. She enjoys working at the clinic, staffed entirely by nurse practitioners and their support staff, and looks forward to soon being able to continue St. Scholastica's tradition of health care.

Winnipeg's Elevator Woes

Turned to Blessings

The blessing for the new elevator at St. Benedict's Monastery: Gracious God, we praise you for the works of your creation. You have given us the talents to design many machines that aid us in our work and service to one another. As we have gathered here this afternoon to bless this elevator may we be grateful to the ones who invented it, those who have reconstructed it, modernized and serviced it so that we may use it in safety, and especially those who are helping us to pay for it.

By your grace be companion to those who will use it: so that as we age, our legs will lift us up with ease and free us from the burden of walking stairs. Lord bless this renewed elevator and those who will use it in the days and years to come. As they leave the elevator, may they pause and praise you for granting individuals the inspiration to invent such a means of travel--for our ease and convenience--between the floors of buildings.

All Glory be to you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Left: Claude and Norman have been modernizing and installing the elevator for the last five weeks.

Below: Sister Virginia Evard blessing the new elevator and the joyful sisters who will ride in it.

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