Monthly Update
November 2018
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Community of Life & Hope 2018
There is Still Time
Send us your Prayer Intentions


Dear ,

Join us in prayer during the month of November, especially on All Saints' and All Souls' Days. Your specific prayer requests will be shared with 90 Sisters, one of whom will remember your loved ones, both living and deceased, in her personal prayer. Your intentions will also be placed in the Basket of Life, which is kept in the chapel at the monastery throughout November.
For more information on the Community of Life and Hope program click here.
You are invited to join us for a special Mass on the Feast of Christ the King at the monastery, Sunday, November 25 at 9:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing you afterward for coffee and breads.
While an offering for the Community of Life and Hope program is not necessary, any gift makes a difference in the lives of many, most of whom you will never meet. We are grateful for your financial and prayerful support. Thank you!
Silent Peace Walk
November 8


  This simple public prayer, step-by-step, is a powerful nonviolent tool to bring peace, beginning with one's own heart to our families, our communities, our nation, our world, and to all of creation. We will hold the suffering of everyone touched by clergy sexual abuse. We walk with all victims, knowing we are all victims. Walk with all responsible for abuse and its cover-up, knowing we are all responsible. Silent Peace Walks promote inner peace which does away with fear, divisions, and hatred, and brings about peace and unity in the world. We begin with a peace poem, walk single file in silence for 20 minutes, and end with a peace poem and chant. All are welcome to join this simple, public nonviolent action for peace.
 
This event is sponsored by Benedictines for Peace. For more information,  email Sister Anne McCarthy , BFP Coordinator, or  visit the Benedictines for Peace webpage .

Date: Thursday November 8
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: St. Peter's Cathedral, 230 W. 10th Street
Cost: All are welcome
 
Stillpoint Day of Reflection
November 10

The Stillpoint Contemplative Retreat Day is silent and includes eight sitting sessions with chanting, contemplative walking, and teachings. Dress comfortably and bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea provided. You'll have a chance to enjoy a quiet walk outdoors on woodland trails that wind through the monastery grounds.

NEW: Register online here.

Email Sister Margaret Zeller for more information. 

Mark these 2019 dates now: January 12, February 16, March 30, April 13, May 4


Date: Saturday, November 10
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Glinodo Center, 6270 East Lake Road
Cost: $15, registration required
Women's Writers Circle
November 14

The Women's Writing Circle meets the second Wednesday of the month, September - April (no December meeting) and is open to writers and non-writers alike. Each session includes discussing a short reading on a writing topic; a poem for group reading, personal reflection and group exploration; a writing prompt; time for personal writing and optional sharing in large and small groups. The writing circle creates a safe space for you to develop your own voice and offers you an opportunity to have your words heard and honored without judgment. Facilitated by Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB. Snacks, beer, wine, water provided.

Date: Wednesday, November 14
Time: 6:30 - 7:45 p.m.
Location: The Writing Studio, 310 East 10th Street, parking in rear
Donation: $5 per meeting or $25 for all seven gatherings
Stillpoint Day of Reflection
December 1

The Stillpoint Contemplative Retreat Day is silent and includes eight sitting sessions with chanting, contemplative walking, and teachings. Dress comfortably and bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea provided. You'll have a chance to enjoy a quiet walk outdoors on woodland trails that wind through the monastery grounds.

NEW: Register online here.

Email Sister Margaret Zeller for more information. 

Mark these 2019 dates now: January 12, February 16, March 30, April 13, May 4


Date: Saturday, December 1
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Glinodo Center, 6270 East Lake Road
Cost: $15, registration required
The Studio at St. Mary's: Space to Create
Open House
December 1
 
The Studio at St. Mary's open house and art sale is free and open to all. More than a dozen artists will open their studios for you to shop. Come see this amazing space and the beautiful art produced in these studios.
 
Date: Saturday, December 1
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Studio at St. Mary's, 310 East 10th Street, parking in rear
Cost: Free and open to the public
First Sunday of Advent Vigil
December 1

Please join the Benedictine community as we celebrate the Vigil of Advent on each Saturday during Advent. Pray with us and watch the light of the Advent candles grow strong and bright as Christmas draws near ─ to celebrate hope and in faith open your hearts to the promise of the coming of our God.
 
Date: Saturday, December 1
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mount St. Benedict Monastery Chapel
Cost: All are invited

Advent Lectio: Prepare for Christmas with Music and Art
December 10-28

How can you make Christmas what it was meant to be: a month of contemplation, rather than simply a day of celebration? One way is to join Sister Jean Wolbert as she prepares for Christmas with lectio divina with music and art. In this online lectio eCourse, Sister Jean will introduce you to some of her most beloved Advent and Christmas hymns.
 
Unfamiliar with lectio? View our short video that introduces you to this ancient practice.
 
Register now at Monasteries of the Heart. 

Dates: December 10 -28
Time: At your convenience
Location: Online at Monasteries of the Heart
Cost: $20

Mid-Life/Long-Life Retreat for Personal and Spiritual Growth for Adults
May 17-19, 2019

Register now for a weekend experience and refocus in the midst of life's changes with a Mid-Life/Life-Long Retreat that:
--provides time to reflect on your past
--looks at present reality and future hopes
--helps you welcome transitions and reclaim gifts
--incorporates Judeo-Christian spirituality, Jungian and developmental psychology.
 
Click here for more information and a downloadable registration form or contact Sister Rosanne Loneck, certified Mid-Life/Life-Long consultant: 814-899-0614 or email.

Register now, participation is limited.
Date: May 17-19
Location: Mount St. Benedict Monastery
Recommended donation: $275 resident; $200 commuter

Chapter 57 Online Gift Shop
Christmas Gifts for Everyone

Some new and select photo cards----  perfect for special Christmas greetings----  are 10% off.  
 
Visit our online gift shop, a selection of works by artists featured in our monastery shop, Chapter 57. We've highlighted some items that you may want to consider as special Christmas gifts.

Click here to view the Christmas Specials.
 


STAY CONNECTED with BFP
Receive reminder alerts from Benedictines for Peace each time there is a
--Take Back the Site Vigil
--Silent Peace March
--event or action that BFP is supporting
CLICK HERE to read more and sign up. 
Play Pickleball™ 
Call for schedule
Playing Pickleball® at SBCC is different from playing it anywhere else in the city. We are Erie's only Benedictine gym and being Benedictine means hospitality is one of our top priorities. Your friends, co-workers, and family members will enjoy the friendly, unintimidating, and even intimate setting of our facility that larger gyms and clubs simply can't offer. We offer you:
  • Two courts with seamless, cushioned flooring that is gentle on joints
  • Court times Monday to Saturday, mornings and evenings
  • Memberships and discount cards available
  • Free use of equipment (paddles and balls)
  • Free lesson on your first visit
  • Private bookings available
Click here for more information or call Sister Dianne Sabol, Director, 814-459-2406, to schedule court times.

Date: Call to schedule
Location: St. Benedict Community Center, 320 East 10th Street, Erie
Cost: Fees vary for regular court times
Spiritual Direction available

Spiritual Direction, sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual friendship, is an on-going relationship in which one person (the directee), wanting to be attentive to his or her spiritual life, meets with another person (the director) on a regular basis, specifically for the purpose of becoming more attuned to God's presence in order to respond more fully to that presence in all of life. The primary focus of the session is the directee's relationship with God as it is reflected and challenged by all aspects of that person's life. 


 Visit our Spirituality Page to learn about and/or contact our sisters who are Certified Spiritual Directors. Click here.


 Suggested offering is $30/session.


 

 

Guest Accommodations available
One of the greatest gifts monastics can offer is their monastery as a place of prayer and peace, community and care, welcome and hospitality. In doing so monastics take to heart what Benedict advocates: the monastery is a dwelling where guests are to be cherished and respected, where hearts overflow "with the inexpressible delight of love." -Prologue, Rule of Benedict
 
Come for a week, a weekend, or a single overnight. 
Click here for a guest registration form.