Our history
In 1980, an association of young women with Mary Clare Vincent their foundress, all in private vows, after much prayer, discussion and consultation, desired to become Benedictines. Following the advice of the Abbot Primate they contacted Stanbrook Abbey in England and the Abbess graciously agreed to sponsor them. In 1984 the first members of the community, then located in Still River, Massachusetts, professed their solemn religious vows as contemplative nuns. Soon realizing that Still River did not provide the solitude and quiet our life needed, the community decided to move. Within a year a remarkably suitable place was found in Petersham and – even more remarkably – a benefactor from Michigan agreed to buy the property for us.
In 1985, St. Scholastica Priory, by that time erected by the Holy See as an independent priory of Pontifical Right, moved to the historic town of Petersham which is typically New England with its small churches, large colonial houses and profusion of pine, spruce and maple trees. In 1995 St. Scholastica Priory asked to be aggregated to the Subiaco Congregation in Rome and this was granted.
There are nine of us Sisters from varied backgrounds, experiences and regions: two are from California, three from the Midwest, one from the South and one from Massachusetts. Our personalities are just as varied. Each one of us is unique and free to be herself, yet – and probably because of this – our unity is striking. We strive to live to the full the compelling message of the Gospel that the only way of knowing God is through Jesus and the only way of knowing Jesus is through one another.
There is also our joy, which guests often notice and mention to us. Undoubtedly it helps that our Benedictine monastic life is a balanced one with time set aside for recreation together, times of laughter, celebration and interchange, and “free time” for ourselves: times of rest, relaxation, light reading, study, cultivating a hobby or taking a walk on our stunningly beautiful property to explore the life of nature amid the rolling hills and valleys of New England.
The sisters live in a stone and brick manor house located on 200 acres of fields and forest located in Central Massachusetts near the Quabbin Reservoir, the largest body of water in Massachusetts. Our land is surrounded by 10,000 acres of conservation land, safeguarding flora and fauna of New England. This natural setting is conducive to finding the loving God, who created such beauty for us and asks only that we love him in return.
Then there is our peace. St. Benedict in the Rule he wrote for monastics makes his message clear: “Let peace be your quest and aim” he proclaims resoundingly in the Prologue and goes on to teach us how to achieve it. Pax (Peace) is the Benedictine motto.
The day after his election, Pope Benedict XVI in his first message to all began with the words: “Favor and peace be yours in abundance.” And at the end he said, “I ask God for unity and peace for the human family, and declare the willingness of all Catholics to cooperate for an authentic social development, respectful of the dignity of every human being.” These are the themes prominent in the Rule of St. Benedict and they embody the goals we at St. Scholastica Priory strive for.
Who is St. Scholastica?
St Scholastica was a 6th century nun and the twin sister of St. Benedict whose name our pope, Benedict XVI, took because St. Benedict is the patron saint of Europe and has influenced Western civilization down to our own day. His love of God and humanity and his pursuit of peace and unity touched the hearts of millions and changed the course of history.
Very little is known about St. Scholastica. A few sentences in one of the writings of the 6th century pope, St. Gregory the Great, are all we have inherited to reconstruct her long life. Yet statues and paintings of her are found in monastic churches throughout the world. Artists through the centuries have imagined her more in accord with iconic and spiritual meaning than with accuracy to physical features which would be impossible. We have a lovely carving of her in our church and a wooden statue of her in our refectory.
What is a Priory?
A Priory is a monastery headed by a prioress if it is a monastery of nuns or by a prior if it is a monastery of monks. Monastery is the generic term for priory, abbey, religious house, convent, etc. Monasteries (or priories, abbeys, religious houses or convents) can be active, i.e., they may engage in active work outside the monastery or they can be contemplative, their main work being prayer within the monastery. St. Scholastica is a contemplative monastery.