Who is a Benedictine?

The Benedictine rule was written by St. Benedict of Norcia ca. 530 AD. Many religious orders in existence today were founded long after the Benedictines and many of them borrowed ideas extensively from the Rule of St. Benedict.

The most important characteristic of the Benedictine life is that it is a Christ-centered life. In almost every single chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict there is a direct or indirect reference to Christ. Indeed, one of the indications of a vocation to this way of life is that the person “truly seeks God” (RB 58.7) – not only in the superior (RB 2.2), the sick (RB 36.1), guests (RB 52.1), and in each other, but also in everything that happens to us.

In September, 2004, Pope John Paul II provided this exhortation to a gathering of Benedictine Abbots: “By means of the liturgy, study and work, may you be examples of the Christian life fully oriented towards God, respectful of the human person and of creation…. Continue your journey in the footsteps of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica.”

What do we do?

The question is often asked with reference to cloistered monks and nuns who live in a religious community: “What do you do all day?” The answer is: “Mostly we pray.” And then we do all the other things everybody else does in running a normal household: cooking, cleaning, welcoming guests, supporting ourselves, etc. St. Benedict in Chapter 48 of the Rule, entitled “The Daily Manual Labor,” exhorts the monks and nuns to live by the work of their hands, by manual labor, so that like the apostles they “may understand the importance of contributing to the well-being of the community.” This theological motif, based on Scripture, runs through the entire Rule. Everything is to be done out of love for the community, not for oneself.

At St. Scholastica Priory we engage in the daily routine of cleaning, cooking, sewing and even some gardening in our short New England temperamental summers. We make our own habits, veils and choir robes. We have artists who write icons and paint holy cards, design book covers and prayer cards, bookmarks and stationery; we have a wood-carver and a weaver. Still others are assigned to secretarial duties and keep up with the flow of letters and requests for prayers. Monasteries are self-supporting and our main means of support at this time comes from an annual appeal to benefactors throughout the country. Some of our sisters are assigned to this. All our work is equally honorable. This daily engagement in work is a source of unity and gives a sense of fulfillment in following God’s will.

Prayer and work

It is remarkable that the chapter of the Rule entitled “Manual Labor” is devoted mostly to prayer and prayerful reading (lectio divina.) This sets the tone for our monastic work which we carry out in silence when possible and with interior peace and joyful purpose. The expression “work is prayer” is not intended to omit or limit prayer. Manual labor and prayer are interconnected because both are activities of love, carried out for the good of others. But prayer takes precedence, and pre-eminently the day revolves around it. Even a cursory look by a casual observer shows that though we take work seriously our prayer is interrupted by our work and not the other way around, which is what St. Benedict intended.

Liturgy

The celebration of the liturgy – the Mass and the Divine Office – is the principal work of the nun and monk: “Let nothing be preferred to the work of God,” St. Benedict says in his Rule. The rhythm of daily prayer and the yearly liturgical cycle consecrates all human time by immersing us in the celebration of Christ’s life and the life of the church; we share in Christ’s own life of prayer on earth. We are his voice on earth, singing the Father’s praises and interceding for the world. The monastic choir is a reflection of the monastic community itself, and of the church at large: individual voices, each with its particular quality created by God, praising God in the unity of community.

The music of the liturgy at St. Scholastica Priory is Gregorian Chant. This ancient modal music provides a rich repertoire of Latin chant, using sacred texts taken mainly from the Bible. Gregorian chant has been called the “Word of God made music,” for the integral linking of melody to text illuminates and “exfolds” the meaning of the sacred word. It is a life-giving catechism that fosters our spiritual growth and understanding.

Twin Community

A unique feature of our life which follows a tradition that goes back to the early Middle Ages is that we are a twin community of nuns and monks. Priests from the men’s community are our chaplains We pray the liturgy in common and share some classes together and have common recreation once a week. However, we are separate legal entities, each with our own monastery and governance but united in prayer, charity and the Benedictine way of life.