So if you are called by God, He will put dreams in your heart, dreams of doing and daring great things in life for others, for His glory, which with time and His grace will come true.

St. Scholastica is a monastery of cloistered Benedictine nuns dedicated to a life of contemplation according to the monastic way of life established by St. Benedict. Prayer has primacy of place in our lives: Mass, singing the Divine Office, private meditation and sacred reading.

Our abiding charism is joyful love: love of God and neighbor and of the church, her traditions, teachings and directives; devoted love of Mary and of the saints. Ongoing study is important to us, determined always by the norms of contemplation, the liturgy and Scripture.

The Rule of St. Benedict helps his followers to regain a sense of who they are and why they were created. His Rule begins with a challenge: LISTEN.

Then he swiftly puts us into a personal relationship with God, a Father who loves you …who every day is calling out… who in His love shows us the way of life. It is a call to interiority, a call to awaken our inner self and become attuned to the voice of a loving God. Vocation is response to that call of love and the search for God.

St. Benedict emphasizes joyful love in the search for God, manifested in a love for one another and for all, as he says in his Rule: The love of Christ must come before all else. Love of neighbor flows from that. No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead, what he judges better for someone else, says St. Benedict. They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other, supporting one another’s weaknesses of body and behavior…

We accept women between the ages of 22-40. It is best if the candidate has had 2 or more years of work experience at a regular job after finishing college before applying to join, but a college degree is not required. Work experience is helpful – it gives one a more realistic idea of what life outside of one’s own family is like and is a help to further maturity and a sense of accountability. Good physical and mental health is required.

Becoming a Benedictine

A religious vocation is a mystery, a grace, a gift from God, unearned and unearnable. It is not always understood by those to whom it is offered, less so or not at all by those not called to it. Like all of God’s gifts, much of it belongs to His own hiddenness and mystery and can never be fully understood.

How do I know if I have a religious vocation? You won’t know unless you investigate and give it a try.

Don’t you have to be holy? Good heavens NO! “Listen…whoever you are,” says St. Benedict in the Prologue of his rule, “turn away from evil… the Lord in His love will show you the way of life.” The monastery is for sinners who want to learn how to become saints. As one wise superior said, “I don’t want any holy Nellies entering” (meaning , of course who think they’re holy.) St. Teresa of Avila said equivalently the same thing.

But aren’t there some concrete signs that will let me know somehow I’m supposed to even investigate it? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Each call is unique and God deals differently with each person. You have to learn how to listen to Him. People, circumstances, good times, bad times success, failure–God can use all means to show you His will. You may feel restless or dissatisfied with life or feel there must be more to life than what you are doing. If you feel like this or have ever felt like this, take a moment to read the following guidelines on becoming a nun at St. Scholastica Priory. It may help you to find out more about yourself and what God is asking of you. If you do have a religious vocation and follow it, it’s the happiest life possible on earth. Not that there is no suffering involved–it wouldn’t be reality otherwise.

Benedictine oblates

Those seeking a more concrete way of living the Gospel according to the Rule of St. Benedict might consider becoming oblates of St. Scholastica Priory. The word derives from the Latin “oblatio,” offering–by becoming an oblate, one offers oneself to God, pledging to live one’s life according to the Rule. Oblates may be married or single, Catholic or non-Catholic. Oblation is made specifically to St. Scholastica Priory, rather than to the general Benedictine Order. As an oblate, one becomes a member of the monastic family and enjoys a share of its spiritual works and blessings.

Initially there is a ceremony making him or her an oblate novice for a year in which they receive a copy of the Rule and blessed medal of St. Benedict. This gives them a spiritual affiliation with a particular Benedictine monastery sharing in all the prayer and works of that community using the spirit of the Rule as a spiritual guide for their lives in the world. After the novitiate year, they may then make their final oblation. There are no vows taken, but as indicated by the Latin word “oblati” offerings, gifts, the oblate offers her or his life as a gift to God.