‘Ora et Labora’: How ancient order still thrives in Atchison

by Catherine Halbmaier
Special to The Leaven

ATCHISON — We all need someone to walk with us in prayer. No one makes the journey to heaven alone. Whether accompanied by family and friends, or religious Brothers and Sisters, it is vital to have those who walk with us in our vocation.

The Benedictine order is a shining example of this. For more than 1500 years, the male and female monastic communities have lived and thrived parallel to each other. Side by side in prayer and work, they follow in the tradition of St. Benedict and his sister St. Scholastica.

Since the 19th century, this Benedictine tradition has continued right here in Atchison. Thanks to their respective missions, Benedictine College lives on as an extension of St. Benedict’s and Mount St. Scholastica College. The monks at St. Benedict’s Abbey and the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica have continued a legacy of faith and hospitality that dates back to the order’s founding.

Benedictines in the Middle Ages

Founded around the year 500 as the first religious order of the Latin church, the Benedictine order was also among the first to establish monastic communities of men and women living and ministering alongside one another.

Since the order’s founding, monastic life offered a unique opportunity particularly for women, said Sister Judith Sutera, OSB, of Mount St. Scholastica, who has a degree in monastic theology and does public relations for the community. 

“Parallel communities gave women of the time an opportunity for protection and assistance,” said Sister Judith. “Often a brother and sister would join, or two friends. They would join nearby communities that mutually supported each other.”

According to Sister Judith, the monastic life offered agency for women that was not otherwise available, as well as a higher standard of education.

“This was absolutely agency, an alternate lifestyle in a time when there were few others,” she said. “The most important thing we do is live in prayer and community. You can’t pray without some degree of literacy and literacy was much higher in monasteries.”

In fact, according to Sister Judith, the men’s and women’s communities live out St. Benedict’s Rule in much the same way today.

“Monastic life was not a man founding a community for women,” she explained. “We lived the Rule identically, men and women. The only thing that has not applied is the chapter on ordination.”

The Sisters rely on the Benedictine men to celebrate Mass for them. Aside from that, the communities have historically been self-governed and self-sustaining. This cooperative coexistence continues today in Atchison, though the Benedictines took quite a journey to get there.

The tradition continues

In the 19th century, Benedictine monks from Bavaria journeyed across the Atlantic to the United States. After founding a community in Pennsylvania, the Sisters followed in 1852. 

The Benedictines were quick to expand their horizons farther, venturing onto the frontier. By 1852, the monks and Sisters had arrived in Atchison.

“We were together from day one,”  said Sister Judith. “By 1863, the Irish people of the city had committed to assisting financially with the monastery and the school right across the street.”

 A few years later, the Sisters moved to the current Mount St. Scholastica property. St. Benedict’s College and Mount St. Scholastica College soon followed. Before and during the merger of the colleges, the monks and Sisters shared a cooperative relationship, and, at times, a familial one.

“On the working level, you can’t have this many successful years of higher education unless you cooperate with each other,” said Sister Judith. “And then, there’s just the ordinary level. A monk and a nun might be cousins or schoolmates from the time they were born.”

Father Meinrad Miller of St. Benedict’s Abbey, who also teaches Benedictine spirituality at Benedictine College, expanded on the spiritual cooperation and familial ties between the communities.

“There was always independence even in the early days,” Father Meinrad said. “Each monastic community has its own leadership. Throughout the ages, we’ve always been working together with the apostolates and prayer. Each has always had their own identity as a monastic family. I think they probably gave the sense that they were an autonomous community. We always worked together to help bring about the kingdom of God.”

“In the older days,” he continued, “when you had more vocations from bigger families, there were more connections between the monks and the Sisters.”

And not just because some were related.

“They came from the same town or knew each other from the college,” he said.

While the familial connections have become rarer over the years, the Abbey and the Mount maintain a close professional and spiritual relationship. The communities pray for each other as they always have, honoring traditions along the way to support each other.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

These days, the Abbey and the Mount continue to spiritually support each other and pursue their ministries.

For the monks, a large part of this is Benedictine College and St. Benedict Parish.

Meanwhile, the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica care for their senior members at the Dooley Center on their campus, offer retreats, spiritual and formation programs, and more at Sophia Spirituality Center in Atchison. At their Keeler Women’s Center in Kansas City, Kansas, they offer retreats, hospitality and practical workshops to disadvantaged women.

While their missions may have diverged, the leaders of the Mount and the Abbey regularly meet to discuss the cooperation between their communities.

Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, prioress of Mount St. Scholastica, explained that she and Abbot James Albers, of the abbey, are very intentional about their collaboration.

“Abbot James and I try to get together every other month for a regular meeting,” said Sister Mary Elizabeth. “Our main goal is to maintain a strong relationship because the two communities share a common monastic spirit, and both participate in the faith life of the people of the area.”

“Our relationship with the monks goes back to our very beginnings,” she  continued. “It was the monks and the people of Atchison who saw the need for education and invited the Sisters to come. It was unusual at that time to have an established and welcoming place for the Sisters.

“The monks had their workers build a home and school for the Sisters. From the beginning, the monks have provided for the Sisters’ sacramental needs, which is, of course, the most enriching part of the relationship. This partnering has led to many fruitful areas of ministry and sharing of talents.”

According to Sister Mary Elizabeth, the two communities take care to get to know one another.

“Through the years, we have shared initial formation classes so that those in initial formation get to know each other,” she said. “We have an annual vespers and dinner together, attend one another’s special celebrations and funerals, and send gifts and greetings on special occasions.”

Abbot James described his 13 years of experience working alongside the order’s spiritual Sisters this way:

“I feel that our relationship has actually grown over the last 10 to 15 years. There’s been a greater sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, a desire to learn from each other and understand where each community is coming from. It’s a blessing.”

With that relationship comes charming yearly traditions. During the holiday season, for instance, Abbot James recalls making festive visits to the Mount.

“In the past we’ve gone to the Dooley Center to sing Christmas carols,” he said. “We always bring them wine and beer for the big days; they always give us food.”

“What I’m most impressed with is that the Sisters always speak of their appreciation for the relationship,” the abbot continued. “I’ve heard many of them say, ‘You’re our brothers.’

“I think we feel the same way. Those are our sisters.”

Father Meinrad expanded on this give-and-take between the two communities.  

“We take tomatoes and we get corn from the Mount,” he said.  “Sister Rosemary makes these wonderful peanut clusters and sometimes those will be brought to the Abbey.”

Whether sharing prayers or seasonal treats, the Benedictine communities of Atchison have seen each other through the centuries. Their partnership in prayer and work ensures that neither community goes without a spiritual counterpart.

“It’s always been a consoling thing for me,” said Father Meinrad. “When I was a student, we had prayer partners, so I knew the Sisters. I’ve always known them to be a very prayerful community.

“The heart of Benedictine life is prayer and seeking God, so it’s a beautiful thing for me to think about. We’re always praying for each other and the world.”