by Therese Horvat
Special to The Leaven
“Ora et labora” (“Pray and work”) is the guiding principle that permeates the lives of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison.
They trace their roots to St. Benedict who in the 6th century with his sister St. Scholastica established monasteries of men and women religious to live in community and meet the needs of people.
They follow the Rule of St. Benedict for living a monastic and Christ-like life. A visible sign of this commitment is the ring each sister wears on her left hand signifying that she is a bride of Christ. The ring bears the initials IHS, Greek for the name of Jesus.
“Our ministries flow from wherever prayer and our life as community lead us,” said Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, OSB, prioress of the Atchison monastery.
Coming to Kansas
In November 1863, that spirit brought seven Benedictine Sisters from Pennsylvania to Kansas to start a school for girls at the invitation of the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey. A month later, the Sisters were teaching 44 students at Mount St. Scholastica Academy.
In succeeding years, the Sisters opened and operated Mount St. Scholastica College (later consolidated into Benedictine College) and Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas. They staffed Catholic elementary and high schools. They established three daughter houses in the U.S. and Mexico as well as a mission in Brazil.
Today, their sponsored ministries remain responsive to needs of the times. Sophia Spirituality Center, located on the monastery campus, offers retreats, spiritual direction and a formation program for spiritual directors.
Keeler Women’s Center in Kansas City, Kansas, seeks to empower women in the urban core through education, advocacy and personal and spiritual development.
Connected to the monastery, the award-winning Dooley Center provides care for the aging and infirm Sisters.
The Benedictine Sisters continue to co-sponsor Donnelly College and the merged Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison. They are also active advocates of social justice and care of the earth.
The virtue of Benedictine hospitality characterizes their interactions across these ministries.
“We try to welcome all people as Christ and receive them as Christ,” Sister Mary Elizabeth said.
Day in the life
The rhythm of monastic life supports that mission through prayer, service and community. A typical day for the Sisters begins with shared morning prayer in the traditional choir chapel that dates to 1900. Seated in pews that face one another across the center aisle, the Sisters alternate reciting verses of psalms and prayers.
Depending on each Sister’s ministry, her morning hours are devoted to work, prayer or spiritual reading.
Mass is at 11:15 a.m. daily except Saturdays. Lunch follows in the monastery dining room, then it’s back to the chapel for midday prayer. Ministries, prayer or a nap may occupy the afternoon. The day concludes with vespers and a shared meal. Evenings provide time for relaxation, reading and meetings. Sisters in Dooley Center follow a modified schedule.
Each Sister has a private room in the monastery. Five to eight Sisters form living groups that share a common space, providing a smaller community for discussion, relaxation and support.
For people seeking to develop a deeper relationship with God, Sister Mary Elizabeth identifies Mount St. Scholastica as “the place to come with lots of opportunities for prayer, service and community.”
One opportunity is the Sophia Spirituality Center, which cultivates spiritual and personal growth. Women discerning religious life can contact the vocation director to arrange a visit to learn more about the Benedictine way of life.
Additionally, the Atchison monastery has an oblate program. These women and men associate themselves with the Sisters and strive to live the values of prayer, hospitality, stability, humility, stewardship and simplicity. They unite with the Sisters through prayer, visits to the Mount and financial support.
For more information about the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, visit: www.mountosb.org or call (913) 360-6200.
