Sister Pat Lupo, long-time, award-winning advocate for the environment was honored as a Freshwater Hero in a virtual ceremony on April 10. Freshwater Voices recognized ten Heroes this year who "have dedicated their lives to making a difference and are paving the way for meaningful, lasting change in our Great Lakes region. Their commitment to protecting our communities and water resources is nothing short of inspiring, with many of this year’s heroes spending years, if not decades, tackling the complex issues that impact our region.

Communications staff Linda, Heather, Michelle, and Michelle take a break from solar eclipse event preparations to model eclipse glasses in front of the Benedictine Blackout photo booth background at Glinodo. Complete information on Benedictine events is available here. Tickets for the post-eclipse celebration are available until 4 p.m. Friday April 5. The Monday morning retreat is sold out. Parking at Glinodo is on a first come beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday April 8. Activities for children begin at 11:00 a.m. Enjoy our beautiful grounds while you wait for the eclipse.

Marisa Thomas, Erie News Now, speaks with Sister Linda Romey and Michelle Scully about events planned by the Benedictine Sisters that will welcome guests into their monastery and onto their grounds on April 8 for the solar eclipse.

You may have heard us say at some point in our relationship with you that as Benedictine monastics, our primary ministry is prayer and community. St. Benedict didn’t name a singular good work that would define his monastic communities. Rather, he built those communities around a Rule that is a simple guide for living a balanced and healthy life with each other, with oneself, and with God.

Over the course of our first 50 years, staff and volunteers at Emmaus Ministries have told anyone who asked about our name that it comes from a story found in the Gospel of Luke, a story called "The Road to Emmaus." The story takes place on the first Easter Sunday, and highlights two of Christ's disciples, who are walking sadly away from Jerusalem just as reports about an empty tomb are beginning to circulate.

Easter tells us that suffering and death are never the last word for our God is a God of surprises and nothing is impossible with God. Resurrection is not a one-time event in the past, but rather an ongoing process. We are called to rise and live more fully for Christ is within us. The power of Resurrection bursts forth in our lives in ordinary ways through the quality of our daily living and loving. May we reflect the joy and radiance of the Risen Jesus and give daily witness that he is ALIVE within us. Let us rejoice and be glad! Happy Easter! —Sister Stephanie Schmidt, Prioress

Sister Anne McCarthy received a 2024 Mercy Center for Women Women Making History award at the Mercyhurst University Performing Arts Center on Monday, March 25. Sister Anne's five sisters and one of her nieces, pictured here with her, along with many of her Benedictine sisters, joined her for the program and celebration.

In 1955 economist Victor Lebow wrote, “Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfactions, our ego satisfactions, in consumption.”