The annual Erie city clean up, where residents are able to place one large item in their trash pick up, is the Erie City Give Away from my...
Calendar of Events
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February 10 at 5:30 pm
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February 24 at 5:30 pm to February 25 at 8:00 pm
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March 1 at 1:15 pm
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March 23 at 6:00 pm to March 25 at 12:00 pm
Our Readers Respond
Our readers respond to "Upcycling: Re-imagination at its Best!" by Linda Romey, OSB, in the winter 2011 issue of The Mount. Find the article on page 18 of the magazine, available here in pdf format.
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Blessings of Creation
Don't miss...
"Rieppers" Reflect on Monastic Experience
January 24, 2012
Benedicta Riepp Program Participants, Alyssa Harpst and Carrie Parsons, share their reflections in a short video.
News and Events
A Little Bit of This and A Lot of That
January 19, 2012
Terry Smith, maintenance staff at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, briefly changed hats and entertained the sisters with his guitar playing and singing. This special event, hosted by the This and That Club,* provided a delightful half-hour of music for the residents of the infirmary and assisted living wings. Songs of the 1950s and 1960s floated through the halls and created blissful moments for those who were able to attend. “Terry’s talent is amazing,” said Sister Rita Zattosky, organizer. “The music was wonderful and coming together like this benefits us in many ways....
Canisius College: Service Trip #7 with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie
January 17, 2012
The Canisius College Winter Break Service Trip found a place and a purpose with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery. For one week the monastery became home to a wonderful group of young people who joined the community for prayer and meals and served in a variety of Benedictine ministries. Evenings provided the opportunity for input and discussion on various aspects of monastic life and Benedictine values. Social time was also an important part of the week. Sister Marilyn Schauble, Vocation Director, coordinated the Ministry Week with Sarah Signorino...
Benedictine Sister Speaks at Eagle Scout Court of Honor
January 10, 2012
Sister Charles Marie Holze had the honor of speaking at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony held at St. Peter Cathedral in Erie when Nicholas Pardini became an Eagle Scout. The awarding of the Eagle Badge, the highest and most coveted rank in scouting, is the climax of several years of hard work. To achieve this prestigious award numerous requirements must be met, one of them being a service project helpful to a religious institution, school or community.
Nick, the son of Larry and Christine [Patalita] Pardini (SBA, Class of 1969), chose Mount Saint Benedict Monastery as the...
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR OCCUPY MOVEMENT
January 8, 2012
An epiphany is a sudden manifestation or an intuitive grasp of reality through something usually simple and striking. It can be considered an awakening.
In the liturgical year, today is the celebration of Epiphany—the day on which the manifestation of God’s presence awakened the world to a new reality. It is a day on which we are reminded that God has called us to be a light for all people to set their hearts free.
The Corporate Commitment that we, the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, have embraced is kept in our mind’s eye by several committees, each one offering new ways to...
Alternative Break Service Trip Leader Training
January 6, 2012
The Benedictine Sisters were happy to offer hospitality to students and staff of Gannon University for their Alternative Break Service Trip Leader Training. This year’s service trips will be taking students to Washington, DC, Joplin, MO, Toronto, ON Canada, Haiti and El Salvador for one or two weeks of service and mutual cultural exchange. Arlene Montevecchio, director of Gannon’s Center for Social Concerns, along with assistant director Jessie Badach-Hubert organized the day of training. Sister Marilyn Schauble, OSB, Vocation Director, oriented the group to the monastery, gave a brief...
Remembering Christmas 2011
January 2, 2012
Christmas is a time packed with all kinds of good things. As Sister Joan Chittister says in A Monastery Almanac, "The Christmas season is a gift in itself. It releases us from the priorities of ordinary time and gives us the right to party more and pray more and love more, too." The Benedictine Sisters of Erie have done just that and we share with you a slide show of some of the highlights of our celebration of Christmas. There are just a few days left in this season that comes to a close with the Baptism of Jesus on January 9. It seems timely that we should reflect on...
The New Year Begins
January 1, 2012
There is a sense of newness in the monastery as we begin another year. Whatever was is no more. Life is like that. It is a recurring cycle, ever changing, always new. It is simply a matter of learning to let go of the past so that we can all begin again. —From A Monastery Almanac by Joan Chittister, OSB
The New Year provides us with the opportunity start anew. Let us do so with mindfulness and attention, with generosity and care, so that we can be a presence of kindness and peace in any and all situations.
May you know a blessed New Year!
Donations Given at Christmas Liturgies to Benefit the People of El Salvador
December 25, 2011
Sister Anne Wambach, prioress, addressed the worshipping assembly before the Christmas liturgies and explained a longstanding community tradition: the Christmas collection.
Every year we take two collections here at Mount St. Benedict—one at the Easter liturgies and one at this time, Christmas. The money collected is given to an organization or cause that is in great need and that shares the commitments that our community has made.
This year the donations we receive at our Christmas liturgies will be given to Voices on the Border, an organization based in...
SBEC: The Mending Place
December 23, 2011
"You Ought to Know: The Mending Place" is a recent story in the Erie Reader that alerts locals to the services offered by this outreach of St. Benedict Education Center (SBEC), a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters in inner-city Erie. As it's name implies, The Mending Place offers mending and alterations expertly completed by some of Erie's newest residents, refugees from countries engulfed in unrest and oppression. SBEC offers programs that assist this new population as well as providing job training, resources and skills for other segments of the population.
Columnist...
Christmas Is for Children: St. Benedict’s Day Care Center
December 21, 2011
Santa’s “Ho, Ho, Ho” and his sack full of toys brought joy to all the children at St. Benedict Child Development Center on December 16. The Bread of Life Community at St. Joseph’s Church provided gifts for each child. Pictured at right, Sister Diane Rabe, director, accompanies Santa to one of the toddler rooms. Click on “Read more” below to see additional photos.
Santa’s visit was the finale of “red week,” when, as explained by Benedicta Riepp participant and Center staff...
Fourth Week of Advent
December 21, 2011
Nearing the end of Advent waiting, the community lit the 4th candle of the Advent wreath at the Vigil of Sunday evening praise on December 17. It was carried into chapel by Sister Phyllis Weaver, the eldest in community rank, who was assisted by Sister Charles Marie Holze.
As in all families, the Erie Benedictines have traditions that help shape our identity, that connect us with those who have gone before us. The lighting of the Advent wreath is one of those traditions: each year the youngest in community rank (from Chapter 63 of the Rule of Benedict: Monastics keep their...