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Sister Kathleen McCarthy began her novitiate year on January 27, 2018. Her desire to continue to seek God with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie was ritualized at Vigil Prayer. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Kathy was...
Become a Benedictine
Permanent Vowed Membership
The face of permanent members of monastic communities has changed over the centuries. In our time many people seeking permanent membership are professional women who long for a life that follows the Gospel of Jesus. They come from varied backgrounds and share the common desire to seek God and change the world.
A woman interested in permanent membership comes to know the community and in the process discerns her vocation. At some point she moves into the monastery to begin living the communal life of prayer and ministry. She participates fully in the life of the community and learns the community history, its vision and values and must decide at every step of the way if she shares those values and wants to continue the formation process.
Perpetual monastic profession comes only after five to six years of fully immersing herself in community life and passing through stages of formation that move the individual deeper into her own soul and also deeper into the heart of the world.
Vocation Contact
Marilyn Schauble, OSB
Vocation Director
6101 East Lake Road
Erie, PA 16511
814-899-0614 ext. 2424
Stages of Initial Monastic Formation
Sisters in Initial Monastic Formation
Valerie Luckey, Scholastic
On October 21, 2017, Sister Valerie Luckey made her intentions clear: "I ask that I may continue to seek God in this Benedictine community through first monastic profession."
Sister Valerie, age 29, is from...
Sister Dina Lauricella, Scholastic
Sister Dina Lauricella, a former motorcycle safety instruction from Lusby, MD, made her first monastic profession on the eve of Pentecost, June 3, 2017. After expressing her desire to continue to seek God with the...
Sister Karen Oprenchok, Scholastic
Sister Karen is from Windsor, Ontario, Canada and is a former office worker of the Canadian Federal Government. On June 3, 2017, the eve of Pentecost, she professed her first vows of stability, obedience and...
Web Links and Reading Suggestions
• VIDEO: In the Footsteps of Benedict and Scholastica
• Benedictines-worldwide
• Monastic Interreligious Dialogue
• Trappists-worldwide
Wisdom Distilled from the Daily
Joan Chittister, OSB
Monk in the Inner City
Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
New Seeds of Contemplation
Thomas Merton, OCSO
Engaging Benedict
Laura Swan, OSB
Monasteries of the Heart
Joan Chittister, OSB
Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints
James Martin
The Cloister Walk
Kathleen Norris
St. Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living
Jane Tomaine
The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century
Joan Chittister, OSB
The Song of the Seed: A Monastic Way of Tending the Soul
Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB
With Open Hands
Henri Nowen
12 Steps to Inner Freedom: Humility Revisited
Joan Chittister, OSB
Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation
Parker J. Palmer
The Nonviolent Moment: Spirituality for the 21st Century
Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
Vocations Anonymous: A Handbook for Adults Discerning Priesthood and Religious Life
Kathleen Bryant, RSC
Memorable Moments
Deep Peace of the running wave to you.
Deep Peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep Peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep Peace of the Infinite Peace to you.
Practice Lectio Divina
Latin for “divine reading,” is an ancient method of praying to promote union with God. Its outward appearances might be a gentler spirit, a passionate heart, greater compassion, love and peace-making. Use the passage below for your lectio divina.
Psalm 4
It is God who grants favors
and hears me whenever I call.
Stand in awe;
do not sin.
Be still;
reflect in the night.
Make justice your sacrifice
and trust in God.
Living the Zeal of Benedict
A blog by Marilyn Schauble, OSB
July 11, 2018
Earlier monastic experiments had stressed rigorous asceticism and self-denial, Benedict's Rule was designed for ordinary human beings. The elements of disciple was shifted from externals to the interior, from the flesh to the will. In place of an emphasis on fasting and mortification Benedict substituted the disciple of humility, obedience, and accommodation to community life. Rather than envisioning a collection of individuals competing in the quest for perfection, Benedict stressed the...
Scholastic Valerie Luckey shares her journey with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie in her blog, Walking in the Holy Presence. Read it here.
Stories and Events
St. Benedict Education Center staff and participants volunteer with ServErie
ServErie is a nonprofit organization that takes on various local projects with the...
Thank you so much for your support through ERIE GIVES!
Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for your support on Erie Gives Day.
We have learned that it takes generosity to discover the...
Erie Gives Day--August 14
On Erie Gives Day, Tuesday, August 14, a percentage match of your donation will expand...
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Living Monastic Life
Susan Freitag
Sister Susan Freitag grew up in South Bend, IN, and began her religious life with the Daughters of Divine Charity where she made her final profession in 1973. After much discernment she transferred those religious...
Dorothy Stoner
Sister Dorothy Stoner entered the Erie Benedictines from St. Joseph Parish, Sharon, PA, in 1966. The call to be different from the world around her was what attracted her to the monastic life—a call to which she was...
Sister Janet Goetz
Sister Janet Goetz, a native of Northeast, PA, attended St. Gregory Parish Schools. She credits her vocation to her parents and the sisters who taught her. The sisters’ love for monastic life, their daily attention...