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Elaine and Don Boetger were longtime volunteers at Emmaus Soup Kitchen who occasionally brought their children to volunteer with them. This was years ago; now, their children Leslie and Don are adults working at Boetger Retirement Services who...
About the Benedictine Sisters of Erie
Corporate Commitment
A corporate commitment is a vision or goal that we agree to promote as a community and as individuals no matter where we are or in how many diverse ministries we might be engaged. The corporate commitment of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie is:
As Benedictine Sisters of Erie we commit ourselves to be a healing presence and prophetic witness for peace by working for sustainability and justice, especially for women and children.Charism Statement
A charism is a particular way in which people respond to God's call. A community’s charism embodies the way the members carry out their mission and ministries. The Benedictine charism is:
The Benedictine way is to seek God in the communal life and to respond in prayer and ministry.Common Life
Community
Life as a Benedictine Sister of Erie is centered in community, following the Rule of St. Benedict under the guidance of the Prioress. We are vowed in the Catholic tradition promising with perpetual vows: stability, fidelity to the monastic way of life and obedience. A commitment to the common good and respect for each other support us in our search for God and nurture the bonds of community.
Prayer and Liturgy
As Benedictine women, prayer is central to our monastic life. The community gathers three times a day for the Liturgy of the Hours, the basis of our communal prayer. The festive marking of Sunday, along with the great feasts and seasons of the liturgical year, includes the celebration of Eucharist as well. Daily lectio divina, occasional reconciliation services, and various annual events complete the community’s liturgical life.
Ongoing Formation
How does one keep fresh and alive the energy and joy of responding to one’s call to monastic life? The community’s commitment to continuing education – to our On-going Formation Program – is one way. This program is implemented through a series of regularly scheduled community meetings. The meetings focus on areas that will aid in our growth and development as human persons and monastic women in church and society.
Ministry
Ministry is an integral part of monastic life. Inspired by the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict we respond to the needs of God’s people. We steward the gifts, talents and skills that have been given to us and extend them through service. Community and non-community ministries alike provide the opportunity for meaningful work that is consistent with our monastic commitment to glorify God in all things.
Community Life
SBA Christmas Party 2019
“Once again, the SBA annual Christmas Party was a success,” said Ann Comstock, SBA Alum Director. “We came together and shared an evening of fun and laughter, catching up with friends and classmates, sisters and teachers, and simply having a good...
Coat Drive and Giveaway at Emmaus
Sometimes little suggestions become great ideas that influence the way people experience an event, such as the suggestion at the annual Emmaus Coat Drive that volunteers become “personal shopping assistants” for the guests.
“We had a...
Advent: Week II
Into the dimly lit chapel, in the midst of silence and an aura of hope, Postulant Colleen Leathley brought in the Lighted Candle to signal the beginning of the Second Week of Advent. The Light continues to break through the darkness, slowly but...
NETWORK comes to CRM in Oil City, PA
Sisters Marian Wehler, OSB and Tina Geiger, RSM, co-directors of Catholic Rural Ministry (CRM), Oil City Deanery of the Diocese of Erie, recently hosted one of 18 "Rural Roundtable Listening Sessions" held across the nation. Sponsored by...
The Benedictine Sisters of Erie trace their beginnings to the Benedictine nuns at St. Walburg Abbey in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany, founded in 1035. Sisters from there first came to St. Marys, PA in 1852 to educate the children of the newly arrived German immigrants.