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Sister Anne Wambach was named 2020 Outstanding Sister of the Year by the Erie Serra Club, an international Catholic lay organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging vocations to the priesthood and religious life. According to Dennis...
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 and justice by actively addressing the climate crisis and the rights of 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
Lamenting the reality of now
“Today is a day of national lament and mourning for the 100, 000+ victims of COVID-19. In the midst of that lamentation, we would be remiss if we did not also lament the pain and suffering that has engulfed our nation in the wake of the senseless...
June 1: National Day of Mourning
The Benedictines Sisters of Erie are partnering with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and other Catholic faith leaders calling for all people to pause at noon local time on June 1 to honor the 100,000+ persons who have died in...
Come, Spirit, Come
The Easter Season comes to an end. The Church celebrates Pentecost and honors the coming of the Spirit. Pentecost immerses us into the implications of what it means to be Christian. As Sister Joan Chittister says: “It is at this point in the...
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.