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Walk the Stations of the Cross with the Sorrowful Mother and Mother Earth was the theme of the 39th Annual Good Friday Pilgrimage for Peace sponsored by Benedictines for Peace (...
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
O God, Hear our Prayer
Tenebrae: a series of psalms and lamentations.
The candles of the Tenebrae candelabra are lit and then extinguished in order to denote the almost complete abandonment of Christ by the ones closest to him. Nevertheless, the unrecognized...
Guess what we did?
Benedictines cultivate beauty whenever they can – even in the art of Easter egg decorating. “There was nothing haphazard about the annual event organized by Sister Helen Heher,” said Sister Marilyn Schauble, one of the egg decorators. “Every...
LCWR Social Media Campaign – Standing Against Racism—April 17
In the 2018 Recommitment to the 2016 assembly resolution regarding systemic causes of injustice, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) made the following commitment: “We pledge to go deeper into the critical work of creating...
Holy Week Begins
Journeys Ended, Journeys begun--Lent draws to a close. Holy Week begins. The journey continues. Opportunities to accompany Jesus in the situations of our life and world surround us. Meaning is found in the willingness and courage to join 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.