A "Powerhouse" Staff Recognition Night

Greetings,

On Wednesday evening, June 10, Sacred Heart Monastery’s Staff gathered together in the upstairs Chapter Room for traditional picnic fare (with an amazing selection of desserts made by the sisters and employees), to recognize milestone achievements and to have a bit of fun!

Why mention powerhouse? How could one forget the memorable “Sacred Heart Monastery’s Powerhouse” shirt Keith showed off? By definition a powerhouse is: a person, group, team, or the like, having great energy, strength, or potential for success. 

S. Penny Bingham presented awards to our “powerhouses” of five to 30 years of service; not everyone was available to be present to receive their aware but was honorably mentioned. Among those recognized for service of five years included: Becky Adams (Cook/Dietary Worker), Syndee Dropper (Charge Nurse), and Jason Erickson (Mechanic); ten years included: Jim Wieseler (Housekeeping Supervisor, Diane Cameron (Charge Nurse) and Jean Fish (Executive Secretary); fifteen years included Paul Jensen (IT Technician); twenty years included Liz Brinkman (HR Manager/Asst. Acct.); twenty-five years included Keith Williams (physical Plant Asst.) and Jay Magorian (Yards Manager) and last but not least thirty dedicated years of service included Barbara Hermanek/Peck (Educational Coordinator). 

Sr. Mary Kay, procurator, and Sr. Penny, prioress,
joined the recognized employees for a picture.

Throughout the years, our employees have continued to serve in our home with tender care.  We celebrate their diligent ministry for the monastery with a festive meal and more importantly, fellowship at the table.  After beginning with prayer, we join them at the table and meet their families and hear their stories.  Drawing for prizes for employees followed the meal.  We stayed at the table, applauding those whose names were drawn, laughing with them.  Many smiling walked away from the table young and young at heart.

Blessings,

A Feast Before the Fast!

Greetings,

Today we celebrate with laughter and joy, a sweet treat with coffee, and a community party of cards and camaraderie! The celebration of Mardi Gras in our Benedictine family has ranged from costumes and skits to card games and bingo; throughout it all, has been the joy of the exuberant gathering before the solemnity of our Lent.

 This year, the sisters are also remembering the needs of others in our Mardi Gras. They are gathering personal care items (tooth brushes and paste, etc.) to donate to the student nurses of Mount Marty College before they travel to the South Dakota Rosebud Native American Reservation for their annual missionary service.

A prayer of Mardi Gras joy in preparing for Lent...

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for it is from your goodness that we have this day
to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent.
Tomorrow we will fast and abstain from meat.
Today we feast.

We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us.
We thank you especially for one another.
As we give you thanks,
we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do.
As we share these wonderful gifts together,
we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those

who need our support.

Prepare us for tomorrow.

Tasting the fullness of what we have today,
let us experience some hunger tomorrow.
May our fasting make us more alert
and may it heighten our consciousness
so that we might be ready to hear your Word
and respond to your call.

As our feasting fills us with gratitude

so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us
a place for deeper desires
and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor.
May our self-denial turn our hearts to you
and give us a new freedom for
generous service to others.

We ask you these graces

with our hearts full of delight
and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead.
We ask them with confidence
in the name of Jesus the Lord.

From: Creighton University

Blessings,

Postulant Playfulness

Postulant Terry (left) and Sister Kathy (right)
falling into the fluffy snow.

Greetings,

Postulant Terry enjoyed her first major South Dakota snowstorm! Sunday's eight inches of powdery, white snow offered her the perfect opportunity to invite Sister Kathy into some winter fun...Snow Angels! They were watched from above by our elders in the care center with great joy.

The finished Sister Snow Angels!

The Rule of Benedict calls us to a good zeal, a joy-filled celebration of our sisterhood. Celebrating the snowfall with a laughter, snow angels, and cocoa encourages this good zeal of our Benedictine life.

How do you encourage this good zeal of love of God and family in your life?

Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness which separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal which separates from vices and leads to God and to life everlasting. This zeal, therefore, the sisters should practice with the most fervent love.

Thus they should anticipate one another in honor; most patiently endure one another's infirmities, whether of body or character; vie in paying obedience one to another -- no one following what she considers useful for herself, but rather what benefits another; tender the charity of sisterhood chastely; fear God in love; love their Abbess with a sincere and humble charity; prefer nothing whatever to Christ. And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!
(Rule of Benedict 72)

Blessings!

T'was the day before Christmas Eve...

Greetings,

Following our monastic tradition, the sisters don't begin to decorate for Christmas in their personal spaces and common rooms until after the "O Antiphons" have begun.  However, we don't decorate the refectory, Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel, or main hallways until the day before Christmas Eve. The flurry of work is made light (and a bit fun) with many helpful hands...

Wondering how it could all be done in one afternoon?  CLICK HERE!

Christmas Eve Blessings to you,

Fun on the Feast of Saint Benedict!

Greetings,
We began our celebration of Saint Benedict last evening with first Vespers.
We processed in Statio into Chapel, then entered into the feast with chanted prayer.  The prayer continued this morning with Lauds and the Eucharist.  

However, our celebration of Benedict includes his joy of community.  We invite our employees into the monastic dinning room to join us for lunch and dinner (depending upon their working hours).  It was wonderful to sit down, pray, and see the maintenance man, care center nurse, sister and secretary all enjoying the day and the meal together.


The fun continued with the sisters from our Riverview living group (small groups of 5-15 sisters) inviting all the sisters and employees to an afternoon celebration.  Sisters at the door offered you a playing card and cryptically reminded you to keep it close.

More sisters from Riverview dished up the ice-cream for rootbeer floats!  All throughout the room sisters and employees filled the room with laughter. Then another sister began to call-out playing cards by number and suit!  Door prizes!  The sisters had collected a variety of 'white elephant' grab-bag surprises...no peaking.

Sharing the joy of community...Sr. Marie Helene (celebrating 70 years of profession) and Novice Peggy (soon to profess her first profession).

Now...back to Chapel for prayer!

Blessings!

Celebrating our Centenarian!

Greetings,
Yesterday, we celebrated our centenarian, Sister Virginia!  A few of her close family, some cake, and the love of her sisters.  The following 'story' is from her 80th jubilee...

Sr. Virginia is the 3rd of 13 children of her parents, who supported her call to religious life.  She attended St. Mary's grade school where she was influenced by the Benedictine sisters and monks.  She entered Sacred Heart Monastery on September 2, 1929 at the age of 15.  After graduating from Mount Marty High School in 1932 she was invested as a novice.  She made first profession on August 16, 1933 and final profession on June 26, 1939.

After a year of teaching and loving 53 first graders, Sr. Virginia was called into the field of nursing.  She graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing in 1937.  She was a nurse from 1937-1978, she then worked in hospital administration in South Dakota, receiving a credential in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1972.  She received a degree from Mount Marty College and became certified in Pastoral Care in 1979.  She then served in Pastoral Care ministry in Colorado from 1979 until her retirement to the monastery in 2001.

Reflecting on her 80th jubilee, Sr. Virginia says, "God's blessings have truly overwhelmed me these 80 years for which I am deeply grateful.  Time has passed quickly amidst joys, sorrows, complexities but always accompanied by an awareness of God's abiding peace, grace and assuring love.  I am most appreciative that God called me to Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton to be a member of this Benedictine community."

A Surprise "Bouquet"

Greetings,

This fancy chick is our new Ring-necked Pheasant!

One of our Employees is also a conservation volunteer.  After he saw the success of our chicken clutch and the delight it brought to our sisters.  He offered us a handful of eggs to incubate and hatch.

The Pheasant eggs were just over half the size of our chicken eggs, but needed to incubate for 24-29 days--a whole week longer.  After they hatched, the fluffy little "bouquet" of one chick will remain warm and safe in the monastery activity room for all to enjoy.  After a few weeks, our conservation volunteer will take the chick to finish growing for another five weeks in a netted conservation area.


Finally, this handsome little face will be released into the wilds of South Dakota.  The Ring-necked Pheasant is important to our rural heritage as it is the state bird of South Dakota.  It is also an important part of the rural tourism in drawing hunters from in and out of state to the smaller towns and cities of our state.  Here's hoping and praying that it flies far and fast into a cozy little corner of the country.

Blessings,

Easter Chatter

Greetings,


If you've been following the events and activities of our elder sisters, we shared their Lenten Nesting.  They incubated a few dozen eggs from our Novice's farming family in the hopes of the sounds of a new clutch of chicks peeping on Easter morning.

Well, there is good news and bad news over our hopes for a CHATTERING of chicks for the Easter Octave.  The good news is that the sisters were all prepared with a warm enclosure for the chicks first weeks.  Our Gardening Sister was also prepared the the clutch to be moved to their newly finished coop near the gardens when the chicks were ready.  

The bad news is that only two of the three dozen eggs hatched.  The sister in guiding the incubating has years of sharing this experience with students and has some guesses as to why the hatching failed.

Undaunted by the first round and encouraged by the peeps coming from the activity room, Sister has started a new chattering of three dozen eggs due to hatch around the feast of St. Isadore.  May St. Isadore, patron saint of farmers, pray for us!

Blessings,

Lenten Nesting...Egg-static preparation

Greetings,

The sisters are awaiting the glory of our risen Lord, they are also awaiting the arrival of the new clutch that should be hatching during Easter Octave!  On Wednesday of Holy Week, Sister Margo and others on 'egg-watch' decided to build the excitement and prepare some sweet treats for the upcoming celebrations.   The sisters in St. Joseph's Care Center worked creatively with some rice-cereal treats!

Sisters Stephanie and Leonette shaped Easter eggs
by filling the plastic eggs with the cereal-marshmallow
mixture, but left just enough room inside the 'egg'
for a sweet surprise! 

Sister Grace gets a helping hand from Sister Sarah
while creating more Easter eggs.

All these eggs will need a nest or two!
Sr. Virginia created rice-cereal bases with some
green coconut grass for the nest.  

The finished product!  It could be a long few days until
Easter Sunday when these treats will be seen again!

 Have A Blessed Triduum!

Loving Service: Warm Hearts and Hot Soups

Greetings,

This Fall the sisters of the monastery have been busily serving each other.  Chapter 72 of The Rule of Benedict calls each of the sisters to a loving awareness of the needs of her sisters...

Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness which separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal which separates from vices and leads to God and to life everlasting.  This zeal, therefore, the sisters should practice with the most fervent love.  Thus they should anticipate one another in honor (Rom. 12:10); most patiently endure one another's infirmities, whether of body or of character; vie in paying obedience one to another--no one following what she considers useful for herself, but rather what benefits another--; tender the charity of sisterhood chastely; fear God in love; love their Abbess with sincere and humble charity; prefer nothing whatever to Christ.  And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!

After many years of teaching elementary school, Sister Retiree has been finding many ways to share her good zeal with the community at the monastery.  Sister is well known for her cooking and baking skills.  She has shared dozens of homemade cookies, breads, caramel rolls, and suppers over the years.

"...vie in paying obedience one to another--no one following what she considers useful for herself, but rather what benefits another..."  Recently, she treated our elders to a home made soup lunch!  Her famous from scratch chicken soup was served with dinner rolls fresh from the oven.  For dessert, she arranged a light fruit salad.

Our elder sisters, Saint Joseph's group, and our care center staff enjoyed this "...tender charity of sisterhood..."  The meal was wonderful but the good zeal shared among the sisters was even better.

Saturday the 19th, our sisters from the 'Day Spring' living group (small groups of sisters who gather for prayer and recreation) treated the whole community to a soup supper!  "...Anticipating one another in honor..." the sisters brewed up three wonderful soups:  vegetarian vegetable, beef vegetable, and chicken with dumplings.  They also provided homemade wheat dinner rolls and focaccia breads.  To top off the supper, they shared a variety of brownies, bars, and some fruit fresh from the garden.

It was a wonderful night to visit at table, to enjoy the blessing of our garden produce shared in the soups, and to swap a few recipes of our own!  Thank you sisters of Day Spring for a wonderful night of good zeal being shared by all!

Blessings,

Christmas Day Celebrations!

Christmas Greetings!

Christmas celebrations began with the divine.  Our Lauds and Mass rang with joyful choirs.  While our morning prayer was open to all, the sisters were only joined by our chaplains.  However, our Christmas Mass filled many more of the Chapel pews with a celebration of diversity.  To the delight of all, the student sisters from Tanzania lead the procession at the offering of the gifts. Music filled with rhythmic drums played over the speakers as they danced before the gifts with khanga cloth from home tucked over their habits.  The celebration of God's Divine welcome continued as we stepped forward at the reception of the Eucharist.  The sisters began the line in variations of white, black, and red for the season.  Then our guests and visitors stepped forward; the young and old, those in Sunday best and blue jeans, the carefully-coiffed and those with green hair, little girls with brand-new sparkly Christmas clothes and their more somber grandparents. It was a wonderful celebration.

After our Christmas brunch, the monastery seemed strangely quiet in the afternoon.  A number of the sisters changed into their 'festive' Christmas best, located 'official' identification, bundled up, and carpooled caravan style down to the Federal Prison on the other side of town.  The sisters have celebrated a Christmas Mass with the men of the Federal Prison for many years.  Sister Musician-Liturgist sometimes plays at their regular Masses and coordinated a group of the residents to play the bells for the Mass with the Sisters.  Every year the little chapel space is packed for the Mass; it is a sacred time to share our welcoming the Lord into our lives and reminding them of our prayerful support of their conversion.  The hope we seek to share with the residents echos Pope Benedict the XVI's Christmas Message:

"If we believe". Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family...Yes, there is a good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of openness. In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world. This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.

The afternoon was also time for our family Christmas party! All the sisters gathered in the Chapter room for treats, music, and laughter.  The party began with treats and a mix of Christmas Carols and songs.  The music ended with a rousing rendition of the "12 Days of Christmas"; except this year, we also had different signs for each table to wave during our part of the '12'.  Next the prioress shared the community gift, a book by the Abbot Primate (head Benedictine monk).  Finally, Sister Elves delivered the sisters' gifts from the generous members of St. Mary Church...the room filled with exclamations of joy and laughter.  Sisters continued comparing the family photos and cards that were included with many of the gifts and began to compose their 'thank yous' and 'promises of prayer' as we picked up the Chapter Room and prepared for evening Vespers.

We will continue to keep you in prayer throughout this Christmas Season!

Christmas Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Five Revealed

Greetings,

This week, the monastery mystery tour stopped in a very ordinary, every day location...an elevator!  However, the elevators at Sacred Heart Monastery have one item unique to our lift system; a prayer through the intercession of the Archangel Raphael!

I cannot find the origin of this prayer for safety in elevator travel, but it could have been created by the sisters themselves for the first elevator that was installed in the oldest part of the monastery.  That early elevator was retro-fitted into the 1900 portion of the building at a time when the air 'vents' cut into the top part of the elevator cab let you look directly at the brick passing by!  It would jiggle and shake and was an odd rectangular shape (um coffin shaped for that purpose), but it safely delivered its passengers for many years.

The prayer was added to the 'new' building's elevators when construction was completed in the 1960's.  The prayer has found use in one of the new elevators; more than one sister has been stranded in its confines and relied upon the assistance of the Archangel Raphael and the alarm button by the door!

Calligraphied by hand, this unusual prayer is just one of the many aspects of our every day life that are unique to our call as Benedictine Sisters in Yankton, South Dakota.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Five

Greetings,

I searched high and low for a odd and interesting view into the everyday parts of our life!  This stop on our mystery item tour is seen often by sisters, families, and friends but not often noticed.  Your clue is the name included in the photo...Archangel Raphael!  More than a few sisters have called upon his name over the years.  Ponder all that his holy name implies, consider what it might be, and guess where this place might be within the monastery! 

 Blessings,

Fair Weather

Greetings,

Labor Day was celebrated at home in the monastery.  The sisters gathered for prayer, Eucharist, and an evening meal of favorite picnic foods.  Some of the sisters on mission away from home also gathered to celebrate this remembrance of the labor by attending a state fair!

We started our tour through the Nebraska State Fair with exhibit hall filled with the arts and crafts of the state.  It ranged from the very interesting creations including a trio of guitars bedazzled in gold and silver with blue spot-lights to this triptych of quilts with a religious theme.  Each of the quilts had a Bible quote stitched into its intricate fabric work. After some time before the triptych, we came to the conclusion that the last two would do better switched around. We pondered the creativity and beauty of the our resident artists.

In another exhibit hall, there were representatives from many of the state's industries from A to Z, or from Spas to Pork and Beans!  The pork producers had some fun promoting their 'home-grown' product by designing a gigantic pig from cans of pork and beans and fenced it in with green bean cans!  Also on display were the requisite 4-H and FFA projects that ranged from baked goods to monster pumpkins! It was wonderful to see all the work of our youth from Nebraska.

 

 All throughout the fairgrounds, there were fun sights and a multitude of folk!  We wandered up and down the lanes and aisles enjoying the day.  It wasn't long in our meandering that we were recognized...our sisters who serve in the city were becoming well known.  Sr. Clarice found a few parishoners among the fair-goers and Sr. Barbara was greeted by some of the high school students.  Both were amazed at being noticed in the throng of people, but glad to share our day.

 Soon enough the day had passed and it was time to return home to their little convent house we call St. Gertrude's.  The midway lights were shining brightly in the distance, beckoning the all to come and play, but it was time to settle in and pray.  It had been a wonderful day of wonders and laughter, a day to enjoy a little rest and fun, a day to be grateful for our blessings of work, family, and fun.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Three Revealed!

Greetings,

The connection between the two items is the dough from our monastery bakery!
 

The large machine is a mixer for batches of dough that begin with 50 pounds of flour!  The fresh dough from this near century old machine is enough to make 100 loaves of bread with enough left over for buns and sweet rolls too.  The 'jaw' on the front opening is opened and closed by the handled wheel on the far left on the photo.  The black knob determines the mixing speed and even the temperature (which is gauged with a thermometer on the front).  More flour, water, sugar, etc. could be added via the odd globe with a hold cut out on the top of the machine.  How is it still in use after so many years?  It is cared for with respect not only for its use but also for whomever may need it next; it is cleaned, washed, and greased after each use.  This follows the recommendation of the Rule; "Let him (the cellarer) regard all the utensils of the monastery and its whole property as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar.  Let him not think that he may neglect anything" chapter 31.

The other mystery item is a roller for cutting dozens of buns at one time!  We simply make a 'snake' of the dough to whatever size you would like the buns and then we roll the cutter over it quickly cutting at least a dozen buns which are then rolled into shape by hand.  While this particular cutter may be 'new', the predecessor was around for a few decades preforming the same task. 

The outcome of these simple monastery tools, while a mystery to most, offer wonderful results to all the sisters, friends, retreatants, and family who come to our door.  The bakery was one of the first works for many in the monastery during their novitiate and remains one of the favorite.  The sounds, smells, and feel of the dough have a much loved place in our hearts. 

 Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Three

Greetings,

Today's monastery mystery item is a duo! Two very different items that are needed to work with the same product.  Both items seem to have odd wheels and handles, shapes and sizes, and may have been in the monastery for several decades, but both items are raised up to new heights in their work.  Next week we'll post the answer, but offer any guesses as to these monastery mystery items or their common product in our comments below...hmmm...how could such dusty items be a daily part of our simple life?

Blessings on the guessings!

Fireflies

Greetings,

It is nearing the end of retreat week here at the monastery.  The monastery brings in a director for 'conference' retreats twice a year to guide us in our quiet and reflection.  It was in the midst of this that I was sitting last night in a little alcove on first floor.  Caught up in my own reading and reflection, I wasn't paying too much attention.  Until one of the sisters (not on retreat by the by) stopped and with a smile pointed out the windows said, "Fireflies."

All over the south lawn, just outside the windows, were twinkling lights.  Up close to the windows they lit up the flower beds of lilies and roses with their luminescent yellow, then drifted off into the grass.  Farther away, the fireflies danced among the bushes along the edge of the lawn and up into the leaves of the linden trees.  They were all over the south lawn, their little lights creating a playful music for the eyes.  It was dark enough that you couldn't follow their bodies and it was a delightful suprise to see where they would light up again. 

An amazing little part of God's creation celebrating the night at the Monastery.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Revealed TWO

Greetings,

There were some interesting guesses during this second mystery item, and one person was quite close.  The crazy contraption held together by a paper clip is a stapler.  Yup, a monster stapling machine.  This was given to us at a time when we ran our own print shop and there was no such thing as copier machines that stapled for you.

We use this for compiling our special booklets for Feast Day Liturgy of the Hours (ie. our chanted Psalms for the upcoming Feast of the Sacred Heart) and for special Eucharistic celebrations at our Monastic Professions and Jubilees, as well as liturgy aids for guests who join us for Eucharist on Sundays.  Using this stapler we can print all the materials in the monastery using heavier paper for covers and lighter for the inside pages which we couldn't do using our copy machines.
 

You simply slide whatever you're stapling on the the 'V' plate and step down on the pedal at the base of the machine.  Some sisters can sit on a stool while doing this, but I have better luck simply standing and switching my stapling foot from right to left periodically. 

If you look closely at the metal plate...It's actually an "Acme" product.  The first time I used the stapler I nearly lost my one-footed balance (remember the other foot is stapling) thinking of Wile E. Coyote trying to use the machine!  Then realizing the Road Runner would be much faster at it than I was ; )

Blessings!

Monastery Mystery Two

Greetings,

As we continue through Ordinary Time, here is yet another every day item from the monastery.  This item was old when brought to us in the 1970's to begin a second life here and is curiously shaped with bobbles and bits, but what is it?  Next week we'll post the answer, but offer any guesses as to this monastery mystery item in our comments below...hmmm...how could something that looks so strange be so integral to our simple life?

Blessings on Guessings,

Monastery Mystery Revealed!

Greetings,

A few guesses were registered via Facebook.  Most kept it general with "something to do with the bakery"...


Mary and Sister Marcine and the loafer that has been in use
for many decades at the monastery bakery.

The Monastery Mystery Item is what we call our "loafer".  Sister Baker and all her helpers have relied on this machine for so long that we aren't quite sure when it was even purchased!  We do appreciate all the lumps of dough it has kneaded, flattened, and rolled into a loaf over the decades.  We also know that when its familiar rattle is heard in the bakery; we will soon be enjoying a fresh baked treat!

Blessings,