A Lenten Tour...

Greetings,

The Lenten season isn't known for its decorations, but here at the monastery Lent finds its way into many places.

Rule of Benedict:  chapter 49
On the Observance of Lent

Although the life of a monk out to have about it at all times the character of a Lenten observance...we therefore urge that during the actual days of Lent the brethren keep their lives most pure and at the same time wash away during these holy days all the negligences of other times...and give ourselves up to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and to abstinence.




The sisters have set a reminder at the entrance to Bishop Marty Chapel, "Grow in the Understanding of the Riches Hidden in Christ!"

Rule of Benedict:  chapter 49
On the Observance of Lent (cont'd)

During these days, therefore, let us increase somewhat the usual burden of our service, as by private prayers and by abstinence in food and drink.  Thus everyone of his own will may offer God "with joy of the Holy Spirit" something above the measure required of him.  From his body, that is he may withhold some food, drink, sleep, talking, and jesting; and with the joy of spiritual desire he may look forward to holy Easter.

The monastic dinning room and even the hall leading to its doorway have reminders of Benedict's call to sisters' personal offerings and sacrifices for Lent.



Rule of Benedict: chapter 52
On The Oratory of the Monastery

Let the oratory be what it is called, a place of prayer; and let nothing else be done there or kept there.  When the work of God is ended, let all go out in perfect silence, and let reverence for God be observed, so that any sister who may wish to pray privately will not be hindered by another's misconduct.

Lenten purple in St. Joseph's Chapel for our sisters in the Care Center.  The bulletin board outside the chapel reminds our sisters, old and young, to continue the Lenten work of conversion of heart .

Rule of Benedict: chapter 58
On the Manner of Receiving Sisters

After that let her live in the novitiate, where the novices study, eat and sleep. A senior shall be assigned to them who is skilled at winning souls, to watch over them with the utmost care. Let her examine whether the novice is truly seeking God, and whether she is zealous for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials. Let the novice be told all the hard and rugged ways by which the journey to God is made.

The sisters in formation shared a variety of symbols that reminded them of Lent for their reflection table and prayer.

A group of professed sisters also set a table for reflection and prayer with simple purple, rough burlap, and the call to the cross.









Rule of Benedict:  chapter 52
On The Oratory of the Monastery (cont'd)

And at other times also, if anyone should want to pray by herself, let her go in simply and pray, not in a loud voice but with tears and fervor of heart.  She who does not say her prayers in this way, therefore, shall not be permitted to remain in the oratory when the Work of God is ended, lest another be hindered, as we have said. 

The hallway to our Peace Chapel is dominated by our Good Friday Cross announcing the message, "By His Holy Cross He has redeemed the world!"  Each day of Lent new groups of the "Heavily Burdened" are added to the Cross calling us to loving prayer for those in need.

Our daily Mass and Liturgy of the Hours are celebrated in the Peace Chapel amid the simple stone and purple banners of Lent.

Rule of Benedict:  chapter 49
On The Observance of Lent (cont'd)


Let each monk, however, suggest to his Abbot what it is that he wants to offer, and let it be done with his blessing and approval.  For anything done without the permission of the spiritual father will be imputed to presumption and vainglory and will merit no reward.  Therefore let everything be done with the Abbot's approval.

Our Lenten resolutions, received and blessed by the Prioress on Ash Wednesday, remain before the altar throughout the Lenten season as a reminder to us and a continuous offering and sacrifice to the Lord.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six Revealed

Greetings,

This beautifully carved wall-hung clock now presides over our meetings and celebrations in the Chapter Room.   I cannot find the origin of this clock, but I had a marvelous time seeking out it's history. 

Interviewing our elders seemed the best way of determining this history of this mystery item.  One sister, a wisdom figure and former prioress, believes it might have been given to the monastery in the 1920's as a gift.  The earliest she can remember others referring to it was the late 20's or very early 30's.  After consulting with a few other elders at the card table, they all believed it had hung in the main hallway of the original monastery by the front entrance. 

The sisters also agreed that it was a treasured item from the beginning.  The wood-carved exterior was always dusted and polished to a rich shine.  The winding of the clock was (and still is) done by hand; Sister Peter, the monastery's resident clock-tinker and Jane-of-all-trades was the only one to wind it for decades.

After the monastery's front buildings were rebuilt at the end of the 1990's, the clock was restored to a place of honor in the Chapter Room.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six-and-a-half

Greetings,

Even the postulant was stumped after searching the monastery high and low for connections to the first photo! 

However, I am willing to add another detail from our mystery item that highlights it's beauty and grace. 

I'll even give you a hint to look up in the Rule of Benedict:  RB43: 1 and RB 47: 1 might keep you from getting lost on the tour.  If you're ready to offer your best guess, simply click on the comments below to "LIKE" us on Facebook to add your guess there.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six

Greetings,

A return to Ordinary Time also brings a return of the monastery mystery tour!  This detail from our mystery item only shows a small part of it's beauty and grace.  While no one is quite sure about the age or provenance of this item, it has been an important part of our monastery for over a century.  It may not be seen every day, but its preservation was important during our 1998 renovations.  Hmmm...I wonder what it could be?

If you have a guess or want another photo to offer information, just drop us a note in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

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,

Monastery Mystery Four Revealed

Greetings,

Our sisters dutifully held back while some interesting considerations were given via Facebook and a good guess on our blog.  The mix of metal and wood patterning reminded some of choir stalls and others of decorative church railings.  But these are combined elements of our Reservation Chapel in the Peace Chapel at the monastery. 

We hold our daily Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharistic prayer in the Peace Chapel while we celebrate feasts and Sundays in the Bishop Martin Marty Chapel.  As we gather for prayer early every morning and return too prayer again every evening, our sisters pause to reverence Christ present among us in the Reservation Chapel.  Throughout the day, sisters have the opportunity to come and sit in the cool quiet to reflect and pray.  If you find the opportunity to visit us, consider taking time in your day to rest in this prayer spot for some silent listening with God.



In the dailiness of our processing in and out of chapel, we can easily forget the work that it took to create the beautiful simplicity of this prayer space.  The Tabernacle and the stands were all designed by our Sr. Mary Kay, who now serves the monastery as procurator.  The icon of our Blessed Mother was written by an artist who at one time was also a sister of our monastery.  Even the stained glass (unseen on the right of this photo) was designed by one of our sister artists at the time the chapel was being constructed. 

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Four

Greetings,

Monastery Mystery Four is a place! There are places in our monastery that are so ingrained in the daily of our life that we don't always recognize the beauty.  This mystery place is seen by the sisters and our retreatants and guests several times a day.  The swirls that highlight this mystery place were designed by one of our own sisters of the monastery.  The clues of location are all in the images!...If you think you have a guess as to where this is in the monastery, just drop us a note in the comments below!

 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!

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!

Greetings,

Ordinary time has begun, and here at the monastery it is just where Saint Benedict would want us to be!  Much of his Rule focused not on the big celebrations or major feasts, but how to live the ordinary, the daily.  The Rule is filled with the structure of how prayer should be said, how meals should be served and by whom, the order of work and prayer in the day, what might be the best authors to read, and even a reminder not to sleep with your knife (every day utensil) at night.  The ordinary is where the life of the monastic is formed.

 We invite you to share in this ordinary by trying to identify some of the items we use fairly often, if not daily, around the monastery.  These two close up shots are from the same machine that has been used in the monastery for at least three generations (I've been corrected,  this has been used for closer to FIVE generations of sisters)!  It is used at least a few times a week, every week by our sisters, and is loved by many more.  What do you think it might be?  Guesses are welcome in the 'comments'!

 

Blessings and Good Luck Guessing!

PS...Retreatants and Discerners who have visited with us
should give others the first guess ; )