Rule of St. Benedict ~ for beginners

HERE BEGINNETH THE PROLOGUE TO A RULE FOR MONASTERIES

"Hearken continually within thine heart, O son, giving attentive ear to the precepts of thy master. Understand with willing mind and effectually fulfil thy holy father’s admonition; that thou mayest return, by the labour of obedience, to Him from Whom, by the idleness of disobedience, thou hadst withdrawn. To this end I now address a word of exhortation to thee, whosoever thou art, who, renouncing thine own will and taking up the bright and all-conquering weapons of obedience, dost enter upon the service of thy true king, Christ the Lord."

St. Benedict starts his Rule off as a welcome to comers to the monastery. 

We are looking forward to welcoming a new Postulant on Monday. 

So lets give the Lord the ear of thine heart, and listen to what is calling us to for the greater glory of His Kingdom. 

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Beginning Our Retreat

This evening we begin our community retreat through the morning of Thursday, September 13. 

We ask your prayers for us while we spend this special time of silence and prayer with the Lord and for our retreat master, Father James Hess, OCarm, that he may truly be an instrument of the Holy Spirit during these days.

While we are on retreat, we have prepared a "mini" retreat for you with reflections based on the Rule of St. Benedict so that you might join in our prayer in a special way.

Know that we hold you and your intentions in our prayer.  God bless!

Congratulations, Bishop-elect Persico

We extend our prayers and best wishes to Bishop-elect Lawrence T. Persico, the newly named 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Erie.  The loss of the Diocese of Greensburg is a tremendous blessing to the Diocese of Erie. 

Bishop-elect Persico served as chaplain here at St. Emma Monastery from February 11, 1988 until January 27, 1998, when he was named pastor of St. James Church, New Alexandria, PA. 

May the Lord abundantly bless your ministry, Bishop-elect Persico.  Please be assured of our prayers now, as you prepare to begin this new ministry as shepherd of the Diocese of Erie as well for many more years of fruitful work and ministry in this vineyard of the Lord.

I will give you a new heart...

I will give you a new heart

and place a new spirit within you,

taking from your bodies your stony hearts

and giving you natural hearts...

(Ezechial 36:26)

We prayed the above verses during our anticipated Vigils for the Second Sunday of Lent just a few hours after we learned that our volunteer who had received the total artifical heart replacement would be receiving a donor heart that very evening.  To say the least, there were moist eyes and voices that didn't know if they could carry on when we came to these line of text.

The surgery went well and his new heart is doing exactly what it is supposed to:  beating well and strong.  To see the blip go across the monitor and know that it is a real live heart in there beating was a tremendous experience for several of us this afternoon, and we thank God with his family for this gift of life.

We also send out our prayers for the donor and his family who made this gift of life possible.  May you be comforted by our loving Father's embrace and in knowing so many people are grateful for this final gift.

A Wonderful Heart

One week ago, one of our big-hearted volunteers had three major heart attacks within a 12 hour period.  The first one likely during late Sunday night/early Monday morning, one at his doctor's office and the third while undergoing heart catherization at a local hospital. 

The first left him incredibly weak -- and it seems that he was unaware that he had it.  The second one in the doctor's office got him an ambulance ride with police escort to the nearest hospital.  The third one had medical personnel performing CPR for 45 minutes while they hooked him up to a heart-lung bypass machine, and earned him a trip with a specialized ambulance crew to Allegheny General Hospital, and as of Friday he now has an artificial heart.

Ironically it was on Valentine's Day that this wonderful man -- known for having a B-I-G heart, was determined to need a heart transplant.  With no donor heart available, he received a titanium artifical heart on the way to a future heart transplant.

As you may be becoming more and more aware, our volunteers are not just individuals that come in and help -- they are truly a part of our family. 

We ask your prayers for him, and the nurses and doctors caring for him, and his family.  May God bless you!

May angels guide you and bring you into paradise...

1914 - 2012

R.I.P.

The "dress rehearsal" of a few months ago when Sr. Gaudentia became extremely ill and was placed on hospice (for the 3rd time), did nothing to prepare us for the reality of truly having to say "Auf Wiedersehen" ("until we meet again").  That reality came yesterday afternoon shortly before 12:30. 

We had an overnight group and had literally finished serving the meal and the first round of coffee when the community was summoned from the retreat kitchen and dining room (as well as several other corners) that Sister Gaudentia would shortly meet her Bridegroom.  (Our tremendous volunteers took over our hospitality so that we could be with Sister during those final moments.)

For those who know Sister Gaudentia, this is not surprising.  For 50+ years she worked in the monastic refectory (dining room) at St. Vincent Archabbey (Latrobe, PA)  from 1934 - 1987, coming out to St. Emma's with the last group of Sisters.  Here at St. Emma's she served an additional 10 years in our monastic refectory as well as in our retreat dining room until her health declined.  Her care and concern for the needs of others cannot begin to be adequately described.

We shall dearly miss her warm smile, joyful presence and the peace and prayerfulness one sensed in her being.

Dear Sister Gaudentia, may the angels guide you and bring you into paradise...  You shall indeed be sorely missed.  Know that we love you and rely on your prayers for us from the other side of the veil...

The end doesn't seem to be so near...

We just learned on Monday that Sr. Gaudentia is being "kicked-off" of hospice -- for the third time!  It's hard to imagine how as sick and frail as she was several months ago that she could be back to her old self. 

Perhaps she took a lesson from our founding Prioress, Mother Leonarda.  When a deacon at St. Vincent Seminary asked her a week before she died what she attributed her success to, she responded, "German stubbornness," which of course was coupled with a strong spritual life.

May we all take an example from these two women of faith and realize that our true strength is found in the Lord.

Sr. Gaudentia still hanging in there

Two weeks ago, we all believed the end was much closer than it was.  For now, Sr. Gaudentia is stablized and has had some good days where she entertains us with her singing and gives us one of her wonderful smiles. 

We treasure these days.  Who knows, maybe this is just another time she will beat the odds (she's been "kicked off" hospice twice before) and be around for some time. 

Whatever the length of time the Lord gives us with her, we are grateful.  And we are grateful to all of you who have been holding her and us in your prayers.  God bless you!

Beginning to Say Good-bye

Friday was a different day.  Our 97-year-old Sr. Gaudentia was her normal, usual – if sleepy – self.  Then it was like someone turned off a switch.  She began to have difficulty breathing and indicated she had chest pain and was terribly cold and shivering even though she was recording a 101º temperature.  After she vomited, she stabilized some, but we could still see that something was not right. 

An ambulance ride to the ER revealed that she had turned a corner and now was preparing for her final passage from this world to eternal life.  She came home that same evening on hospice.  There’s some part of us that would really like to see her get kicked off hospice for a third time because she’s doing too well, but we also realize the deeper reality that she is ready to enter into the embrace of her Heavenly Bridegroom.

We’ve individually or together have begun to shed our tears and begun the process of saying good-bye.  This will not be easy for us as a community.  Sr. Gaudentia is the last of our foundation stones; our last living link with our history.    And so we ask your prayers both for her and for us as we assist her on this last portion of her journey. 

God reward you, Sr. Gaudentia, for your 78 years of monastic profession and for all that you are and all that you have been and done for us individually and as a community.  May the Good Shepherd who you loved so well here on earth, lift you gently onto his sacred shoulders and carry you home.

Happy 78th Profession Anniversary, Sr. Gaudentia!

(pictured above renewing her vows on her 70th anniversary) 

Sr. Gaudentia entered our motherhouse, Abtei St. Walburg, Eichstaett, Germany, at the tender age of 17 and at 19 made her first monastic profession at age 19.  Just 1-1/2 months shy of her 20th birthday, Sr. Gaudentia left Germany to come to St. Vincent Archabbey, Seminary and College, Latrobe, PA where our Sisters served in the kitchens and dining rooms. 

For over 50 years, Sr. Gaudentia was in charge of the monk's refectory and became an "unofficial" Novice Mistress to the monks who were in formation.  Even today, we hear stories about her influence on their lives.  She was in the last group to come to St. Emma's in 1987.

We are blessed to have Sr. Gaudentia with us today.  She is our last living link to our founding Sisters who provided us with the firm foundation upon which we build today.  While declining health robs Sr. Gaudentia is her ability to fully participate in our liturgies, her prayerfulness, her smile, her gratitude speak volumes to us of what it means to be a lover of Jesus.

Thank you, Sr. Gaudentia, for your example and we ask God to bless you abundantly today and always...