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Desire, Perseverance, Making Our Way: Reflections from the Monastic Retreat

Desire, Perseverance, Making Our Way: Reflections from the Monastic Retreat

Desire, Perseverance, Making Our Way Reflections from the Monastic Retreat On a Sunday evening in mid-June, the annual Community Retreat began at St. Paul’s Monastery.  The Sisters assembled in their usual places in the glowing Chapel, lit by the summer sky in the clerestory windows, joined by several Oblates, Benedictine Associates, and me.  The white…
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Sharper: Benedict’s Tools for Good Works

Sharper: Benedict’s Tools for Good Works

Sharper: Benedict's Tools for Good Works “Tools of the spiritual craft.” ~RB 4 How do you know when you need to return to your foundations? Last autumn, my Dad was at my shop, and we worked together for several weeks building a couple of saddles. For us, that means cutting, shaping, and decorating thick pieces…
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New 2018 Catalog

Download the New 2018 Catalog featuring Benedictine reflections, workshops, retreats, and other spiritual resources
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The Erector Set: Adapting to Others

The Erector Set: Adapting to Others

The Erector Set “[The abbot must] accommodate and adapt himself to each one’s character and intelligence ….”         – RB1980 2.32 I’m no abbot, but I am trying to adapt myself to my son’s character. Toby’s a little like a cat—he’s stubborn and private, and I have to coax him to get him to come to…
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Did You Know . . . ? | 35 Quick Facts About the Benedictine Center

Did You Know . . . ? 35 quick facts about the Benedictine Center compiled by Nancy Cicero, Oblate 35. The Vision of the Benedictine Center is to be “a sacred threshold between St. Paul’s Monastery and the wider world.” 34. The Benedictine Center embodies the values of the Monastic Community by: Extending radical hospitality;…
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Writing from the Center | Companioning Writers

Writing from the Center | Companioning Writers

Companioning Writers “So what do you do with your time?” I’m asked. “Write and work with writers,” I say. “What do you mean, ‘work with writers’?” they respond. “I am primarily a companion, someone who walks alongside them as they do the work only they can do.” Then comes the Minnesota reply. “That’s interesting.” Present…
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Transformative Change: Letting God Set the Agenda

Transformative Change: Letting God Set the Agenda

CONTENT CREDIT: This article first appeared at www.pivotpointministries.org and is reprinted with permission. Transformative Change Letting God Set the Agenda When it comes to the human condition and a desire to change, we can become easily frustrated: we think that we want to change . . . but we really don’t. Paul expresses this contradiction…
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WEBINAR: Kindling the Fires of Ministry

Divine Spark: Kindling the Fires of Ministry WEBINAR with Dr. Barbara Sutton The ebb and flow of ministerial life can cause even the most resilient people to flicker. We may find ourselves growing dimmer, exhibiting signs of burnout. We may wonder whether it is worth it, turning to the language of cynicism or defeat. At…
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Stability: The Benedictine Value of Locatedness

Stability: The Benedictine Value of Locatedness

Stability The Benedictine Value of Locatedness An old saying touts, “Location, location, location” as the key to property value. Benedictine spirituality also values location, but not the way your real estate broker might. A prominent Benedictine principle is stability, or staying put within a particular community rather than continually traveling on to somewhere else. For…
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Practice

Practice

Practice We all intuitively use the word practice in at least two ways that we don’t even think about anymore. The first is the idea of doing something to improve your performance for a specific task. I had football practice and my daughter has oboe practice. The second way we talk about practice is the…
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