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My wife has this plant from South Africa—a “bush lily” or something like that—and it only blooms when the temperature and light are juuuust right. When the flowers happen, though, they look unreal to me; like God gave some kid the box of cosmic crayons and said to have fun. I call them “the cartoon…

NEW Benedictine CARE Wellness Program Launching in September! Written by Teri Rose, OBlSB The pastor walks over to the elder and asks: “Why is it our place to talk about wellness, can’t we leave that to the doctors?” The elder replied: “Because care for the Temple itself must include those that know where to point…

Community Retreat Reflection Written by Benedictine Center Staff On June 13, 2022, the Monastic Community gathered in the dining room of St. Paul’s Monastery for their annual week-long retreat, led by Father Matt Linn, SJ: “The Beatitudes: Key to Peace and Healing in the Worst of Times in our Benedictine Spirituality.”  The Oblates of St.…

Benedictine Associate's Reflection on Father Matt Linn, SJ Written by Sister Karen Sames, OSB, Benedictine Associates Director The Benedictine Associates are in the midst of transitions. Whether it is changing our permanent address or changing semesters at school, or changing to cabin schedules. We have daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly transitions. By the grace of…

Still Life With Moon Mary Elizabeth Ilg, Co-Director, Benedictine Center On Sunday, May 15, everything seemed to change; there was some kind of transformational shift.  After six months of winter, it was finally spring in Minnesota with green buds on the trees, blue sky, and a cavalcade of tulips. I went for an afternoon drive to…

Easter Blessings from the Benedictine Center Written by Mary Elizabeth Ilg, Co-Director of the Benedictine Center [caption id="attachment_11739" align="aligncenter" width="624"] Photo from Catholic News Agency[/caption] EASTER BLESSINGS from the Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery! May the power of the Risen Christ transform your lives and fill your hearts with peace and joy. Several of…

The Spirit is Very Much Alive! Written by Travis Salisbury, OblSB Last month witnessed the celebration of two Benedictine feast days: St. Frances of Rome, and the Transitus of St Benedict. St. Frances of Rome is celebrated by the Church on March 9. She is the patron saint of oblates—in addition to being patron of…

Signs of Spring The School of Lectio Divina Written by Tod Twist Springtime is an acquired taste in the upper Midwest—the warm days with their buds and blossoms team up alongside the surprise snowfalls and the grey rain for a package deal. The Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery had a long-awaited taste of Spring…

It has been a while since I have gone on retreat.  That’s okay—we’ve been pretty busy re-opening the Benedictine Center and getting things off the ground after being closed for eighteen months during the pandemic.  The Benedictine Center re-opened on September 1, 2021 and we have been very happy to see many of our guests…