Peering Beyond the Prayer Book: Sitting with Sr. Sue Ellen

While I was assisting with a retreat this past week, when referring to my help and support the mantra became: “Everyone needs a Sarah!” When reflecting on Sr. Sue Ellen, it seems that this statement still applies – everyone needs a Sue Ellen. Assisting nearly everyone in one way or another, this Benedictine sister helps everything to run smoothly. After retiring from teaching catechism, Sue Ellen was asked to assist in a multitude of areas, most notably with administration and in the development office. Through these two areas, she keeps track of all the birthdays, anniversaries, and other important events and keeps everyone informed of various announcements. Outside of these areas, Sue Ellen helps in the book store and serves on various committees, one of which focuses on relationships with extended members (oblates, benefactors, monastery friends, etc.). Most certainly, maintaining relationships with everyone in these ways is one demonstration of hospitality, a key value of Benedictine spirituality. It is no surprise to me that Sue Ellen is so intimately connected with people after saying that the development office contains her most and least favorite jobs, her favorite simply being the life that the development office has with its remarkable staff. Her least favorite? Sealing envelopes.

Sue Ellen has gained much through being part of this monastic community. She speaks fondly of a time when she was growing up and she prayed to have a sister. “Boy, was my prayer answered!” she says with a laugh. Her religious sisters have become her family, and though not without challenges, she has grown in love for her sisters, inheriting numerous “in-laws,” as she describes the families of the other sisters. While this is a good life to live, there is very real concern about where this community will be in five or ten years. When confronted with this question, Sue Ellen imagines this community will look very different, shifting towards more collaborative effort in conjunction with volunteers and oblates. There is a desire for spirituality, Sue Ellen says, but it does not seem to be lived in the same way as in the past. Some of the sisters here speak of entering the monastery at the very young age of 13 with a dozen or so other girls. In more recent years, however, vocations have slowed down significantly to barely a trickle, suggestive of our shifting world. It is now in times of such uncertainty that the relationships that Sue Ellen diligently maintains becomes of the utmost importance.

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, during which the Gospel tells of Jesus’ passion and death. Recently I was struck by Simon’s role to help Jesus carry his cross, even at times carrying it for him. This relationship is, in my opinion, what we are all asked to do. Not only are we are responsible for carrying our own crosses, but now and then we are asked to help someone else with their cross. We are challenged to help the most vulnerable of our society, coming together as a global family; brothers and sisters in Christ, if you will. I believe that Sue Ellen has tapped into a fundamental idea in our world: that we all are asked to assist one another. We are not only helping with things that have fallen through the cracks, but we are working together to reunite our world so that there are no longer any cracks, no more separation or division. And one way to do so, as Sr. Sue Ellen demonstrates, is simply by staying connected; staying in touch.

Peering Beyond the Prayer Book: Sitting with Sr. Carol Ann

It is Mary Oliver in her poem, “The Summer Day,” that said, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” For Sr. Carol Ann, it seems that she is continuing to spend her life learning and growing – both in her ministries and herself personally. When Carol Ann returned to the Monastery building in ’89 after working in parishes, she essentially was handed a hodgepodge of tasks to keep busy with during her year home. Now 24 years later, each of her ministries has grown into more than anyone had imagined. Among her primary responsibilities is her coordination of the Social Justice Department and Committee. What started in a file box of accumulated mail has become a thriving part of the monastic community as well as in the greater and even global community. Carol Ann has also taken on the responsibilities as Forest Land Manager, her favorite job, and has become the Certified Operator for the Water System at the Monastery, a job that comes with a lot of pressure (no pun intended). Furthermore, Carol Ann assists in leading the music for the Eucharist celebrations. Needless to say, Carol Ann has filled in with what has been needed, and found her own passions in the process.

While Carol Ann originally came with a background in math and science, her ministry work right from the start has filled different needs. One such need has turned into a great passion, that being the stewardship of the land. In Benedictine-fashion, the question initially arose out of discussion of the best means to care for the land entrusted to the monastic community (1,400 acres, to be more precise). It was clear more knowledge was needed, and at a forest diseases workshop, Carol Ann rediscovered her love for the forest. Since then, she has participated in innumerous workshops, presentations, and educational workshops, and I have yet to have the opportunity to learn first-hand from Carol Ann, Master Forest Steward. It is in this field especially that Carol Ann recognizes both her sacrifices and her gains by becoming a Benedictine sister. Certainly the knowledge and educational opportunities have been some of the most prominent gains, yet this has come at the cost of creating a family. Through two battles with breast cancer, it was more acute to Carol Ann how she sacrificed the unwavering support and love from a potential husband. This did not come into consciousness at the age of 13 when she entered, but today it is quite clear what a significant sacrifice this has been. Even so, Carol Ann has made numerous friends through her forestry work and her other ministries. In my experience, she has lovingly chided me on my clothing color choices. Nevertheless, when I see that faint smile over my latest antic, it is then that I truly see the care that Carol Ann takes with all of creation, including me and my bright green shoes.

The care and hospitality of all creation is one way Carol Ann lives the community mission statement, which says, “Healing Hospitality. Grateful Simplicity. Creative Peacemaking.” Simply put, Carol Ann shared her philosophy as “Care for everything as if it were the sacred vessels of the altar.” To care for everything in such a way takes more effort than just one person can provide. Carol Ann has reminded me that we all need other people, and this community is no exception. As the mean age of this monastic community continues to increase, in order to continue to thrive there will need to be a new acceptance of limits. Part of this will be through the assistance of volunteers, oblates, and staff members, but part of it will also be to trust in God’s will, according to Carol Ann. All of these experiences have continued opportunities for growth, for as Carol Ann has put it, “We won’t stop growing until 10 minutes after we’re dead.” And this, to answer Mary Oliver’s question, is what Sr. Carol Ann is doing with her one wild and precious life.