Peering Beyond the Prayer Book: Getting to Know the Kelleys

Two of the people most dedicated and devoted to the Monastery of St. Gertrude are not vowed Benedictine sisters, but are instead a married couple living nearby. Fred and Jeannette Kelley have devoted themselves to continuously volunteering and serving at the Monastery in every way they can. While they might seem like an unlikely pair from looking at them, the love they have for each other is clearly evident, and just as evident is their love for the community at the Monastery of St. Gertrude.

Sr. Teresa and Jeannette

Originally introduced to many of the sisters through church programs, they eventually became oblates, two of the first eight to ever do so with this community. An oblate is a lay member of the community who follows the Rule of St. Benedict insofar as their state in life allows including men or women, married or single. Over time, Benedictine spirituality became even more entrenched in their lives and thus, when the time came to retire, moving to Cottonwood to be closer to the Monastery became the logical choice. Since then Fred is a regular volunteer at the Historical Museum on campus and enjoys helping the kitchen staff by washing pots and pans (which I can attest is also a tremendous help to everyone else). Jeannette can be regularly found answering the phone and listening intently to everyone who needs her. She also co-coordinates the Oblate community with Sr. Teresa Jackson, a job that never seems to slow. In these ways and more, the Kelleys are giving back to a community that gives them so much.

Sr. Mary and Fred

Fred at one point when we were talking remarked that he always wanted a sister. Today he has about 50 of them through the relationships he has found here. Jeannette too has appreciated being with the sisters and feels hopeful about the future of the community. The oblate community will also help further the monastery, creating a foundation of support for the sisters' future. Maybe other oblates will follow suit, move nearby and assist like the Kelleys have done. Indeed, stranger things have occurred because of the “Benedictine magnetism” as Fred describes it. For Jeannette, the prayer and spiritual support from both the monastery and the oblates has become her favorite aspect of her involvement.

For myself, I have met many of the oblates, and have come to know how great they are as a group and as individuals. Because of this, I am categorically interested in my own potential commitment to a community someday. Being a vowed religious does not seem to be the call for me, but the possibility of living completely as I am and living my faith in the best way that I can (as the oblates do) seems to be the invitation for me.

The ultimate test of a place, in my opinion, is through the image of roots. The Kelleys have found such deep roots in Cottonwood and at the Monastery that they could not imagine being anywhere else. As I reflect on my time here as it comes to a close, I know they are right. If I had this year to live over, I cannot imagine being anywhere else.