Get inspired and nurture your faith! As the Monastery continues preparation for the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of St. Paul’s Monastery and the 40th anniversary of the Benedictine Center this call to action returns to me often.

Get inspired! For almost eight decades the women religious of St. Paul’s Monastery have been ministering to thousands of students, healthcare residents, spiritual-seekers, parents and families, and women and men hungry to live the charism of the Benedictine tradition.

This pursuit of Benedictine values is alive in the Holy Spirit now as it was then, maybe especially now as the Sisters grow in age and wisdom, offering their legacy to new generations. Hill-Murray School has an excellent article about our Sisters in their annual report. Before our Sisters could move from their many homes on Summit Avenue, the Archbishop directed them to build a high school before they could build their new residence. Hill-Murray (then Archbishop Murray Memorial High School) is a wonderful friend of St. Paul’s Monastery and its Benedictine Center.

Nurture your faith! The greatest gift our Sisters have offered here in the Twin Cities for these last 75 years is the gift of their prayer. Multiple times a day the Sisters gather to pray the Liturgy of the Hours: morning prayer, midday prayer, and evening prayer (in addition to the celebration of the Eucharist). You are always welcome to share in these acts of daily prayer (please call 651-777-8181 to arrange your visit).

The Benedictine Center offers the respite of silence within the walls of our Monastery. In addition to a grace-filled personal retreat, you are able to join the Sisters for their daily prayers and meals.

The Benedictine Center engages many spiritual directors to help all seekers be still in God’s presence and feel the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This spiritual companioning is vital to the mission and ministries of our Sisters.

Benedictine Associates are single Catholic women who pledge a special relationship to the Monastery each year. Benedictine Oblates are women and men from various Christian denominations who make an exceptional life-long commitment. As an extension of St. Paul’s Monastery, our Oblates live the Rule of St. Benedict, insofar as their state of life permits. Please contact Sister Karen Sames if you feel called to the Associates ministry of the Sisters; and Sister Mary Lou Dummer if you would like to discern becoming an Oblate of St. Paul’s Monastery.

In all things, the Spirit is alive and well here at St. Paul’s Monastery! St. Benedict and St. Scholastica: pray for us!