Benedictine Sisters, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho

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2001

Saving treasures; Nun masters vanishing craft to give new life, value to old books

By Kathy Hedberg
OF THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE

COTTONWOOD - For centuries Benedictine monks and nuns have carefully crafted and preserved books and papers as a way of safeguarding their culture.

But in these days of throw-away books and magazines, few people even consider the value of manuscript repair and preservation.

Sister Placida Wemhoff of the Monastery of St. Gertrude here is finding a small number of people for whom old books are treasures.  For nine years, she has been operating the monastery's modest bookbinding business, tenderly restoring heirlooms, antique books and old family Bibles.

"What I most enjoy about it is not mending school books, which are easily replaceable," Sister Placida says.  "I enjoy books that have an emotional value to their owners.

"I've mended a lot of old Bibles that would have been cheaper to replace, but the owner says, 'Oh, no, I have all my notes in there and I don't want to start over new.' "

The monastery's bookbindery has been operating since the 1930s, when the sisters mended and bound books for St. Gertrude's Academy, located next door to the monastery, where Prairie High School is now.

As books became more available, the sisters' service was used less and less, although they continued to preserve many of their own catalogs, magazines and even newspapers.

Finally the craft faded away entirely in the 1970's, following a general decline of the bookbinding business across the country.

When Sister Placida quit teaching school in 1992, she began thinking about starting up the old bookbindery again.

"I found out that we had enough of the tools left that we wouldn't have to invest a lot of money," she says.

"So I took private lessons from a German lady in Pullman who taught me how to do it, and then I just practiced.  First I practiced on books for the public school system.

"I didn't charge them anything, but I didn't guarantee my work, either.  I made my mistakes on those books."

Since then, Sister Placida has developed a mastery of the old art that draws customers from all over the country.

Although she is in charge of the monastery's maintenance office, she spends the winter months sorting through the requests, many from customers who have read about bookbindery on the sisters' Web site.

She uses several kinds of nontoxic glue, some made from a fine wheat flour.  She also uses knives for scraping, paper and cardboard cutters -- including a huge one she calls La Guillotine -- awls, needles, thread, a book vise, and some bricks.

"The lady who taught me says you can never have too many bricks and boards, because every time you glue something you put it between the boards and weight them down with the bricks to keep them from crinkling up."

She also uses a filament-fine parchment called Japanese paper that is used to mend torn pages.  When the paper is melded into the original page, Sr. Placida says, it is almost impossible to see where the damage was.

Some of the oldest books she has worked on were printed in the 1600s.  A man from  California found a four-volume set of prayers in the basement of an ancient monastery in Holland and sent them to them to Sister Placida to be restored.

"That was a real job.  The guy was immensely pleased and sent me some more and he bragged me up to his friends and I got more work.

"I thought they looked marvelous, but who am I to brag?"

She often has to deal with books that have been mistreated by their owners.

"What just kills me is that people use those precious old Bibles to press their flowers and they leave stains in the books.

"I just throw out all the icky flowers when I repair them."

Bookbinding is not a major source of income for the monastery, but it helps connect the sisters with their past and, in a subtle way, expresses some of the Benedictine values by which they shape their daily lives.

"Just the fact that the preservation aspect has been part of monasticism since the beginning," says Sister Placida, "it's kind of a tradition among the monastics to do this, and it's part of our history, too.

"In a sense, it's not like giving a retreat and teaching people how to pray, but it is this reverence for the things that we use that I feel is kind of an indictment against all the throw-away stuff.

"Paperback books are made to be thrown away, so to be able to repair the good books is kind of an in-your-face response to that.

"And it just makes me feel really good to make people happy that their treasures are being taken care of or put back together."

Putting their lives on the line

Four area residents join the thousands who protested at Fort Benning's School of the Americas

    "Peace is not the product of terror or fear.  Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.  Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.  Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.  Peace is dynamism.  Peace is generosity.  It is right and it is duty."

    --Oscar Romero, Catholic archbishop of El Salvador, 1977 - 1980

By Kathy Hedberg
OF THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE

On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was performing Mass when he was shot in the chest from the back of the church and killed instantly.

In the years following the controversial archbishop's death, Americans began to consider the impact on Latin America of the School of Americas.  The Fort Benning, Ga., school is where it is believed Romero's assassins were trained.

The school, funded by American taxpayers, trains Latin American soldiers in combat, counter-insurgency and counter-narcotic.  graduates of the school have been accused of some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America.  

Among the school's nearly 60,000 graduates are the infamous dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvardo of Peru, Guillermo Rodrigues of Ecuador and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia.

Sunday, more than 10,000 people silently marched to the gates of the School of Americas and called for it to be closed permanently.  It was part of an annual tradition that some say has drawn the most deeply committed human rights advocates from around the country for nearly a decade.

Among this year's protesters were four people from north central Idaho:  Sisters Bernie Ternes and Maria Elena Schaefers of the Monastery of St. Gertrude at Cottonwood and Richard Wekerle and Rick Beebe of Moscow.

"I was just deeply moved by the whole weekend," said Sister Bernie, who returned from the gathering Tuesday.

"It was a very prayerful, touching experience...It changed my life, I think.  It made me more compassionate and realize that I cannot just write letters.  I need to put my life on the line."

Wekerle has attended the protest in past years and is a member of the School of Americas Watch, a group that keeps vigil on what's happening there and lobbies congressmen to shut the school down.

"This is my fifth year there and this year was a little bit different because the base was on high alert because of the Sept. 11 event," Wekerle said.  "Going down, I didn't know what to expect and how many people would be there.  People look at you like you're anti-patriotic because of what happened in September.

"So I was overjoyed at the amount of people that showed up to protest what's happening in Latin America in terms of what the School of Americas is doing."

Throughout the weekend, people gathered in Golden Park in Columbia, Ga., near the military base, and heard speakers testify about human rights abuses in various Latin American countries.

In past years, Sister Bernie said, the protesters were able to march onto the grounds of the school.  But since Sept. 11, a chain link fence has been erected for security's sake.  

Although relations between the protesters and the city police have been mostly peaceful in the past, people have always been arrested for going beyond a certain point.  This year officials tried to keep the protest centralized in the park.

Legal wranglings occurred throughout Friday and Saturday and eventually a judge hearing the case decided keeping the protesters away from the school would violate their civil rights.  Protesters were told they could go up to the gate of the school, but no farther.

"On Saturday we had an orientation and we were told that they didn't know what would be happening because of the change in security,"  Sister Bernie said.  "My plan was to go to the fence to pass the military (and be arrested) but they weren't there.  So about 40 demonstrators did crawl under the fence or go around it and they were all arrested.  Most were released, but a few had to go to trial."

On Sunday, the protesters gathered at the park, each one carrying a cross with the name of a victim of paramilitary groups in Latin America.  As each name was called out the person holding the cross responded, "Presente!" meaning the person was still present in spirit.

Sister Bernie carried the cross of an 8-year old girl who had been among the murdered.  "The procession was led by about six black coffins and people carried them and behind them were women carrying tiny little white coffins that would hold babies.  Lots of babies.  It was heart-wrenching," Sister Bernie said.

When the group finally reached the gate of the School of Americas, several people approached the fence, which they had been told not to do.

Sister Bernie went to the fence and hung on it a banner sent by her community at Cottonwood.

"I was moved to tears when I put our banner at the gate and I got to kneel down and pray a bit," she said.  "I prayed for all the victims.  They're leaving a trail of blood in every country where the graduates have returned."

After the protest, marchers continued to pray and talk quietly, but the group peacefully disbursed and most returned to their various homes across the country.

Wekerle said the protests will continue as long as the School of Americas, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, exists.

"We train the military of Central and South America who brutalize their own people," he said.  "We're looking to solve a problem and make South and Central American governments more stable, but we go about it in the wrong way to train their military who works with paramilitary groups that subvert the democratic process."

Sister Bernie said she will continue to make the annual pilgrimage to Ft. Benning until the killing stops.

"Jesus' whole life he was a troublemaker," she said.  "He was protesting the authorities, and if we want to be Christian we have to do likewise.

"We were crying out in the name of the people that died.  We had to be the voice for the voiceless."

Missouri - Bound

Sister Judith Brower had a new experience:  guiding a week of retreat for the members of Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King, a secular institute of women of the archdiocese of St. Louis, MO.  The retreat, entitled Hospitality and Humility:  Benedict's Path to Wholeness and Holiness, was held Oct. 28 - Nov. 3 at Vision of Peace Hermitages located on the grounds of the former Benedictine men's community at Pevely, MO.  Sister Judith said, "God brought together a perfect set of circumstances:  good, spirit-filled women, a beautiful setting, great weather--and then God graced us wonderfully!  It was a powerful, blessed experience for me.

Response to World Events

September 11, 2001

Dear Friends,

The sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude have decided to respond to the tragedy of the terrorist attacks on our nation. Though we know the terrorists must be brought to justice, we are not in favor of doing that through war.  We have all been affected in some way by these acts, some of us more than others.  Our hearts grieve for those who have lost family members, friends and co-workers, and they are held in our prayer.  Like other communities around the world we had special prayer services and vigils.  Now we feel we must also respond in action.  We would like to invite you to partner with us in this response to our national tragedy.

Our Community has chosen to:

Fast on Tuesdays (because the attack occurred on a Tuesday) in whatever way we choose. It does not necessarily mean fasting from food; it may mean fasting from other things, such as, a favorite T.V. program, or doing lectio instead of reading a novel, or trying to be loving to someone who usually "bugs" us... etc.

Actions:  many actions were suggested and each person was encouraged to choose her own way, but as a community response we chose the following:

Donate money to one of the known organizations that are helping people.  The community will make a donation, but individual sisters are encouraged to donate from their own budget as well, giving it to Sr. Mary Geis, Treasurer, who will consult  with others about which organization to send our donation.

Join in a letter writing campaign to encourage leaders not to choose war as a response.  Sr. Carol Ann Wassmuth, of our Social Justice Committee is coordinating this for us.

We hope you feel free to join us in our efforts in whatever way you can.  We have entered upon a time like we have never known before on our soil.   This tragic event and the situations arising from it are calling us and our nation to a time of faith, of courage and of transformation.  God's healing love will be at work in us, through us and among us.  May God's blessing be with each one of you.

Jubilee - August

Sister Mary Forman Celebrates 25 Years

Sr. Mary Forman celebrated her 25^th Jubilee of monastic profession at the Monastery of St. Gertrude on Saturday, August 11, 2001. Sr. Mary is the daughter of the late M. Neal Forman and Eugenia T. Mis Forman currently of Boise, Idaho.

Sr. Mary grew up in Boise, ID, where she was employed as a pharmacist after graduating from Idaho State University in 1970. Before entering the Monastery in 1973, and afterward, she continued her work as a pharmacist. She also taught released time classes and served in various parishes as a youth minister, pastoral associate, DRE and as retreat minister at the monastery.

Her interest in monastic studies has guided much of her work, beginning with teaching Latin at the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. She is a Councilor for the Federation of St. Gertrude and the past President and Board member of the American Benedictine Academy. Currently she is an Assistant Professor in Monastic Studies at the School of Theology, Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN.

Her research has revealed that many forms of monastic life have been lived through the centuries, each responding to the events of the culture and society. “A truly inspiring surprise has been to discover that the earliest monasteries were frequently established by Christian women, following the example of Christ by establishing house churches and later household communities near major Christian centers in the Mediterranean region.”

Without a doubt, Sr. Mary believes being a sister at St. Gertrude’s is the best place for her. “The first time I drove up to the Monastery in 1972,” she said, “I knew I had come ‘home’. It was a graced moment of deep inner knowing God’s love for me, which has been true ever since.”

She would advise anyone seeking a closer relationship with God to “follow the deepest, discerned promptings of your heart and you will foster joy in this life, even in the midst of suffering, doubt and hardship.

“The sisters at St. Gertrude have a legacy of contemplative awareness, pioneering tenacity and monastic rootedness where, together, we make a difference in the world.”

Nuxoll puts in 25 years -- loves every minute as monastery cook

By Lorie Palmer
OF THE IDAHO COUNTY FREE PRESS

COTTONWOOD - "I tell the sisters they'll have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming," laughed Jeannette Nuxoll of Keuterville.  

Nuxoll recently celebrated 25 years as a cook at the Monastery of St. Gertrude.

"I started out as a sub during Community Week," she explained.  "I thought I'd be here a couple of weeks and I just never left!"

Nuxoll works three eight-hour days per week and helps with the entire meal preparation, serving and cleanup process.

"I love working here.  It's a quiet, calming place to be and I have made good friends with a lot of the sisters," Nuxoll said.  "There's not a day I have to come to work that I'm not glad to come."

Nuxoll also said the sisters have helped her through some very difficult times in her own life.

"Their prayers have helped me so much through the years," she said.

Nuxoll said she learned a lot as cook, too, under the guidance of Sisters Dolorosa and Wilma.

"I learned a lot of shortcuts and ways to make cooking easier," she said.

Nuxoll has only taken off from work two times in the past 25 years.  One was when she had her youngest son 20 years ago.  She already had five sons and two daughters and started at the Monastery when her seventh child was in first grade.

"He came 11 years later - a bit of surprise.  It was like raising a whole different family," she said.  "I took a couple of months off with him and then my husband took care of him when I was working."

Nuxoll's husband of 45 years, Delbert "Clem" Nuxoll, is disabled and was able to stay home with their youngest child.

The second time, Nuxoll took off three months for double hip replacements in the late '80s.

Nuxoll said she enjoys cooking and baking most everything but she's "no good at meatloaf."

Although a lot of things have changed in the kitchen in the past 25 years - from nutrition concerns to serving sizes - Nuxoll doesn't think the work is any harder.

"I'm just older," she laughed.

The Monastery kitchen staff serves an average of 50 meals per day and uses many vegetables and fruits from its own grounds.

When Cancer Threatens to Overwhelm

Monastery's retreats provide a place to begin the search for healing

By Kathy Hedberg
OF THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE

COTTONWOOD - Visitors by the hundreds take part in the various retreats offered by the sisters at the Monastery of St. Gertrude here, searching for healing for their weary souls.

Sister Carol Ann Wassmuth is hoping to extend that healing hospitality to people suffering from cancer.  

Two weeklong retreats are offered throughout the summer to help cancer victims cope with the deeper spiritual effects of living with a life-threatening illness.

"One of the things we try to understand is the difference between healing and curing," says Wassmuth, 58, who herself was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago.

Curing means the disease has gone away.

"Healing is deeper than that.  Healing has to do with the healing of the spirit, the emotions, because as a person we're a complete thing.  We're not just a body, so curing the cancer is not the total thing."

Wassmuth was stunned when she was diagnosed with cancer.  Despite her spiritual background as a nun, she found herself, like most people, in dread of suddenly facing death.

"For me the issue was the immediate fear of dying, of suddenly being faced with a disease that could be terminal.  When you're in your 50s you assume you have another 40 years or so; (finding out differently) is a scary thing."

Wassmuth attributes much of the turnaround of her disease to her walks in the woods surrounding the monastery and to being close to nature.

And through the process she discovered life took on a different hue.

"Cancer is serious.  Dealing with your own mortality on a very realistic level and saying, 'What part of my faith really speaks to this?  Is this just stuff I say or is it something I really believe?' makes you change your priorities.

"Suddenly some of the things you thought were awfully important you start putting into perspective.  You sort out your priorities and start asking, 'What is important in my life?' "

Wassmuth underwent treatment and, so far, remains cancer free.

However, the knowledge the disease could reoccur remains lodged in the back of her mind.

"In many cases those of us who have gone through it are probably safer" because of increased awareness, she says.  "We know what to look for.  So if it happens again it won't take us by surprise."

A couple of years ago she began to consider developing a retreat for people who have gone through cancer or are undergoing treatment, and for the caregivers of people with cancer.

She was reluctant, she says, because of what she thought was her lack of expertise.  But she was able to assist a couple of people who came to the monastery for retreats in their struggle with cancer, and realized with the help of others who have had experience in cancer treatment, it was a possibility.

The retreat, called Seeking Wholeness, will run from Sept. 30 - Oct. 5.  The cost is $250 per person or $400 for a couple.  Scholarships are available for people who cannot afford the expense.

Activities will include individual and group discussions, art and music therapy, massage therapy and essential oil treatments and walks in the woods.

"It will be a chance to get away from the rat race of medical treatment," says Wassmuth.

"You're in and out of doctors' offices and hospitals ... but to be able to back away from that for a little while and take a look inside and say, 'What is God telling me with all of this?  What are the priorities in my life?  If I have two weeks to live or if I have 20 years to live, what do I want to do with that time?' "

Wassmuth says there will also be a person on the retreat team who can discuss alternative treatments, although people who sign up for the program are expected to be under a doctor's care and familiar with conventional treatments.

Brochures have been distributed to area hospitals and cancer clinics, or people may contact Wassmuth at the monastery if they are interested.

"It will be an opportunity to go walk outside in the woods, a chance to be with nature and absorb the energy and the healing power that is right there," Wassmuth says.  "A time to talk about it instead of stuffing it down inside and thinking there's something wrong with feeling this way.

"It will be a time to ask, 'How has cancer changed my life?' instead of it being the enemy out there.

"How do I understand that in my life and make it a growing experience rather than a debilitating experience?"

Jubilees - July

Benedictine Jubilarians Proclaim Religious Life Full of Opportunity

Sr. Bernice Wessels and Sr. Benita Hassler celebrated their Golden Jubilees on the Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2001.

From left are Sr. Meg Sass, Assistant Prioress; Sr. Benita Hassler, Jubilarian; Sr. Jean Lalande, Prioress; Sr. Bernice Wessels, Jubilarian; Sr. Emagene Warren, Procurator.

Sr. Bernice believes that after 50 years, the best thing about being a Benedictine Sister at St. Gertrude's is the time for prayer and lectio.

"Prayer and the support from the sisters has made me who I am today," she claims.

Contrary to popular thinking that monastic life is all about giving up opportunities, Sr. Bernice credits life in a monastic community as having broadened her horizons.

"The educational and other opportunities given me by the Community have been tremendous," she said.  "I have come to a trust that it is truly God who is leading me and I need not worry."

Sr. Bernice entered St. Gertrude's in 1951.  "Having been educated by the the Benedictines all my life I never thought of joining any place else."

Did she ever question her decision to make vows?  "Yes, there were times I was asked to do things that I believed I couldn't do.  However, through the support of the community and my family and friends, I somehow always found a way to 'make' it."

Sr. Bernice believes that God is still calling women to religious life.  Those feeling the "call" need to bring it to prayer and find someone who can be their spiritual guide.

Her advice to those striving to live a deeply spiritual life:  "Take it one day at a time.  Believe that God is real and loves you more than can be imagined.  God will never ask more of you than you can take."

Sr. Benita believes that the potential for an enormous amount of personal growth, spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, is the gift that being a Benedictine Sister has given her.

"The balance of community and personal prayer with meaningful, making-a-difference opportunities to work with others has made my Benedictine lifestyle very healthy and energizing for me."

After resisting "the call" during her high school years, the prayers of her mother, her three Sister-aunts and her Benedictine uncle, "finally brought me to St. Gertrude's, a 'good and holy place,' " smiles Sr. Benita.

Sr. Benita wanted to be a nurse and live at the monastery.  However, her Prioress wanted her to study music and to teach.  This ministry included time in Bogota, Colombia, teaching English.  With her 50-year perspective, Sr. Benita "sees that following St. Benedict's emphasis on obedience has given a fruitful direction to my life."

Was her vocation ever tested?  "Yes, sometimes, when I ask 'Could I do more for the poor elsewhere?' "  Sr. Benita remains committed to her current ministry in Caldwell, ID, teaching people who fall between the cracks of the social services system.  She teaches English and computer basics and helps people earn their GEDs.

"I say to anyone inquiring about the Benedictine Way of Life that it continues to lead me closer to what Amado Nervo, the Mexican mystical poet, proclaims:  

I loved, I was loved,
the sun caressed my face.
Life, you owe me nothing.
Life, we are at peace.

A Sister's Centennial

Benedictine nun's life, work are in God's hands, 'Oh, by golly, ja'

By Kathy Hedberg
OF THE LEWISTON MORNING TRIBUNE

COTTONWOOD - It's no accident when one lives to be 100 years old.  But Sister Philomena Vogler of the Monastery of St. Gertrude, who celebrated her century milestone June 28, 2001, says it is all part of a larger scheme over which she has no control.

"Can you do something with your life?" she asks in a sharp Swiss accent that appears to have blunted very little over her past 80 years in the United States.  "What would you say?  God will give it to you, and you cannot even move a finger if God does not help you."

She places her frail hands into the waiting palms of Sister Angela Uhlorn, who is acting as her chaperone and translator.

"It's all in God's hands," Sister Angela says tenderly.

"Oh, by golly, ja," Sister Philomena agrees.

Sister Philomena, a small woman robed in a black nun's habit whose transparent skin and white hair is as delicate as the Edelweiss flower in her native Switzerland, moved to America in 1921 as part of a group of 23 young novices recruited by Mother Mary Hildegard Vogel and Sister Mary DeSales.

The women were joining the Benedictine community in Cottonwood that had originated from a monastery in Sarnen, Switzerland, 40 years earlier.  The sisters had moved first to Uniontown and then on to Cottonwood, where they established a school and built the blue porphyry monastery that still stands.

Sister Gonzaga Letter, who died earlier this year at the age of 99, also was part of that group.

In the book "On the Way," a history of the community by Sister Mary Lucille Nachtsheim, Sister Gonzaga recalls the excitement of the Swiss sisters when they first viewed the monastery:

"And now ... oh, now, the beautiful moment is here!  One more puff of the locomotive, the train stands still.  'Cottonwood! Cottonwood!' rang out in the quietness of the evening.  One! Two! Three! And our feet stand on home ground.  Oh, here we are."

The new sisters who had not eaten a full meal since leaving New York, were so hungry they could hardly wait for prayers to end and supper to begin.

Sister Philomena says she was exhausted after the long trip.

"You were very, very tired.  You want to go to bed and sleep."

She was born the fourth of 11 children of Konrad Vogler and Agnes Schallberger, who lived on a farm near the Alps.

"It was a simple farmer's life, " says Sister Philomena's niece, Eliane Jakober, who, along with her sister and brother-in-law, Monique and Walter Diethelm, came to Cottonwood this week to help her celebrate the centennial birthday.  "We were working on the land by hand, mowing off the grass and putting it together.  Everything was done by hand."

In the summer the family went to the Alps to stay.

Although the family was devout Catholic, Sister Philomena was the only one of the children who chose a religious life.  

"It was perfectly all right with (her family)," Jakober says, even though it meant Sister Philomena would move far away.  "They couldn't do anything about it, and they wouldn't hold her back, because that was what she wanted to do and that was her own free will."

After moving to America, Sister Philomena returned home to Switzerland only twice.

The rest of the time she worked at a variety of domestic jobs, including at the hospital kitchen, the monastery book bindery, the orchards and the gardens.

She also collected herbs and made them into teas, according to Sister Angela.

Although she now must use a wheelchair and is sometimes confused about where she is, Sister Philomena is faithful to the sacred routine of the community.  Each morning and evening as the sisters pray together in the Sacred Heart chapel and again at noon when they celebrate the Mass, Sister Philomena is brought in a wheelchair to participate.

"She never misses prayer," Sister Angela says.  "She's very sturdy."

Asked what is the best part of being 100 years old, Sister Philomena shakes her head in thought for a moment and then answers, "I would say every day."

"Do you think it's a blessing to be 100 years old?"  Sister Angela asks.

"Oh, by golly, ja," the elder sisters replies.

And then she turns her attention to the reporter interviewing her.

"Would you want to be 100?" she asks.

The reporter replies she would, as long as she was in good health.

Without a word Sister Philomena holds up a spindly thumb and marks the sign of the cross three times on the reporter's head.

"Go now," she says.  "You will be 100."

The Gift Of Trees

"The rain was just perfect," claimed Sr. Carol Ann Wassmuth, Forest Manager at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood. "The 40,000 tree seedlings we planted on Cottonwood Butte last week will really enjoy this drink."

The Benedictine Sisters at St. Gertrude are no strangers to the ways of forest management. For the last eight years Sr. Carol Ann has been in charge of the 1,000 acres of forestland under the sisters' care. This year the efforts were rewarded by the Idaho Tree Farm System which named the Monastery the Idaho Tree Farmer of the Year.

"We have an extensive forest management plan that we wrote with the help of Northwest Management, a consulting company out of Moscow. We worked closely together to make certain that our long-term goals of income and environmental health for the land under our care merged into an executable plan.

"As a result, we have cleared off, and will continue to clear off, the stagnant and dying trees - mostly grand, or white, fir - and replaced them with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, larch and white pine. These species are best suited to the land and will eventually provide income for us and for our local logging partners."

To help with the reforestation effort, the sisters have launched a two-year "Plant a Forest Campaign." This appeal invites people to help in the planting effort by making donations to plant single trees, partial acres or multiple acres of fledgling forest. Over the next two years the sisters will plant 60,000 trees on 200 acres of forestland at a cost of $30,000.

"This campaign is striking a cord among our friends and donors throughout Idaho and the northwest," said Sr. Mary Kay Henry, Director of Development. "The idea that people can contribute something substantial, living and lasting, especially as a memorial or in honor of their loved ones, is very appealing." To date, the sisters have received enough donations to plant 1/4 of the trees.

"We are receiving memorial donations for family and friends, former teachers and sisters. We are also receiving donations in honor of graduating seniors, upcoming birthdays, anniversaries and for Mother's and Father's day gifts," added Sr. Mary Kay.

The area being planted on Cottonwood Butte is visible to drivers between Cottonwood and Grangeville. Over the next several decades the sisters hope that what now appears as brush field on the Butte, will begin to bloom into a healthy forest.

Monastery's Forest Named Idaho Tree Farm Of The Year

The Idaho Tree Farm System recently named the forest owned by the Benedictine Sisters at the Monastery of St. Gertrude as "Idaho Tree Farm of the Year."

The award was presented to Sister Carol Ann Wassmuth on Monday, March 26 at the annual meeting of the Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners Association in Moscow, Idaho. The Monastery became a member of the American Tree Farm System in 1998 after developing a forest management plan based on strict standards and guidelines and passing an inspection by a certified forester.

An important element of a forest management plan is to articulate the owner's goals of a particular parcel of woodlands. The woods adjacent to the monastery's grounds are being managed to provide a healing, peaceful environment for sisters and retreatants. Decisions are made with aesthetics in mind as well as forest vitality.

The forestland on Cottonwood Butte is being managed with sustainable productivity in mind while protecting water quality and wildlife habitat. At the present time this includes the removal of stagnant and dying fir and replanting pine and larch seedlings. Because trees do not grow quickly, this replanting effort is a long-term commitment

Managing the forest for a balance of aesthetic and economic benefits is the sisters' goal. "I firmly believe that is an essential part of the Benedictine tradition," Wassmuth said. "We care for what we have. Our concept of stewardship means finding a way to maintain a balance between productivity for income and healthy bio-diversity."

As the representative of the Idaho Tree Farm organization, the monastery will now advance to a regional competition and if successful to the national contest sponsored by the American Tree Farm System.

Jubilees - February

Standing from left:  Sr. Scholastica Uhlenkott, Jubilarian; Sr. Jean Lalande, Prioress; Sr. Sylveria Weiand, Jubilarian; Fr. Meinrad Schallberger; Sr. Lucy Keaney, Jubilarian; Sr. Emagene Warren, Procurator; Sr. Meg Sass, Assistant Prioress.  Seated from left:  Sr. Augustine Uhlenkott, Jubilarian; Sr. Aquinas Schaecher, Jubilarian.

With a combined 320 years experience, five sisters celebrated their Jubilees on February 10, 2001.  The five celebrants were: Sr. Augustine Uhlenkott, 80 years; Sr. Aquinas Schaecher, 70 years; Sr. Sylveria Weiand, 60 years; Sr. Scholastica Uhlenkott, 60 years; and Sr. Lucy Keaney, 50 years.

When asked to share their thoughts on their years as Benedictines at St. Gertrude's, every one said the very best thing about this community is the devotion to prayer, especially the Divine Office.

Both Sr. Sylveria and Sr. Lucy decided to join St. Gertrude's because of the obvious love and devotion of the community to prayer, and to one another.

Sr. Scholastica, after visiting other religious communities, was drawn to St. Gertrude's by the exemplary dedication of the sisters to God. She believes that "the fidelity and devotion to Mass and the Divine Office is the greatest asset of St. Gertrude's."

Sr. Augustine said that her vocation was tested in the early years. "Good spiritual direction and deep prayer helped me prioritize my call from God." Once she put her religious vocation first, she "felt the affirmation of my call in my heart each time I prayed."

The Jubilarians resoundingly said that becoming a sister today is a desirable choice, as long as a woman is "called to a life consecrated to God." Sr. Sylveria believes that without that single-hearted call from God,  "dwelling on the things of God" might be overwhelming.

Advice from these wise elders on a personal relationship with God or the church was varied:

Augustine: The journey is hard without personal prayer. Learn to know and trust Jesus through your prayer.

Sylveria: Don't lose hope, and always trust that God is present and eager to help in any situation.

Scholastica: Your personal relationship with God and the Church is vital. Whether this relationship is fostered best in religious life, or not, depends upon your vocation.

Lucy: Get a good spiritual adviser who will help you grow in personal relationships.

Sr. Aquinas was unable to comment due to the effect of Alzheimer's.

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© 1997-2005
 Idaho Corporation of Benedictine Sisters
Monastery of  St. Gertrude
HC 3 Box 121
Cottonwood, ID 83522-9408
208-962-3224
FAX  208-962-7212
contact:  Webweaver
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Revised 22 April 2005