Latest Appeal: Vocations and Membership
Prioress Sister Clarissa Goeckner
Sister Teresa Jackson, Membership Director |
Dear friends,
What is the future of the Monastery of St. Gertrude? At a time when religious communities are declining we are taking a look at our future and our reason for being. While the decline in the number of vocations is real it is not the whole story.
The reality is that now as much as ever the Sisters of St. Gertrude’s are responding to the needs of the times and new women are coming to join us in that effort.
The Sisters of St. Gertrude’s have always answered the call to service. In 1882 three Sisters travelled from Switzerland to create a new Benedictine community in the Northwest to provide education and eventually healthcare long before municipalities could organize to do so. As time progressed the Sisters realized that they could hand the administration of these schools and hospitals over to other entities now in place and turn their attention to emerging needs.
For many of us, our ministries of education and healthcare are becoming integrated into new ones. Our culture has become spiritually hungry. In the midst of a chaotic, materialistic world people are beginning to realize that the deep longing they feel is a desire to know God, to grow in their spiritual life, to live a life of community, prayer and balance. St. Gertrude’s is responding to this new need through our spirituality ministry, through sharing our way of life with the thousands of people who come to the Monastery every year.
As the older generation declines, a new one is rising up. The membership ministry needs your help as we continue to be a community that responds to the needs of our times.
Our membership director, Sister Teresa Jackson, works with a constant stream of people who are eager to share our way of life and want to be part of our future:
- We have several women who are in the process of joining Community. When they enter we ask that they have sufficient funds to enter without debt and to provide for their basic needs for the first 18 months as Postulants. For many women this is a significant hardship. Paying off student loans and other debts, securing health insurance, paying for car insurance and other expenses can be a considerable burden. Your contribution will allow us to offer the financial help to women that will give them the opportunity to enter religious life.
- An exciting new program we have begun to offer is the “Monastic Immersion Experience.” This is an opportunity for women to come and live in the Monastery for three weeks, eight weeks or ten months. They receive classes in monastic topics, spiritual direction and an internship in a Monastery department. They live with and fully participate in monastic life. This is a chance for young women to be exposed to Benedictine life. To offer this program requires financial outlay for the Monastery to advertise the program, to offer a small stipend and help with health insurance for long-term volunteers, and to cover the cost of staff time to administer the program.
- Last year we had over 50 short-term volunteers share their time and talent. Many say it is a life-changing experience. This number continues to grow and many of them are women who are discerning life directions. Supporting these volunteers is an important, time-intensive task. Your contribution helps to support the Community as it frees up Sister Teresa’s time to commit to this ministry.
- We have over 60 Oblates (lay members) who are the ambassadors of St. Gertrude’s in their communities. Women and men grow ever deeper in their connection to the Monastery and this way of seeking God. They witness the Benedictine way of life and values in the broader community beyond the Monastery. Further, some women have entered as Sisters after first becoming Oblates.
These are the women and men who are helping us in our ministry of providing the food of the Gospel to a spiritually hungry world. Like the yeast of the Gospel, we are the leaven that permeates all of society with the call of a life centered on God.
Benedictines have been leading lives of prayer, service and community for over 1500 years. The Sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude have been leading lives of prayer, service and community for almost 130 years. More and more people are responding to the desire to be part of our way of life. We are poised on the brink of a new future by being present to the needs of a world hungry for God. Please join in supporting us and our membership programs.
In fullness of life,
Prioress Sister Clarissa Goeckner and Sister Teresa Jackson, Membership Director
P.S. We are grateful for your gift that supports the expansion of our Benedictine community.
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