The Benedictine Sisters formally welcomed Mary Hastie to their congregation when she entered during a ceremony held March 3 in the Adoration Chapel in Clyde, Mo.

Mary grew up in Tabor in the Loess, a town located in western Iowa, and was drawn to nature at an early age.

“At home you could find me out wandering in the hills. I love nature and was always seeking adventure,” she said. “I dug caves into canyon walls and tried to build little huts and rafts. I played in the creek and climbed trees.”

Benedictines welcome woman who answered the call

A celebration of the Eucharist to close O+M Monastery in Sand Springs, Okla. will be Sunday, April 20.

While the monastery will cease to be an official part of the Benedictine Sisters’ congregation, it will continue as a lay contemplative ashram with assistance from Sister Pascaline Coff, OSB.

For more information about the ceremony, please contact Sister Pascaline at (918) 245-2734. To learn more about O+M’s Day of Remembrance and Thanksgiving, please see page 11. †

As the daughter of Protes-tants, she didn’t hear the word “Catholic” until she was in the seventh grade.

“I was drawn to the word and wanted to learn what it was all about. I went to the school library and looked it up in the encyclopedia,” Mary said. “From that point on I knew I had to become Catholic, and I read every-thing I could get my hands on about God and Catholi-cism.”

As she entered her teenage years, Mary began thinking about religious life. She real-ized that becoming a nun was how she could give her entire life to Jesus.

New postulant Mary Hastie (left) formally entered the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration during a cere-mony in March. She is pictured with Prioress General Sister Ramona Varela.

Celebrate the spirit

See MARY, page 4

The life of the O+M Monastery will be celebrated April 20.

BENEDICTINE SISTERS of perpetual adoration April 2008

Page 2 Apr i l 2008

Our Lady of Rickenbach, the health-care facility for the Benedictine Sisters in Clyde, Mo., was damaged during a fire on Easter Sunday, March 23.

The fire was discovered around 8 a.m., just as the sisters were gathering for prayer services. With assistance from guests, staff members, neighbors and first responders, each of the 25 Sisters in residence was evacuated safely to the motherhouse.

While the fire was detected and ex-tinguished quickly by the building’s automatic sprinkler system, much of the interior received extensive water damage.

“Even though the sprinklers put out the fire, the responders were a god-send,” Prioress General Sister Ramona Varela, OSB said. “They immediately went to work cleaning up the water, which was ankle-deep on the floor. If they hadn’t done that, then we would have suffered much more damage.”

Our Lady of Rickenbach, which opened in 2001 to provide a wide range of the Sisters’ healthcare needs from recuperative to long-term care, will be closed until restoration efforts are complete. In the meantime, the Sisters have been moved to a wing of the motherhouse where they will re-ceive proper medical care under more challenging conditions.

“The Sisters are all settled in an area that coincidently used to be the infir-mary many years ago,” Clyde Prioress Sister Pat Nyquist, OSB said. “However, we’ll have adjustments to make. There are several people to each

Easter fire damages healthcare facility but no one is hurt

temporary infirmary as it would be safer to use,” Sister Pat said. “Since there is no designated recreation area at that location, it would also be nice to have volunteers visit to take the Sisters for a walk, to enjoy the spring weather.”

When repairs are completed and the Sisters can move back to their perma-nent home, it would be a blessing to have someone help coordinate those relocation efforts, Sister Pat added.

“We’ll need to transport Sisters, heavy hospital beds, records, food and other supplies,” she said. “It will take a lot of people working together.”

room, the restrooms are quite a dis-tance from the bedrooms and the area is not handicapped accessible.”

Investigators will spend the next few days examining the building to deter-mine the cause of the fire and assess the damage, which includes charred trusses in the roof. Insurance will cover much of the repair cost, but the Sisters will be responsible for a $5,000 deductible.

It could be several weeks or up to two months before the residents will be able to move back in. In the mean-time, the Sisters have been deluged with offers of assistance from kind-hearted people throughout the area.

“At this point a walk-in bath tub would be wonderful to install in our

Paul Davis Restoration is assisting with repair efforts after an Easter fire damaged the Sisters’ healthcare facility, Our Lady of Rickenbach (above).

See EASTER FIRE, page 3

“We have seen with our own eyes the resurrection, where death and destruction do not have the last word and

the living spirit of God rises up in God’s people.”

- Sr. Lynn Marie D’Souza

For a list of requested dona-tion items or other ways to

help the Sisters recover from the Easter fire, please contact

them at (660) 944-2221.

Page 3 Apr i l 2008

Volunteer firefighter Dennis Wiederholt (left) and others helped remove ankle-deep standing water, a result of Our Lady of Rickenbach’s sprinkler system that extinguished the fire. Seven of the roof’s trusses were damaged and much of the interior will need to be cleaned and restored (above). It will be several weeks - perhaps months - before the Sisters can move back into the building.

Easter fire damages healthcare facility Continued from page 2

A fire wasn’t the Easter celebration the Sisters were ex-pecting, but they are grateful no one was injured and the building was saved. The outpouring of help from those in the area that morning and afterward has served as another reminder of the miracle celebrated each year.

“Beginning with our heroic guests and ending with generous neighbors, we have been humbled by the kindness we received and know we have been incredibly blessed,” Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza, OSB said. “We have seen with our own eyes the resurrection, where death and destruction do not have the last word and the living spirit of God rises up in God’s people.” †

Sister Claudia Langhammer remembered for hospitality Benedictine Sister Mary Clau-dia Langhammer, OSB passed away March 26, 2008, in Clyde, Mo. She was born Mary Florence Langhammer on May 30, 1913, in Leonard, Mo. and was the second of 13 children born to William Joseph and Rebecca Cecilia (Peoples) Langhammer. The family lived on a farm near Leonard, and the children at-tended a one-room country grade school through eighth grade.

She learned of the Benedictine Sisters through their maga-zine Spirit & Life (then called Tabernacle and Purgatory) and from a cousin who attended the Sisters’ boarding school, St. Joseph’s Academy at Clyde. She began school the following year and attended for three years.

She entered the Benedictine Sisters in 1931 and made her first monastic profession on February 4, 1933, attracted to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the kindness and fervor of the Sisters. She made her final profession on February 5, 1938.

During her years as a Benedictine Sister, she lived in the Congregation’s communities in Clyde, San Diego, Calif., Mundelein, Ill., Tucson, Ariz., St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. She worked on the dairy farm, in the printery, in main-tenance that included electrical work for more than 30 years, sewing and altar bread production.

As a member of the St. Louis community, she ministered to the guests who visited the monastery’s chapel. Welcomed by her warm smile and kind presence as she diligently per-formed her tasks, many would ask her to pray for their spe-cial needs. She remained in St. Louis until 2001 and was then transferred to the Sisters’ healthcare facility in Clyde. There she continued to sew, making aprons and lap covers, and enjoyed working puzzles and fishing in the pond. †

Sr. Claudia Langhammer

Mary Hastie enters postulancy

Several members and friends of the Sand Springs, Okla. community attended a January event sponsored by the Islamic Society of Tulsa debating the relationship between people of Christian and Muslim faiths.

The event, which drew al-most 2,000 people, was the result of an earlier challenge by a local evangelical pastor, a convert from Islam, that friendship was not possible between people of the different faiths.

Speakers included Rev. Reza Safa, the pastor of Fisher-men's House Church in Tulsa and founder and president of TBN Nejat TV, the first full-time Christian satellite network in the Persian language, and Muslim scholar Dr. Jamal Badawi, director of the Islamic Information Foundation, a not-for-profit group that seeks to promote better under-standing of Islam by Muslims and non-Muslims.

“Safa, who was born and raised in Iran as a Shiite Muslim before converting to Christianity as a young man, said he receives death threats on a weekly basis from Muslims around the world,” reporter David Harper of the Tulsa World Herald wrote in his Jan 26 article. “He said Muslims can freely claim that Jesus was not the son of God but that

Tulsa community demonstrates multi-faith support

everyone has to be extremely careful about what they say about Muhammad or face the consequences.”

Badawi presented the Islamic teaching that religious free-dom motivates area Muslims to develop strong bonds with other Tulsa-area Christians, Jews and Hindus through civic and interfaith work, Sister Kathleen Gorman said. †

Sisters Pascaline Coff (second from right) and Sarah Schwartzberg (right) and friends were some of the almost 2,000 people drawn to a Christian-Muslim debate sponsored by the Islamic Society of Tulsa in January. Credit – Islamic Society.

“I wanted a whole-hearted sur-render, and this was it,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t Catholic and I had never even seen a reli-gious sister, I knew it was the answer for me.”

Mary was 16 when she finally entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, one of the hap-piest days of her life. After at-tending the Monastic Experience in Clyde when she was 18, her desire for religious life was strongly re-awakened.

Mary, who worked as a nursing assistant and in a critical care unit in a hospital before entering, was also active with the National Catholic Youth Conference and taught faith formation to younger members of her parish.

“I want to become a Sister because I aspire to a deep rela-tionship with Jesus Christ and want to spend the rest of my life praying for others,” she said. “I am striving to make God the center of my life and to seek his will in all things.” †

Continued from page 1

Page 4 Apr i l 2008

Sister Peggy Schmidt remembered for generous spirit Sister Margaret Marie “Peggy” Schmidt, OSB,

95, passed away on March 6, 2008. She was born Margaret Schmidt on Oct. 6, 1912

in Orrin, N.D., and was one of 10 children born to Fred and Theresa Dettling Schmidt, both Rus-sian immigrants.

All of the children grew up on the family farm and attended the local school. Sister Peggy faith-fully helped to work the farm, including the milk-ing and feeding of the cattle and chores in the field.

When she completed the eighth grade, the last offered by the small country school, she became a full-time helper on the farm. She learned about the Benedictine Sis-ters through the magazine Tabernacle & Purgatory (later called Spirit&Life).

She wrote to different convents but was disappointed to learn many involved a teaching vocation. Due to her limited educational opportunities she didn’t feel qualified to be a teacher.

However, when she wrote to the monastery in Clyde, Mo., she received a beautiful letter in response. It would lead her to the contemplative community she would one day call home. She continued corresponding with the Sis-ters and decided to enter at the age of 19.

She arrived in Clyde on a summer day in July 1932 and went to work harvesting beans the very next day in the hu-mid, Midwestern heat. Sister Peggy recalled it felt like she

was in a steam bath and wondered if she would ever make it. The weather was not at all like she had experienced in North Dakota. Yet she com-mented, “We had a lot of fun.” After Sister Peggy left home, her oldest brother, John, came to visit her. He later entered Assump-tion Abbey in Richardton, N.D. and became Rev-erend Roman J. Schmidt, OSB. At her first profession on April 18, 1934, she was named Sister Mary Hiltrudis. In April 1968, she was allowed to return to her baptismal name and became Sister Margaret Marie. Through the years, however, she was lovingly called Sister Peggy.

Her presence was a joy and a blessing in the Sisters’ mon-asteries in Tucson, Kansas City, San Diego and Clyde where her ministries were many and generous. She was a dependable and efficient worker, whether in the altar bread department, kitchen, church work department, the picking and processing of dates in Tucson, maintenance, sewing first Communion veils in San Diego, portress or sacristan.

Although she worked hard and faithfully, she always re-membered the balance of Ora et Labora in the Benedictine way of life. Sister Peggy’s faithful commitment to the minis-try of prayer was a very important part of her life.

“I am most grateful for being a member of this commu-nity, for all the care and love that is mine from being a member. I am grateful to God for calling me to this life of prayer and love,” she said before her passing. †

Sr. Peggy Schmidt

Clyde Prioress Sister Pat Nyquist, OSB (left), Tucson Prior-ess Sister Lupita Barajas, OSB (center) and Prioress General Sister Ramona Varela, OSB (right) attended the annual meet-ing of the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses held Jan. 29-Feb. 5 in Ferdinand, Ind.

Hosted by the Sisters of St. Benedict, the conference’s theme was “Receive All as Christ.” Topics included cultural diversity and the ongoing formation and education of the role of prioress.

More than 50 people representing monasteries in the United States and abroad participated, including members of the Fed-eration of St. Benedict, the Federation of St. Gertrude, the Federation of St. Scholastica and the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. †

Benedictine leaders attend national conference

Page 5 Apr i l 2008

San Benito to host second annual Adventure

Learn more about the Benedictine Sisters online

Main Web site - www.BenedictineSisters.org

Shop online - www.MonasteryCreations.com

Listen to prayer services - www.MonasteryPodcast.org

Send an E-card - www.MonasteryNotes.org

Read an issue of Spirit&Life - www.SpiritandLifeMagazine.com

For Oblates - www.BenedictineOblates.com

• Daily evening reflections with

Sister Helen Prejean

• Morning and evening prayer with

the sisters

• Adventures in meditation with

the sisters

• Native American elders and

prayer

• Pilgrimage to an ancient sacred

site

• Big Horn Mountains hike and

geology

• Hiking and prayer in the Tongue

River Canyon

• Evening star watch with the

Milky Way

• Eco-literature studies

Service projects

Teens looking for an alternative to typical summer activities are invited to at-tend the Wyoming Adventure of Prayer and Service scheduled June 23-29, 2008 at the San Benito Monastery in Dayton, Wyo.

Sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and Earth Hope, the experience invites young girls who are Catholic high school juniors and sen-iors to discover the connections among the Gospel, social justice issues and earth spirituality.

This is the second year for the event, which teaches respect for the earth and how it intertwines with the Gospel. Activities include hiking through the Big Horn Mountains, visiting ancient sites and praying with Native American elders.

Taking part in the event will be Sister Helen Prejean, a frequent visitor to the San Benito Monastery and author of the New York Times best-selling novel that served as the inspiration for the Acad-emy-Award winning movie “Dead Man Walking.”

San Benito Monastery is tucked among the woods at the foot hills of the majestic Big Horn Mountains. Set on 38 acres, the small monastery is a haven for people seeking quiet time and reflection in a place located off the beaten path. The sisters spend their days in prayer, cooking, cleaning and hosting retreats for people of all faiths. They live according to the Rule of St. Benedict, which states “idleness is the enemy of the soul” and includes an emphasis on work.

Space is limited to only 12 teens, so early registration is advised. Cost is $300, which includes room and board, and scholarships are available to qualifying participants. For more information or to receive a registration packet, please contact Earth Hope at people_and_earth@vcn.com. †

The Wyoming Adventure for Prayer and Service invites its participants to discover connections among the Gospel, social justice issues and earth spirituality.

Wyoming Adventure

of Prayer & Service

Page 6 Apr i l 2008

The Tucson, Ariz. community hosted the diocese’s annual Convocation of Vowed Religious on Feb. 23.

“Re-Membering in Love, Re-Committing in Faith, Re-Imagining in Hope” included presentations by Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, D.D. and Sister Anneliese Sinnott, O.P.

Several dozen members of various communities at-tended the event, which concluded with a celebration of mass in the Monastery Chapel. †

Tucson hosts convocation for vowed religious

Raised as a Methodist, Sister Helen attended public schools, Knox College in Galesburg and Columbia University. She converted to Catholicism and worked for Catholic Charities. It was during that time she was called to reli-gious life and was introduced to the Benedictine Sisters’ then-monastery in Mundelein, Ill. After visiting the motherhouse in Clyde, she entered in 1956. She made her final profession on March 12, 1964.

During her years as a Benedictine Sister, she served in many capacities. She worked in the editorial department of the Congregation’s magazine, the

Sister Mary Helen Barrow, OSB, 81, died Jan. 26, 2008 at Our Lady of R i c k e n b a c h Healthcare in Clyde, Mo. She was born Barbara Helen Barrow on Dec. 9, 1926 in Galesburg, Ill., the youngest of

three children born to John Dennis and Clara Belle Huffman Barrow.

altar bread department, junior director, librarian and sub prioress.

She was an early member of the Con-gregation’s Benedictine Ashram, Osage+Monastery, in Sand Springs, Okla., which was devoted to dialogue between Eastern and Western religions. Drawn to a simpler expression of mo-nastic life, she also spent seven years as a hermit.

Sister Helen was practical, witty, ready to pitch in and deeply committed to religious life. She valued the life of prayer and saw it as her greatest contri-bution to the Congregation and the world. †

Sister Helen Barrow

The Tucson com-munity was the cover feature of the Febru-ary issue of “The Desert Leaf,” a magazine catering to the Catalina Foothills communities near Tucson.

“Benedictine Nuns Blend Modern, An-cient Practices in Life of Prayer” profiled the Sisters’ life as Benedictines, their vocations of vest-ment making and publishing Spirit&Life magazine and their prayerful presence in the community.

“The article captured the essential aspects of our life, and we have received numerous, positive comments about it,” Tucson Prioress Sister Lupita Barajas said. †

Founding member of O+M Sister Mary Helen Barrow passes

Magazine features Tucson community

The Tucson monastery was the site of the diocese’s annual Convocation of Vowed Religious in February.

Page 7 Apr i l 2008

Sand Springs to present Father Bede celebration

The Sand Springs, Okla. community will host the annual Mahasamadhi Celebration for Father Bede Griffiths Friday-Saturday, May 24-25, at the Osage Forest of Peace.

The event will feature Father Bruno Barn-hart, OCam of New Camaldolese Hermit-age, Big Sur, Calif. His talks, beginning at 7 p.m. each day, will include “The Mystery and Paradox of Sophia, Lady Wisdom” and “Wisdom and Prophecy in Bede Griffiths.”

For more information, please call (918) 245-2734 or e-mail osagemonastery@juno.com. †

Father Bruno Barnhart

Benedictine Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza was a featured guest on the Good Friday edition of American Countryside, a radio program that is syndicated on more than 85 stations throughout the Midwest.

Sister Lynn Marie, who is the manager of the altar bread department, shared details of their altar bread ministry and how it closely relates to their devotion to the Eucharist.

American Countryside offers insight into the ordinary and the extraordinary stories of people and places across the nation.

The Easter-themed program aired on March 21 and is available online at www.americancountryside.com. †

Sisters’ altar bread production highlighted on radio program

A two-month intensive study of the Rule of St. Benedict in Rome allowed Sister Ruth Starman, OSB to deepen her love for the Rule and learn more about the man St. Benedict was.

Beginning in January, Sister Ruth joined over two dozen Benedictines from communities around the world to learn more about the Rule under the direction of renowned Benedictine Rule scholar Sister Aquinata Bock-mann, OSB.

“Our focus for this study was to look at the primary sources that Benedict used to write his Rule,” Sister Ruth said. “Because the original language of the Rule was Latin, we also learned the more prominent Latin words and phrases that were important to Bene-dict. Never having studied Latin, this was a new experience for me. I learned a new appreciation of the meaning of the original text because the nuances can be lost in the translation.”

Since Benedict lived in Italy, the course participants visited three sites he spent part of his life, including his place of birth of Norcia.

She also made pilgrimages to Subiaco where Benedict lived in a cave for three years and Monte Cassino where he es-tablished the monastery that became the basis for the Church’s monastic system.

“To walk in the same place Benedict walked and to see the same mountains and valleys his eyes looked upon was a profound experience,” she said.

While in Rome, Sister Ruth visited several sacred and historical sites like St. Peter’s Basilica, the catacombs, the

Roman Coliseum, the Forum and the Sistine Chapel.

“A very sacred experience for me was to tour the archaeological excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica and look upon the resting place and the actual bones of St. Peter,” she said.

“To walk streets and touch monu-ments or buildings that are 2000 years old makes one realize how fleeting our lives really are and how dependent we are on those who went before us.” †

Study of the Rule leads to ‘sacred experience’ for Sister

Sister Ruth Starman (back row, second from right) was one of several Benedictines who underwent an intensive study of the Rule during a course in Rome.

Page 8 Apr i l 2008

Giving in the Benedictine Spirit

Our legal name is Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration **Specific information is available from your own qualified financial/tax advisor.

Sister Wilmarie Ehrhardt, OSB Coordinator of Planned Gifts

660/944-2271 gifts@benedictinesisters.org

Sister Valerie Stark, OSB Treasurer 660/944-2251 gifts@benedictinesisters.org

Meet our Planned Giving guides To learn more about the benefits of giving and how to do it wisely,

please contact a member of our planned giving team.**

Charitable Giving Spotlight Gifts of Books and Art

We would be honored to receive the gift of a treasured book, artwork or collectible that is reflective of our mis-sion.

Appraisal of the piece

must be conducted by an independent appraiser not involved with the original sale. Learn more at www.BenedictineSisters.org.

More financial planning tips at http://www.benedictinesisters.gift-

planning.org/goals.php

Our Tucson monastery was built on a lovely site in the desert of Pima County, Arizona in the early 1940s.

Designed by renowned archi-tect Roy Place, it is known as the “Pink Rose of the Desert” due to its distinctive pink walls and red adobe tile roof.

Choosing this roof proved to be a wise decision. In the 66 years since the monastery was built, the roof has withstood Tucson’s extreme temperature changes of winter’s sub-freezing to the dry 110-plus degrees in the summer.

Add wind, rain and hailstorms, and the Sisters were grateful for such a durable and maintenance-free roof over the past six dec-ades.

However, this roof now re-quires major repair. There are

The Tucson roof project

The red tiled roof of the Tucson monastery is in desperate need of repair.

chipped, cracked and missing tiles.

The underlying tar paper has also deteriorated. There are at least six different levels or heights of tile roof on the build-ing, which has proven a chal-lenge to repair.

The bigger challenge is to find the funds to pay for this project, estimated to cost more than $250,000.

If you would like to share with the Sisters in promoting Eucha-ristic Adoration and the contem-plative lifestyle or help us replace the roof on our Tucson monas-tery, please visit our Web site www.benedictinesisters.org or call (520) 325-6401.

God bless you! Sister Wilmarie Ehrhardt, OSB

Page 9 Apr i l 2008

⋟ Summer Monastic

Experience

July 5-12 * Clyde, Mo.

Discover more at www.BenedictineSisters.org and

click on Vocation or call 877/632-6665

Experience the balance of Benedictine life

Listen * Pray * Enjoy nature * Slow down Deepen your relationship with Christ * Have fun

BENEDICTINE SISTERS of perpetual adoration

Page 10

Busy Students Retreat

Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza served as a director for a Busy Students Retreat in February at Texas A&M University in College Station. A total of 114 students participating in the retreat. World Day of Prayer Service

A World Day of Prayer service was held by Church Women United, an ecumenical group, in March in the chapel of the Tucson community. The day was dedicated to the women of Guyana and their struggle for a better life. Author presents Contemplation Seminar

Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M presented “Contemplation and Non-Dual Consciousness” at the Benedictine Monastery in Tucson in March. Father Richard is a celebrated author and international speaker who founded the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio and the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, N.M. †

Apr i l 2008

Sisters attend Seminarian Fundraiser

Sisters Cathleen Marie Timberlake and Kathleen Clare Lahl attended the Support Our Seminarians banquet in Kansas City in January as guests of Conception Abbey. The dinner and auction was established several years ago to help offset educational costs for seminarians. The Sisters donated $1,000 worth of altar breads to be auctioned as part of the fundraiser. Good Shepherd Retreat

Sister Mary Jane Romero led a Good Shepherd retreat for 20 sisters of St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada in February. San Benito hosts Lenten Retreat

The Wyoming Council of Catholic Women held their annual Lenten retreat in February at the San Benito Monas-tery in Dayton, Wyo.

Conferences & Workshops

Page 11 Apr i l 2008

harmony is the online newsletter published by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. 31970 State Highway P Clyde, MO 64432-8100 660/944-2221 Publisher Sr. Ramona Varela Prioress General Editor Kelley Baldwin Director of Communications Editorial Board Sr. Virginia Anne Argenziano Sr. Kathleen Gorman Sr. Josetta Grant Sr. Bede Luetkemeyer Sr. Colleen Maura McGrane Harmony is published six times each year. If you would like to subscribe to this free publication, please e-mail Kelley Baldwin at kelley@bspa.us. Please send all correspondence to Kelley Baldwin at kelley@bspa.us.

Ritual honors Osage’s past and present

The Benedictine Sis-ters observed a Day of Remembrance and Thanksgiving at their monast ic ashram, Osage Forest of Peace, in Sand Springs, Okla. in March.

Taking place during the biannual meeting of the Extended Council, the event hon-ored the monastery’s founding and those who played an important role in the community over the years.

“Because it was the last council meet-ing Osage would host, we had a beauti-ful and meaningful ritual of remem-brance with the community,” Prioress General Sister Ramona Varela, OSB said. “The ritual included holding in prayer all who have ever been a part of Osage or have visited for any purpose.”

Sister Pascaline Coff, OSB, who helped establish the Osage community in 1977, said the foundation was like “a dream coming true and being made real through the blessings, prayers and sup-port of (then-Prioress General) Sister Audrey Jones in the name of our Con-gregation.”

The ritual traced the path taken by the five pioneers, from a year spent at the Benedictine Sisters at St. Joseph’s mon-astery in Tulsa to their settlement on the land chosen for the permanent site.

“It was with both the blessing and encourage-ment of Bishop Beltran and the native peoples of the sacred Ozark Land that the small birthing community ar-rived in the For-

est of Peace,” Sister Pascaline said. Then all the Sisters who had been a

part of Osage throughout its years were named as witnesses who have been a vital force in the life and formation of the community of faith.

Given special recognition were Father Jim Connor and Father Bede Griffiths who was the abiding inspiration for the existence of Osage.

“So many names surfaced with love and thanksgiving such as our oblates, Friends of the Forest and temporary members,” Sister Pascaline said. “Those who arrived as strangers and left as treasured friends.” †

The Osage community hosted its final Ex-tended Council in March. Shown at table are (clockwise from bottom left) Prioress General Sister Ramona Varela, Osage Su-perior Sister Benita Luetkemeyer, Sister Pascaline Coff, General Councilor Sister Jane Heschmeyer, General Councilor Sister Virginia Anne Argenziano, Tucson Prior-ess Lupita Barajas, General Councilor Sis-ter Joan Ridley, Clyde Prioress Pat Ny-quist, Treasurer General Sister Valerie Marie Stark and Sister Kathleen Gorman.