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Inside this Issue
Monastic Stewardship
Election of Prioress
Labor Day Weekend
On the Journey
First Impressions
Finding a New Ministry
Benedictine Counseling Services
Jubilee 2011
Ministry Minutes
Newsreel
New Faces
A good steward is someone who takes special care
of what is given. From a monastic point of view,
the reason for this special care is that we recognize
in all creation the loving work of God, and we are
grateful. At first glance, being a good steward may
appear to be a simple task. But this kind of mindful
attention requires much more than a passing
acknowledgement of God’s presence. It requires of
us a daily, even minute by minute, conscious
recognition that everything we have been given is
pure gift and deserves respect because of our love
of the Giver. Everything. Plants, trees, animals,
minerals, waters, natural resources, each other and
ourselves – all are a part of creation. All are sacred,
and the intellect, gifts and talents we each have
been given are sacred too. Monastic stewardship
calls us to take good care of all, because we have
been placed by our God into a holy relationship
with every fiber of creation.
It is from this effort to attend deliberately to God’s
generosity that we are instituting this online version
of The Bristow Bulletin. Much is said these days
about environmental awareness and “going green.”
Here at the monastery, we are continually looking
for ways to live more simply and to contribute,
even in a small way, to the preservation of our
natural resources. This means we are taking care to
evaluate what we have, what we use, and how we
use what we have. One area of mass over-
consumption we have noted is with regard to the
amount of paper we waste. In these days of
continuing technological advancement, is it really
necessary to use so much paper for our ordinary
tasks?
In the ages of long ago, when monasteries were
largely responsible for copying and printing books
and documents, paper was a precious commodity.
Today paper is a throw-away item; make a mistake
and grab another sheet. Copious pages pour from
our printers and copy machines – paper just isn’t
cherished as it was long ago. We don’t think twice
about the God behind the creation of that sheet we
just tossed in the garbage.
Improving, slowly but steadily, our technology is
enabling us to go paperless for many of our
communications. This is helping us in turn to use
less space, reduce our trash, redirect some costs,
and perhaps contribute to saving a tree. And we’re
paying closer attention to the paper we do use:
being careful to use both sides of a sheet, avoiding
printing too many copies, posting a “community
copy” rather than individual copies when we can,
and recycling as much as possible. Limiting oneself
to one sheet of paper can make one very careful of
the words put on that paper!
Through The Bristow Bulletin online, we will be
able to share our life with many more people than
we otherwise would be able to reach. In addition,
future issues will bring you more reflections and
stories from our Sisters as well as pictures from the
monastery and from our events. We hope you will
join with us in our efforts to preserve our common
resources and be good stewards of all that has been
given to us by our gracious God.
Sister Joanna Burley, OSB
Editor
If you do not wish to receive further Bulletin
announcements, or if you would prefer only a paper
copy, please call Maureen O’Donnell at 703.361.0106
or email her at [email protected].
Monastic Stewardship
Because the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia believe in the sacredness of all creation, we claim monastic
stewardship as our corporate witness.
(BSV Vision Statement)
On June 26, 2011, Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB was installed as Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of
Virginia for a final four-year term. According to Canon Law, a Prioress may serve for a total of 12
consecutive years. Sister Cecilia has shepherded the community twice for a total of twenty years, from
1987-1999 and again from 2003 until the present, when she was re-elected by the Sisters.
In her guidance of the monastery, Sister Cecilia is advised by the Monastic Council. During the
Installation Ceremony, the five members of the Council were blessed: Sister Andrea Verchuck
(Subprioress), Sister Vicki Ix, Sister Veronica Joyner, Sister Lisbeth Cruz and Sister Glenna Smith.
In Benedictine monastic life, the prioress is “believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery” (RB
2:2) and St. Benedict devotes the entirety of Chapter 2 of the Rule to the qualities of the prioress (or
abbot). God has indeed blessed us many times over with wise leadership throughout our history. It is
with deep trust and joy that we again place ourselves into Sister Cecilia’s loving hands.
At our monastery, Labor Day weekend is the time we set
aside for all our formation ceremonies. This September we
were busy indeed with four women deepening their
commitment to Benedictine life with us.
Reception to the Novitiate is the ceremony that institutes
the year-long period of prayer and study that enables a
woman to grow in understanding and love of God and the
monastic life. This September 4th we welcomed three
women into the “womb of the community” as novices.
Sister Joanna Burley, OSB, Sister Shirley Ann Arce,
OSB, and Sister Andrea Westkamp, OSB will spend the
coming year in very limited ministry but with an intense
focus on prayer and monastic studies. This precious time
of communion with God in the protection and love of the
community will prepare these women for First Monastic
Profession next September.
Sunday, September 5th, saw the conclusion of the
novitiate year for Sister Patricia Jean Novak, OSB, as
she made her First Monastic Profession at Evening
Prayer. In the presence of the Sisters and with her family
in attendance, Sister Pat made the three-fold promise of
obedience, stability and fidelity to the monastic way of
life that shapes the Benedictine life. Sister Pat’s profession
is for three years with the hope that she will make
Perpetual Profession – a permanent commitment to this
community and to the Benedictine search for God.
With gratitude to God, we rejoice in the vibrancy and
growth of our community!
The Blessings of New Life – Labor Day Weekend
Community Statistics:
Sisters in Perpetual Profession 25
Scholastics: 4
Novices 3
TOTAL 32
On the Journey …….
Sister Vicki Ix, OSB
Vocation ministry is just that
– a ministry, one of welcome,
presence and encouragement.
Each year our Vocation Team
plans special days that will
introduce women of all ages
to our monastic life. As we
look forward to a new
program year, it is wonderful
to recount the blessings of the
past twelve months. There
have been so many!
We met eight new women this year through our
Monastic Discernment Weekends. Two of them
are now in a serious discernment with us. Two
women became Affiliates this past year. Affiliation
is a non-binding expression of mutual interest – an
imaginary tether that reaches from the heart of the
seeker to the monastery. Two wonderful women
began our Live-In Program this year. Andrea is
from Germany and Mary Frances is from Poland.
Both women have blessed us just by sharing in our
prayer and work. We are happy to have them with
us as they continue to discern a monastic vocation.
Three more women have been accepted into our
Live-In Program over the summer months. They
will all move into the monastery during the last
week of August. [Yes, it’s getting a bit crowded
upstairs. That’s a problem we love to have!]
The program year ended with our third Wonder
Week. We doubled our previous enrollment as we
welcomed twelve 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls for six
days of fun, faith and friendship. Purple tie dye t-
shirts reigned supreme that week – on the “Wonder
Girls” and on the Sisters who shared their gifts with
them throughout the week. I survived my 3rd
sleepover in the Subiaco Room. We actually slept
some this year! Wonder Week would never happen
without our two counselors – Marie and Emily.
Marie is a graduate of our high school, St.
Gertrude’s, in Richmond. Emily will be a senior
there this year.
Looking forward now to a new year, we bless God
who builds this house and express our gratitude for
all who pray for vocations to our community.
Wonder Week Participants
First Impressions…...
Mary Frances Majewska
First impressions have both advantages and
disadvantages. On the positive side, they are fresh and
unbiased; on the negative, they may sometimes be
superficial and not grounded in real life experience.
I have been here a little over one month now, so I
guess my impressions still count as “first”. I am a
“live-in”, discerning my vocation and getting to know
the community of Benedictine Sisters of Virginia.
My very first impression of this house goes back to
one December morning in 2009 when out of the
snowy and frosty weather I walked into the place,
which radiated warmth, kindness and hospitality. A
year and a half later, I still consider these three things
to be qualities which describe the community at
Bristow.
One may wonder what the recipe is for such a
welcoming atmosphere and a perceptible sense of
mutual love and support. It is not because Sisters live
here in some kind of artificial environment, protected
from the struggles of daily life, or free from the
natural tension of personalities, temperaments and
backgrounds. No, life here is very real, and represents
the same challenges as found in any other
circumstance where people live and work together.
I see several ingredients of this successful recipe. The
first one is faithfulness to the essence of religious
call, with its centrality of Christ in the lives of
individual sisters and of the community as a whole. I
have been very impressed by how seriously the
message of the Gospel is taken and lived here. From
the principal goal of a religious community and its
ministries, through prayer and work, down to daily
interactions, table conversations and the overall
atmosphere of mutual care-the central values of the
Gospel are embodied here with simplicity and
authenticity.
This mature faithfulness to Christ’s teaching creates a
milieu which bears fruit in the form of the second
ingredient: mutual love. Here it is love, which is
genuine and perceivable, lived and expressed in a
variety of ways - in big projects and undertakings, and
in daily small acts of kindness. It is love which binds
the community together and carries it through happy
times and difficult moments. It is also love which
reaches beyond the monastery walls. Guests are
welcome here with open arms, lay friends of the
monastery form a circle of support, sharing and
reciprocating this love, and even complete strangers
are received with the spirit of the Rule of Saint
Benedict always in mind: “All guests who present
themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.” (RB 53)
The third ingredient which characterizes this place is
open-mindedness. The 143-year old community has
lived through many changes of the modern world and
of the Church, and it has evolved by discerning the
signs of the times and adapting its life and ministries
to the needs of people whom it serves. The histories
of many religious orders, congregations and individual
communities have shown how difficult this process
may be. But change is a sign of vitality, and this
community embraced the spirit of renewal with
wisdom, which I attribute to respectful listening and
responding to the spirit of God, and to each other.
I said at the beginning that first impressions may
sometimes be superficial. It is true that I have been
here only a short time now, but my experience of this
community has been deepening every day, and the
impressions mentioned above have been continually
reinforced.
In his apostolic exhortation, John Paul II said, “The
first duty of the consecrated life is to make visible the
marvels wrought by God in the frail humanity of those
who are called” (Vita Consecrata, 1996). The
Benedictine Sisters of Virginia have made visible
those “wonders of grace”, and have been sharing them
for almost 150 years now. For a newcomer like me, it
feels like a right place where I can learn and grow.
Mary Frances has been part of our Live-in Program since June of this year. For more information
abut our Live-in Program for discernment, contact Sister Vicki at [email protected].
One of the challenging parts about making first profession
and becoming a Scholastic is starting a full-time ministry.
Please understand – working full-time is not the issue; all of
us who are “older vocations” have worked full-time for
years. The challenge is to get the hang of working full-time
as a Benedictine Sister. Gone are those golden days when,
as a Novice, ministry hours were limited to six a week and
we were immersed completely in our new life as a monastic
within the womb of community. Novices may only engage
in ministry six hours a week, but as a Scholastic the
ministry hours are increased to 30, and the work schedule
can take you away from the monastic schedule. Working
with a Benedictine monastic heart means balancing prayer
and work and community – not always an easy task!
My first ministry as a case worker with the Homelessness
Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) was
based here at the monastery, so I was able to explore,
somewhat gently, the balance needed for monastic life. But
although our program had the biggest impact on reducing
the number of homeless persons in Prince William County,
the grant monies ran out and I needed to look for a new
ministry.
My work with the HPRP program led me to consider
finding a ministry that used my law degree. As I explored
different practice areas – Family law? Guardian ad litem ,
for children? – one area kept popping up: Immigration Law.
I had always been hesitant to practice any area of law that
directly represented individuals – the responsibility for
getting everything just right seemed too huge. But my
experience with HPRP had taught me the power of working
with a client, rather than taking charge of a client, and so
the investigation began.
I knew I wanted to work with experienced people in a
successful practice, and I had heard many good things about
Hogar Immigrant Services, a branch of Catholic Charities.
One phone call became a moment of God’s grace; the
person I spoke with said he had just recommended an
expansion of their legal immigration services into the
Manassas end of Prince William County – and here I was
looking for that very opportunity! After a round of
interviews and reference checks, I started Hogar’s
internship program this past May along with two law
students.
Often God’s kindness leads us along in baby-steps, with
each step contributing beautifully to the journey in a way
that may not be clear except in hindsight. As a Novice I
was sheltered in the monastic life. As a beginning
Scholastic I began to explore ministry. Now I am gifted
with the challenge of balancing this life of prayer,
community, and work in the Benedictine tradition. With
God’s grace, and the support of my Sisters and the
wonderful coworkers at Hogar, I am excited to begin!
For more information on Hogar Immigration Services in
general and its legal services in particular, visit the website
at http://www.hogarimmigrantservices.org .
Finding a New Ministry – Immigration Law
Sister Karen Lynn Trespacz, OSB
Legal Services Staff of Hogar Immigrant Services
Sister Karen Lynn is in the bottom row, second from right.
Benedictine Counseling Services is expanding!
Sister Kathleen Persson, OSB
Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB, Prioress, has announced that Benedictine
Counseling Services is expanding its services to include the Richmond,
VA area. Sister Kathleen Persson, OSB, has relocated to Richmond at the
direction of the prioress. Sister Kathleen’s task is to offer mental health
therapy with the Benedictine charism of hospitality and unconditional
regard that is an integral part of both the Benedictine and social work
philosophies.
Sister Kathleen is living in the convent in Richmond with her Benedictine
sisters and offering her counseling services to the greater Richmond
community. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience as a social worker.
Sister Kathleen has worked in Maryland as a Director of Counseling Services for the chronic mentally ill and
has also worked for many years with Capital Hospice as Director of Counseling Services. She has been
nationally certified in Grief and Bereavement and is also trained in EMDR therapy. Sister co-authored the
book, Good Mourning, and has attended and offered grief and bereavement trainings nationally at
conferences for those working with persons with life limiting illness. For the last 5 years Sister Kathleen has
been working with Benedictine Counseling Services in Bristow, Virginia serving the homeless population
and also providing therapy for individuals and couples. Sister Kathleen is certified in Virginia as a
supervisor for licensure for other social workers and has been regularly providing that service to newer
clinicians. She has also had many student interns over the years from universities and colleges which include
University of Maryland, Catholic University, Marymount University and Loyola College.
Sister Kathleen is very happy to be able to help meet the needs of others and hopes to develop a warm and
therapeutic relationship with those encountered in the Richmond area. As the sisters in Bristow were first
established in the Richmond area and have been a presence there since 1868, it is a relationship that the
Sisters find very sacred and one that they consider important to maintain. Sister Kathleen is excited to be a
part of this history through her new ministry. “It is a privilege to be able to bring our services to Richmond. I
feel I will be touching our Benedictine roots,” says Sister Kathleen. “The move is both a challenge and an
opportunity to connect with our founding sisters in a unique way. I have heard so many heartwarming stories
from our sisters as they share their own experiences in the Richmond area.”
Through the generosity of Monsignor William Carr at Saint Bridget Catholic Church, Sister Kathleen has a
private office for her ministry. She can be reached at 804.814.2793. We ask for your prayers that this new
endeavor be rewarding and beneficial to both the sisters and the Richmond community.
Sister Anne Marie Lange, OSB
50 Years
Sister Anita Sherwood, OSB
75 Years
Sister Mary Patricia Herrity, OSB
50 Years Sister Henry Marie Zimmermann, OSB
60 Years
Jubilee 2011
On Sunday, June 5,
2011, Sisters Anita
Sherwood, Henry
Marie Zimmermann,
Mary Patricia Herrity,
Anne Marie Lange,
and Miki Planter-
Bromell celebrated a
combined total of 260
years of professed
religious life as
Benedictine monastic
women.
After each jubiliaran
renews her religious
profession, she places
her written copy on
the altar. Then
together they sing
their act of self-giving
in the Suscipie:
“Receive me, O God,
as you have
promised…”
On the Literacy Forefront
BEACON is on the move!
Executive Director Debbie
Abbott reports that BEACON
has extended its ESOL (English
for Speakers of Other
Languages) programs to the
Woodbridge area in two
locations. Woodbridge has seen
a rapid population growth since the 2000 Census,
increasing in size by more the 40% to over 53,000
residents in 2009. More than 11,000 of those residents
identify as Hispanic, and the need for English
education among the non-English speaking population
has become critical. To answer the need, Carlos Castro
of Todos Super Market and the community of Saint
Paul’s United Methodist Church (pastored by Reverend
L. Wayne Carter) have made space available to
BEACON to offer ESOL classes to those seeking to
improve their command of the English language.
Classes this Fall will be held at both sites, with daytime
and evening options, at various proficiency levels. We
are extremely grateful to both Mr. Castro and Reverend
Carter for their generosity. To make the Woodbridge
service a reality, a few more dedicated tutors for the
program are needed. Please call BEACON
(www.beaconliteracy.org) at 703.368.7491 for further
information about how you can become a partner in
Beacon’s award-winning Adult Literacy Program.
News from BARN It has been a summer of transformation for BARN!
With much gratitude to HomeAid Northern Virginia
and Miller & Smith, a $250,000 renovation project has
been realized. What began as a simple rebuilding of
our old playground became
much more as our wish list of
needed repairs grew. In addition
to a new playground for the
children, a new deck, new
landscaping and a track around
it for bikes and walking have been installed. Inside the
house, additional kitchen cabinets, stoves, dishwashers,
new flooring, insulation in the attic, and new paint have
generated much excitement and pleasure. The project
required the help of 26 different subcontractors, and the
results are beautiful. Our families and staff extend their
most sincere thanks to all who helped to support life at
BARN.
Pastoral Calendar
The Benedictine Pastoral Center welcomes Sister
Andrea Westkamp, OSB. During her novitiate year,
Sister Andrea will work with the Pastoral Center in
retreats, spiritual direction and office operations.
Upcoming and Ongoing Events:
The Gospel of St. Mark
Wednesday mornings, 10:00 am to 11:30 am. First Fridays
Conference from 10:00 am to 11:15
Mass 11:30-12:15. Lectio Divina/Centering Prayer
1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 10:00am to 11:30am. Advent Quiet Day with Father Michael Hahn
December 13, 2011 Samaritan Woman Retreat
A nine-session Directed Retreat based on Chapter 4 of
John’s Gospel: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.
For more information please contact the Benedictine
Pastoral Center at 703-393-2485 or Sister Charlotte
Lee, OSB at 703-361-0106
email:[email protected].
Visit
http://www.benedictinepastoralcenter.org/
programs.html
For a full listing of programs.
Ministry Minutes
Sisters Cecilia Dwyer, Vicki Ix, Veronica Joyner, Karen Lynn Trespacz, and Joanna Burley traveled to Saint
Meinrad Archabbey to attend the Monastic Worship Forum Conference “Ancient Wine in New Wineskins:
Celebrating Eucharist with Twenty-First Century Documents.” Benedictine musicians and liturgists gathered to
share their talents and wisdom and to discuss the implications of the revised Roman Missal.
Sisters Karen Lynn Trespacz and Kathy Persson participated in the Benedictine Spirituality Workshop and
Retreat (BSWR) at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, AL. BSWR is an annual three-week experience for
Benedictine women who are preparing for Perpetual Monastic Profession. The Sisters attended conferences on
various topics relating to monastic life during the first two weeks. The final week was a silent, directed retreat for
personal reflection and discernment.
Sister Pat Novak and Sister Doris Nolte attended the Novices and Directors Institute (NADI) at Monastery
Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. NADI is an annual, two-week conference for novices preparing to
make first monastic profession and for novice directors to share resources. The theme for 2011 was “Listen With
the Ear of Your Heart.”
Sisters Doris Nolte, Vicki Ix, Mary Clark and Pat Novak attended the Monastic Institute at St. John’s Abbey,
Collegeville, MN. Sponsored jointly by Saint John's Abbey and the School of Theology· Seminary of Saint
John's University, the Institute focused on the theme, "Bible and Prayer in Benedictine Spirituality."
Sister Charlotte Lange received the Commonwealth Catholic Charities 2011 Community Service Award for her
many years of commitment to the greater Richmond community.
The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia received the 2011 Family Values Award from the Centerville Virginia Stake
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The award honors community leaders who have made
outstanding contributions to the family.
The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia have received a grant from the charitable organization Support Our Aging
Religious (SOAR!). Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB accepted the $15,000 award in the name of the community at a
dinner held in Washington, DC. The grant monies have been used to assist with the renovation of the
monastery’s bathroom facilities, a need that could only have been filled with the assistance of the SOAR! Grant.
To learn more about the history and mission of SOAR! and their good works, please visit their website: http://
soar-usa.org/
13th Annual Festival of Trees Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 at the Westin
Washington Dulles. The black tie optional event raises money to help
the homeless mothers and children served by BARN each year. Register
or make a donation securely online at http://barninc.org/fot2011.
Linton Hall School’s 14th Annual Golf Tournament Monday Oct. 24,
2011 at Evergreen Country Club in Haymarket, VA.. To register,
sponsor, or make a donation check the website http://lintonhall.edu.
Holy Day/Holiday Sale Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 18-20.
Check our website http://www.osbva.org for further details and hours.
NEWSREEL
Upcoming Events
New Faces Among Us Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB,
prioress, has announced the
appointment of Mary Colgan
Finnigan as Chief Operating
Officer of the corporate
activities of the Benedictine
Sisters of Virginia.
Finnigan has had an
extensive career in
management through her
affiliation with Colgan Air
Corporation, and is well-
known in the local business arena through her work
with the Prince William County-Greater Manassas
Chamber of Commerce. As COO for the
Benedictine Sisters, Finnigan will oversee the
business operations of the monastery and the
Sisters’ ministries.
Finnigan has a long history of association with the
Benedictine Sisters, having served as President and
member of the Board of Directors for the
Transitional Housing BARN program. “I am
absolutely thrilled to join such an outstanding
organization which I have had the honor of serving
as a volunteer for more than 10 years. I have
known many of the Sisters most of my life. I have
deep respect for each of them and truly believe in
the wonderful work of their ministries,” states
Finnigan.
“We know Mary well because the Colgan family
has long been supporters and benefactors of our
community and ministries,” says Sister Cecilia.
“We want to ensure the long-term success of our
ministries and we think Mary is going to be just the
person for this position. Her ties to the local
community will be a huge asset and we know of her
outstanding work ethic from her service on our
boards.”
Welcome, Mary !
Lynx Tales A renovation of the administrative offices and entrance foyer of the school greeted our
Linton Hall staff and families this year! Emphasizing the Benedictine heritage of the
school, the Benedictine Cross is now the central motif of the entryway. The school year
was ushered in with two very successful events: the LHS Family Picnic and the annual
Yard Sale. Four new members of the faculty have been welcomed into the world of the
Lynx: Robin Martin (Kindergarten), Elizabeth Cheney (3rd Grade), Kathleen Hunt (Grade 4) and
Michele Milano (Music/Choir).
Gator Bites Seventy-six new freshman walked through the front doors of
Saint Gertrude High School for the first time as the 2011-2012
school year got underway. The class of 2015 brings the enroll-
ment this school year to a total of 262 students. The SGHS
family welcomed a new Principal this year, Richmond native
and SGHS alumna (’83) Dr. Judi Lynch, Ph.D. Judi holds degrees in English, Education, and Education-
al Leadership and Policy Studies. Previously, Judi was Director of Special Initiatives at the Virginia
Tech College of Veterinary Medicine. Other new faces this year include: Missy Ackerman (Athletic Di-
rector), Amber Berry (Development Assistant and Special Events Coordinator), Tamara Ingram
(French), Roger Spinner (Director of Facilities), Amy Van Sumeren (Assistant Athletic Director), and
Jenny Watkins (English).
Hot off the press! Susan Walker, President, has announced the appointment of Nancy Parsons to the
position of Development Director, effective October 24, 2011. Nancy earned her BA degree in English
from St. Bonaventure and her MS in English and Language Arts from Syracuse University. She
comes to SGHS with over 20 years of experience in fundraising and development.