The United States Secretariat of the Alliance for

aim
usa
The United States Secretariat of the Alliance for International Monasticism
www.aim-usa.org Volume 18 No. 3 2009 aim@aim-usa.org
In the beginning
before the ages,
the Word was God
and today
this Word
is born
a Savior
of the world.
Monasterio Trapense
Santa Maria
de la Esperanza,
Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Reflections on Africa
by Sister Norma Reiplinger, OSB
As part of the AIM USA’s African Women’s Commission
Sr. Kathryn Huber, OSB, and I visited the African Benedictine
Sisters of St. Agnes in Tanzania. They
have two major communities–the
Imiliwaha Convent has about 450 sisters
and the Chipole Convent about 375.
The community had large buildings
and the space between them was mostly
paved, which helped during the rainy
season, given the red mud of the ground.
The sisters were delightful. Despite
the rigidity of schedule, each sister has
her own personality. As it was, we talked
mainly to those sisters who knew English
and helped many others with their English.
We didn’t have any real “tasks.” It was mainly being with the
sisters and interacting. Often we helped in the daily tasks, ie: shelling
peas and helping with meals. The community has electricity 24
hours a day. A German man built them a dam which furnishes all
their power. He finished it despite dying of cancer.
Briefs
• The Missionary Benedictine
Sisters community in Peramiho,
Tanzania produced a 50-minute
CD of their African prayer and
music, “Kwa Neema Ya Mungu”
(By the Grace of God). Its thirteen
tracks are a blend of both upbeat
and meditative songs accompanied
by drums and keyboard.
All proceeds from their
music will support the ministries
of these sisters. Both bookstores and individuals can contact Linda
Kerkman, a Benedictine oblate, who is handling the sales in the
US. kerkmanlinda@hotmail.com
• AIM USA recently received generous donations from the
wills of two longtime, faithful donors. These “unexpected
gifts” did much to boast our spirits in these difficult financial
days and added greatly to the grants we can support this year.
Thank you for considering our worldwide monastic family in
your long-term planning.
• Our 16-minute DVD on the works of AIM,
especially the USA secretariat, is available at
no cost, to groups and individuals. Just ask:
email, phone or write.
• To see any issue of the AIM USA newsletter
in full color go to our website: www.aim-usa.org
AIM USA
Sr. Norma Reiplinger, OSB, (left) and Sr. Kathryn Huber, OSB,
(right) in Africa.
They have an all-electric bakery, a grain-grinding plant
(selling services to the people from the villages near them), a
pig farrowing barn, a vestment-making operation, shoe-repair
shop, dispensary, pharmacy, primary school, secondary school,
trade school and orphanage. Some of these buildings are in
disrepair. It’s always a matter of good
intentions without the money. The
grounds were very well maintained.
There were flowers everywhere and in
very artistic plant arrangements.
The community has a formation
house, guest house, huge pig barns (hogs
for sausage), and many grain and animal
grazing farms away from this main section.
Probably the most memorable
experience of our time there was being
with the community to celebrate the
candidates becoming postulants,
postulants to novices, first vows and final vows. The first two
ceremonies took about 2 hours each. The last two took about 4
hours each–over the course of 4 days. The music was great, with
small girls dancing, drumming and singing in parts. All in all there
were about 30 young women involved in these ceremonies.
Parish Mission Appeal
A quiet rural field of corn and wheat greeted me on the weekend
of July 18 th and 19 th as I set out for the 2009 AIM Mission Appeal at
Holy Family Parish in Brillion, Wisconsin. This peaceful and beautiful
setting is a parish of 900 families. This parish community provided
hospitality to me as I delivered the messages of Sister Priscilla, a
A Marian shrine at Holy Family parish in Brillion, WI.
member of the Benedictine Sisters of Twasana, South Africa, Father
Filomeno, a member of a Trappist community at Our Lady of the
Philippines Abbey on the island of Guimaras, and Sister Vera, a
Benedictine Sister from the Monastery of Salvador in Brazil.
I was at St. John–Sacred Heart Parish on August 29 th and 30 th .
That weekend I spoke at 5 different parishes served by one pastor.
AIM USA seeks to allow each of us to live as a monastic
presence in our own small way through personal connections and
parish communities like those I visited. AIM USA challenges us to
enter into partnership with people of faith around the world,
sharing hopes and dreams and living in peace as friends, as befits
followers of Christ. —Andy Kukec–OSB Oblate
2
Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)

November 2009 AIM USA Sponsored Grants
Benedictine monks, Madagascar
• Books for the Divine Office
Benedictine sisters, South Africa
• One year course for new novice mistress
Benedictine sisters, Togo
• A Sister’s training as an infirmarian
Benedictine monks, India
• A protective wall to replace wire fencing
Benedictine sisters, India
• Course in Biblical Formation program
Benedictine sisters, Philippines
• Replacement of cement kitchen, ovens
Camaldolese monks, Brasil
• Publication of spirituality books in Portuguese
AIM USA 2010 Lenten Appeal
Electric organ for chapel, computer and printer for formation
study program of 18 sisters
Benedictine sisters, Kottayam, India
Establishment of a printing shop
Benedictine sisters, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Projector for spirituality presentations to oblates and retreat guests
Cistercian monks , Chada, Chile
Monastic studies and English language study
Benedictine sisters, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa
Meet a North American Community
Saint Benedict’s
Monastery
St. Joseph, MN
Schola practice at Saint Benedict’s Monastery.
The sisters of Saint Benedict Monastery in St. Joseph,
Minnesota, trace their roots to Eichstätt, Bavaria, from which
foundress Mother Benedicta Riepp and other sisters emigrated to
St. Marys, Pennsylvania, in 1852. Six sisters then answered the call
to serve European settlers and establish a Benedictine community
on the frontier of Central Minnesota in 1857. At the invitation of the
people of St. Joseph in 1863, the sisters moved to this frontier town
(then called Clinton), where they built their monastery.
The community founded 11 houses of Benedictine women, the
first being Atchison, KS (1863) and the last being Puerto Rico (1955).
Between 1857 and 1957, Saint Benedict’s Monastery
established the College of Saint Benedict, four high schools,
fifty-one grade schools, three hospitals, a school of X-ray
technology, a school of anesthesia, a nursing school, four missions
abroad and three Native American missions. Sacred Heart
Chapel, built in 1913 and renovated in 1983, with its 83-foot
dome and welcoming, bright spaces is a landmark in the greater
community.
Saint Benedict’s has continued the traditional ministries of
education and health care alongside new and more diverse ministries,
such as pastoral ministry, spiritual ministries, social justice, research
and writing, the arts and liturgical renewal. The sisters are committed
to enriching the spiritual lives of others, especially women. They
recognize the desire for a relationship with God as a deeply felt
human need; it is also at the heart of monastic life.
On the monastic campus, the sisters currently run a
Spirituality Center, a Scholars in Residence program, an Art and
Heritage Place, which includes studios for sister artists, the
Haehn Museum and Whitby Gift
Shop and Gallery. In 2010, the
Haehn Museum will feature
“Mission to China,” an exhibit
recognizing the 80 th anniversary of
the sisters’ mission to China. Six
sisters were sent to China in 1930.
They attempted to start a school and
establish a monastery in two
locations before fleeing China in
1949 following the communist
revolution. They settled in Taipei,
Taiwan, where there is a monastery
to this day, St. Benedict Monastery.
The Spirituality Center offers retreats and programs and
includes Subiaco Hermitage, a small cabin for individual,
private retreats. The monastery also sponsors Common Ground
Garden, which was started by Sister Phyllis Plantenberg in
1993 as a community garden where the sisters, faculty and
townspeople grew food together. It soon reorganized as
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) with a full-time
gardener and a staff of mainly college students. Members buy
a subscription to receive a “share” of the produce every week
during the 18-week season. There is also a subscription for
artisan bread and eggs when available—the last week’s harvest
usually includes honey.
Saint Scholastica Convent in St. Cloud is the assisted
living facility for older sisters and those who need more care. It
is located in a beautiful, rural, home-care setting. Most of the
residents continue to live in small living groups there and
participate in the daily Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharist.
Learn more about the community at its web page
sbm.osb.org or at the blog stbensisters.blogspot.com
Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)
3

AIM International Council Meets at US Secretariat
The annual November AIM International Council meeting
was held at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery in Erie, PA. It was the
second time the two-day November meeting was held in the USA
but only the first time at the sponsoring
monastery of the US Secretariat. The
Council met in three joint sessions with
the US Board of Trustees. Both groups
also met separately to attend to annual
business.
In their joint sessions the groups
heard updates on monastic communities
that have been founded in the United
States since 1960, and communities
founded outside of the United States by
US abbeys and monasteries. Sr. Gisela
Happ, OSB, Secretary General of AIM,
shared extensive information on the latest
grant requests received at the AIM International
offices in Vanves, France,
outside of Paris.
Most interesting was a morning
panel which began with presentations by
five Council and Board members on
ongoing formation efforts and experiences
within their congregations and
communities. After their presentations
an open forum of further experiences,
concerns and questions led to much discussion and idea-sharing on
this important issue of community life.
The Council members who arrived early were able to visit
various corporately-sponsored ministries of the Benedictine Sisters
of Erie, the AIM USA book service system, and the Tom Ridge
Environmental Center, a family-friendly research and information
Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, visits with AIM President, Fr. Martin Neyt, OSB, and Abbot Ugo Tagni, OCist.
center on environmental topics, particularly those of the Great
Lakes region and Erie’s Presque Isle State Park.
Attending the 2009 AIM meeting were Council members:
Abbots John Denburger, OCSO, and Timothy Kelly, OCSO, with Erie Benedictine Sisters Bernadette and Cecilia
Sullivan, OSB.
Sr. Aquinata Böckmann, OSB, Missionary Benedictines of
Tutzing; Fr. Mark Butlin, OSB, AIM International team; Sr. Placid
Dolores, OSB, AIM International office; Sr. Gisela Happ, OSB,
Secretary General of AIM; Sr. Judith Heble, OSB, CIB Moderator;
Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB, President: American Cassinese
Congregation; Abbot Timothy Kelly, OCSO, Procurator General:
Trappists; Fr. Martin Neyt, OSB, President of
AIM; Archabbot Jeremias Schröder, OSB,
President: St. Ottilien Congregation; Abbot Ugo
Tagni, OCist, Rector: St. Bernard College; Abbot
Armand Veilleaux, OCSO, Abbey of Scourmont;
Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, OSB, Sant’
Anselmo; Sr. Adelaida Ygrubay, OSB, Vicaress,
Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing.
AIM USA Board of Trustees members in
attendance were: Abbot John Denburger, OCSO,
Our Lady of Genesee; Archabbot Justin DuVall,
OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey; Sr. Michaela
Hedican, prioress: St. Bede Monastery; Sr. Kathryn
Huber, OSB, AIM USA Board president; Abbot
Neal Roth, St. Martin’s Abbey; Prior Konrad
Schaefer, OSB, Monasterio NS de Los Angeles;
Abbot Paul Mark Schwan, OCSO, Abbey of New
Clairvaux; Sr. Anne Shepard, OSB, prioress:
Mount St. Scholastica Monastery; Sr. Christine
Vladimiroff, OSB, prioress: Mount St. Benedict
Monastery; Sr. Susan Doubet, OSB, AIM USA.
4 Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)

From Our Mission Monasteries
Monasterio Trapense Santa María de Miraflores, Chile
Monastic life in the Benedictine tradition was not part of
colonial Chile, although Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans and
others have always played an important part in evangelization,
right up to the present. The first successful Benedictine
establishment, now the Abadía de la Santísima
Trinidad de Las Condes, was made in 1938, first by
monks from England and later from Germany. Our
own OCSO community is the second monastery in
Chile, founded in 1960 from St. Joseph’s Abbey,
Spencer, MA. In 1966, Our Lady of Gethsemani
Abbey in Kentucky assumed the paternity of our
monastery and aided us substantially for a number
of years.
The first location of our monastery at La
Dehesa, just outside Santiago, in time came to be
seen as provisional, given the continued expansion
of the capital. Santiago was growing around us—
encircling us and we did not find this a setting
conducive to our Trappist way of life. The
community undertook the process of relocating,
completed in 1986 with the move to Miraflores,
near the city of Rancagua, 80 km (50 miles) south of
Santiago.
In this beautiful and conveniently located spot,
the final transition from foundation to locally
autonomous community nears completion. All offices, including
that of prior, are presently filled by vocations nurtured in the local
community. Several of the founding monks are still with us but the
majority of the 20 members are Chilean. Among the latter are three
priests, five other solemnly professed, three juniors and one novice.
While our community focus is monastic, with no claim to
apostolic activity, from the
beginnings in La Dehesa there
was always keen sensibility
regarding the social inequalities
observable within walking
distance of the monastery. During
our first years, Chile, a land where
democratic traditions were
understood, underwent a social
upheaval, going from attempted
reforms, to a Marxist regime, to a
military takeover and 16 years of
dictatorship. It was impossible
not to relate our monastic life to
the dire straits of the people who
came to us for help.
A worker on the community farm.
The moment for undertaking
the move to a new location
coincided with a certain clarity regarding possible responses
to the social crisis around us. Within a brief time it was decided that
proceeds from sale of the La Dehesa property which would exceed
our needs of relocation, should be earmarked for low cost housing
by Prior Jesús Diez-Caballero, OCSO
for the many who otherwise would not foreseeably attain it. This
decision set in motion a careful process, which after unavoidable
delays, finally bore fruit in 1991, in the form of a civilly established
Foundation administered by local professionals, under whose
Trappist monks of Miraflores at work in their kitchen.
mandate the housing venture has proceeded and continues, with
results surpassing expectations.
The sale of La Dehesa also gave us the funds to invest in the
farm at Miraflores, and eventually establish industries adapted to
the monastic routine. The harvest from the farm is mainly used in
the monastery. Besides farm operations now handled largely
by employees, remunerative
community work presently
centers in a large-scale production
of fine chocolates and
honey. The candy and honey are
sold at local stores.
In the last 20 years Chile
has changed greatly with much
material progress. At the same
time the country is no stranger
to the agnostic, secularizing
tendencies of the age, which
engulf especially the younger
generation. It would seem that
the unpretentious witness of
monastic life could prove
timely, at a point where the
traditional Catholic subculture
of the country must quickly rework and renew its symbols. It
would appear that as Latin America takes hold of its destiny from
the grassroots, a serious monastic presence can testify to the
truest longings, and to the gift of faith which meets them.
Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)
5

Letters—Worth Noting....Worth Quoting
Recently, twins Anna and Frank, 12 days old, came to us from a
neighboring district. Their mother had died four days after giving birth
—there were six other children at home.
The children seemed to be doing well but
Frank did have a fungus on his lips, thrush
in his mouth and a discharge from his eye.
Someone from the clinic visited
Frank and he seemed to be improving but
the following morning his condition
changed. We took Frank to the health
centre immediately but a few hours later
he breathed his last breath in my arms.
The father was on his way to see the
children, but before he arrived Frank died.
Sr. Dorothy Pilkington and Miriam.
I greeted him, told him of Frank’s death
and we went immediately to Anna’s crib.
The father held her with such a loving, caring presence.
Frank was buried in a cardboard box in the cemetery across from
the orphanage. The site is marked with a small, discarded cross that was
found nearby by those who dug Frank’s grave.
Sr. Dorothy Pilkington, SSJ
Coordinator of St. Anna’s Orphanage
Uwemba, Tanzania
Ed. Note Sr. Dorothy is a volunteer who is coordinating St. Anna’s Orphanage
for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Uwemba.
We received with great pleasure the mass stipends from AIM USA. We
are a small community of 21 professed members and our life is a little
difficult in spite of our efforts to produce eggs, milk and jam.
We provide Mass for the sisters and other close neighbors. The
precariousness of the country makes mass stipends modest and rare. We
are grateful for the material aid you send us and for the prayers of the
monasteries and friends in the United States—this encourages us.
Abbot André Ouédraogo, OSB
Abbaye Saint Benoit de Koubri
Burkina Faso
I write to express our sincere gratitude for
your love and concern for our priory. Yes,
we received the money to buy a generator
for our retreat center. Many priests and
religious come for long or short periods of
time to our retreat center. Many Congregations
choose the retreat center as the
place for immediate preparation for simple
and final profession.
The Center has truly become a
place of prayer and meditation and many
Generator purchased with a grant from
AIM USA.
people come for counseling and personal prayer. We also sponsor interreligious
and ecumenical dialogues and seminars for various groups of
children and adults. As Benedictines we conduct classes in liturgy and the
Bible for various groups.
The generator was a wonderful gift and it is already installed.
Fr. Vincent Korandiarkunnel, OSB
St. Joseph’s Priory
Makkiyad, Kerala, India
Books Well Received
The box of books arrived containing various titles on scripture,
theology and spirituality. They are ALL very much appreciated
by our small community of Ugandan sisters and the missionaries
from the Philippines and Korea. Our library is small and has
many needs so what you have sent is very, very precious to us.
We pray for the benefactors who have made this possible.
Sr. Mary Vincent Feliciano, OSB
Missionary Benedictine Sisters
Jinja, Uganda
The precious box with the books arrived safely to our monastery.
What a happy surprise to find some books in Spanish and some
bilingual books. Our benefactors are always present in our
prayers.
M. Maria Teresa Ferrari, OSB
Abadia N.S. de la Esperanza
Rafaela, Argentina
We appreciate receiving the AIM USA newsletter. It gives us
the opportunity to read about other monastic communities all
over the world.
The box of books you sent arrived safely. We do appreciate
very much the books you send, especially since the English
section of our library has become quite outdated.
Br. M. Theophane Young, OCSO
Our Lady of Joy Trappist Monastery
Hong Kong, China
We want to thank you for sending the books for our library. We
are also grateful for all the services you do for the monasteries
in Latin America.
Hna. María Marcenaro, OCSO
Monasterio de la Madre de Cristo
Hinojo, Argentina
We are so pleased to have received the books sent by AIM USA.
They are vital for our spiritual feeding as we hardly get such
books in our country for various reasons—there are no spiritual
books in our language that meet our monastic need. The imported
books either do not meet our need or they are very expensive.
Therefore all the books you send us are really a blessing for us.
Abba Woldetensae Balewold, OCist
Cistercian Monastery of Holy Trinity
Hosanna, Ethiopia
Loving greetings from Israel! We acknowledge with sincere
gratitude and great joy the box of books you sent to our community.
They are a really great help in our spiritual journey.
Please extend our thanks to our donors, the Benedictine
and Cistercian communities and the lay friends.
Sr. Andrew Cullantes, OSB
Benedictine Sisters
Tiberias, Israel
6 Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)

Monastery to Monastery — 2009
Ninety-four monasteries and abbeys
joined the AIM USA Monastery to
Monastery program for 2009 (as of
December 10). Two oblate groups also
became members.
All membership donations are used to
fund grants for Benedictine and
Cistercian communities in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and the Caribbean.
St. Emma Monastery Greensburg, PA
Glastonbury Abbey Hingham, MA
Annunciation Monastery/Clear Creek
Hulbert, OK
Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Huntsville, UT
Monastery of the Assumption Jerome, ID
Holy Angels Convent Jonesboro, AR
St. Martin’s Abbey
Lacey, WA
Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey
Lafayette, OR
Portsmouth Abbey Portsmouth, RI
Valley of Our Lady Monastery
Prairie du Sac, WI
St. Martin Monastery Rapid City, SD
Assumption Abbey Richardton, ND
Sacred Heart Monastery Richardton, ND
St. Gertrude Monastery Ridgely, MD
St. Mary Monastery Rock Island, IL
Oblates, St. Mary Monastery Rock Island, IL
Benedictine Mission House
Schuyler, NE
Christ in the Desert
Mount St. Scholastica
St. Benedict’s Abbey
Marmion Abbey
Assumption Abbey
Abiquiu, NM
Atchison, KS
Atchison, KS
Aurora, IL
Ava, MO
Holy Cross Monastery Beaumont, TX
Our Lady of Grace Monastery
Beech Grove, IN
Belmont Abbey
Belmont, NC
St. Benedict’s Abbey Benet Lake, WI
Camaldolese Hermits of America
Big Sur, C A
Annunciation Monastery Bismarck, ND
St. Scholastica Monastery Boerne, TX
Benedictines of Jesus Crucified Branford, CT
St. Benedict Monastery Bristow, VA
St. Benedict Monastery Canyon, TX
St. Scholastica Monastery Chicago, IL
Monastery of the Holy Cross Chicago, IL
St. Andrew Abbey Cleveland, OH
Saint John’s Abbey Collegeville, MN
Benet Hill Monastery Colorado Springs, CO
Our Lady of Peace Monastery Columbia, MO
Conception Abbey Conception, MO
Monastery of St. Gertrude Cottonwood, ID
St. Walburg Monastery Covington, KY
Mount St. Benedict Monastery
Crookston, MN
Our Lady of Angels Monastery Crozet, VA
Sacred Heart Monastery Cullman, AL
St. Bernard Abbey
Cullman, AL
Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
Dubuque, I A
St. Scholastica Monastery Duluth, MN
St. Bede Monastery Eau Claire, WI
St. Walburga Monastery Elizabeth, NJ
Transfiguration Monastery Emmaus, PA
Mount St. Benedict Monastery Erie, PA
Monastery Immaculate Conception
Ferdinand, IN
St. Scholastica Monastery Fort Smith, AR
St. Lucy’s Priory
Holy Spirit Monastery
Glendora, CA
Grand Terrace, CA
AIM USA Board President Sr. Kathryn Huber, OSB, with children in Tanzania.
Sacred Heart Monastery
Saint Procopius Abbey
Emmanuel Monastery
Lisle, IL
Lisle, IL
Lutherville, MD
Holy Wisdom Monastery Madison, WI
Saint Anselm Abbey Manchester, NH
Mt. Tabor Benedictines Martin, KY
Blue Cloud Abbey
Marvin, SD
Mepkin Abbey Moncks Corner, SC
St. Mary’s Abbey Morristown, NJ
Queen of Angels Monastery Mt. Angel, OR
St. Peter’s Abbey Muenster, Canada
Oblates, St. Peter’s Abbey Muenster, Canada
House of Bread Monastery Nanaimo, Canada
St. Paul’s Abbey
Newton, NJ
Prince of Peace Abbey
Mount Benedict Monastery
Oceanside, CA
Ogden, UT
St. Bede Abbey
Peru, IL
St. Mary’s Monastery Petersham, MA
Abbey of the Genesee Piffard, NY
Mount Saviour Monastery Pine City, NY
St. Benedict Monastery Pittsburgh, PA
Woodside Priory Portola Valley, CA
St. Gregory’s Abbey
Benedictine Monastery
Subiaco Abbey
St. Joseph Abbey
Mt. Angel Abbey
St. Benedict Monastery
Holy Name Monastery
St. Louis Abbey
St. Joseph Monastery
St. Meinrad Archabbey
St. Paul’s Monastery
Abbey of Gethsemani
Abbey of New Clairvaux
Sacred Heart Monastery
Shawnee, OK
Sonoita AZ
Subiaco, AR
St. Benedict, LA
St. Benedict, OR
St. Joseph, MN
St. Leo, FL
St. Louis, MO
Saint Marys, PA
St. Meinrad, IN
St. Paul, MN
Trappist, KY
Vina, CA
Queen of Heaven Monastery Warren, OH
Mother of God Monastery Watertown, SD
Weston Priory
Weston, VT
Redwoods Abbey Whitethorn, CA
St. Benedict’s Monastery Winnipeg, Canada
Yankton, SD
Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light. (Dialogues)
7

Single Point of Light
Benedict saw the entire world in a single ray of light (Dialogues).
I live in a relatively small city, tucked into the northwest
corner of Pennsylvania, right on Lake Erie, just 20 miles across
that lake from Canada.
You’d have to travel 100
miles (160 km) to visit the nearest
Benedictine Abbey. There isn’t
a Benedictine-sponsored college
in Erie, either. Therefore,
although we have many visitors
and occasional meetings of
federation or national committees,
we don’t often get the
opportunity to sponsor an
international monastic gathering,
but this November we did—
and it was a wonderful experience
for our sisters and,
hopefully, for our visitors, too.
The Benedictine Sisters of
Erie have sponsored the AIM
USA secretariat since 1990, but this fall was the first time the AIM
International Council held its annual meeting here. Fourteen of the
twenty councilors were able to make the trip and, along with ten
USA Board of Trustees members, met for two days at our monastery.
Yes, we accomplished all the business we were obliged to
cover–both in separate sessions and joint ones. But the real
“accomplishment” was the time together–the praying the Divine
Office as one voice, Eucharistic liturgies in our new chapel, the
“getting-to-know-you” moments that occurred everywhere
throughout the house.
Our community of 104 sisters was delighted to extend
Benedictine hospitality to our visitors. Some of them had met the
AIM councilors in other venues,
but for the large majority it was
a first time experience and they
appreciated and entered into it
wholeheartedly.
The conversation at both
the lunch and evening meals
enabled our community and our
visitors to share stories, news,
opinions and ideas on their
monastic lives and on our
present world.
We are extremely grateful
to the AIM Councilors for
making the long and often
arduous international trip. (Air
travel these days is not for the
weak at heart!) Six or seven
hours of jet lag alone is a nightmare to contend with, let alone
unfamiliar surroundings, and, for a few, 24-7 conversation in a
language that even though they know it well, is not the language of
their ordinary days. Merci, grazie, danke, gracias.
From Rome, Srs. Adelaida Ygrubay, OSB, (left) and Aquinata Bockmann, OSB, (right)
from the AIM International Council with Sr. Kathryn Huber, OSB.
Susan Doubet, OSB
Executive Director, AIM USA
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