Sr. Carol Falkner, OSB
January, 2024
As a monastic, I promise stability. What does this mean? I promise to work out my salvation in a particular community and in the place where this community is located. However, I believe that stability is a needed value not only for monastics, but for our world today.
In our mobile world, there is so much restlessness. Benedict realized that the promise of stability created an environment of calmness. When there is chaos externally, one fails to grow spiritually because one is too distracted. When one lives in an ordered, calm environment one can attend to one’s relationship with God and others. Stability is the firm foundation that makes this possible.
The promise of stability requires a person to stand firm while working out one’s life with others and not to run away from difficult situations. To do this it is necessary to resist the surrounding distractions and take time for prayer and reflection. Then one can get to the root of the problem, address it and have one’s peace of mind return.
When one embraces stability, one also addresses the order of one’s day. Is it too hectic and fast paced to include time to nurture one’s relationship with God? If the answer is an overwhelming YES, it is time to access one’s choices. A stable, ordered life helps a person develop a meaningful, spiritual life. Stability helps make this a priority.
The promise of stability anchors a person in God, community, and service to others. Stability is definitely a value needed in our times!
Sr. Carol Falkner is joined by the whole community in praying for you.
Sr. Susan Marie Lindstrom, OSB
As Benedictines, we take a vow of stability, a vow that binds us to a specific community for life. It is a commitment to immerse ourselves in the daily encounters with our sisters, as well as in the history and traditions of those on whose shoulders we stand. It is a promise to “stay at the table,” journeying together through trials, tribulations, joys, and challenges. In an increasingly transient world, stability grounds us in a sense of permanence that is simultaneously open to change and adaptation.
Our vow of stability offers hope to a world in constant flux. People who are familiar with our community are aware that we are in it for the long haul. Unlike those who by choice or happenstance find themselves frequently changing jobs or residences, we are here for the duration.
Living stability gives us opportunity to practice empathy, selflessness, reconciliation, and appreciation for the uniqueness of each sister. It invites us to put our personal preferences aside in favor of the greater good and the good of the community.
We are in the early stages of building a new monastery. The first question for many was, “Will the sisters still be here?” Our promise of stability is a commitment that extends beyond our religious community to our local community.
Stability is like a sturdy oak tree, deeply and firmly rooted in the earth. Beneath the surface, it sends forth new shoots which emerge from the soil, heralding new growth, expansion and the promise of continued life.
Stability moves us forward, carrying with us the lessons and wisdom of the past, as well as the hope and promise of a future guided by an ever-loving God. We pray that we may live this vow with integrity and good zeal.
Sr. Susan Marie Lindstrom is joined by the whole community in praying for you.
Sr. Maureen Therese Cooney, OSB
When I entered the community, I knew that there were vows that I would be taking and just assumed that they would be the normal vows that other religious communities profess – obedience, poverty, and chastity. Well as I started my journey, I soon discovered that Benedictines also profess the vow of Stability.
Today you have people who leave jobs, families, cities, etc. always looking for the perfect whatever. The vow of Stability is very countercultural.
As Benedictines we profess to this group of people in this place. These are the Sisters I will live the rest of my life with. I have professed to hang in there in good times and bad times. I am vowing to stay and not quit when things get uncomfortable.
Are there times I wanted to throw in the towel -Yes!! But what keeps me here are the roots I have planted with these Sisters. What keeps me here are all those who have gone before me. The way they have lived a full and joyful life gives me the strength and courage to continue on my own journey.
Sr. Maureen Therese Cooney is joined by the whole community in praying for you.