ANNIVERSARY BOOK

Walking Monastery Way: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of St. Paul’s Monastery

The book is available through Amazon at tinyurl com/mw4j577j or by visiting the monastery.

Visit The Monastery

St. Paul’s Monastery grounds in Maplewood are open to guests, and the Benedictine sisters welcome all to join them at prayer in the chapel.

Call ahead to arrange a visit: 651-777-8181.

monastery. In addition to the chapel, The Benedictine Center and private space for the sisters, the building features a conference room, a dining room, an art gallery with rotating exhibits, an extensive library, a porch overlooking the grounds and a health care center for the sisters.

The St. Paul’s Monastery community includes four Benedictine associates — single, Catholic women who make an annual commitment to engage in the ministries of the monastery. In addition, 170 oblates, lay men and women of various Christian faiths who associate themselves with a Benedictine monastery, have made a commitment to St. Paul’s Monastery.

“The oblates exemplify the Benedictine model of peace through a balance of prayer and ministry,” Sister Catherine said. “Our values speak to so many people, even in this day, and the oblates bring those values out into the world in a way we cannot do.”

As the sisters celebrate their 75th anniversary, they’re also looking ahead to the future.

“We’re aware of the fact that we continue to grow smaller in numbers, but our oblates continue to grow with the addition of 11 on this upcoming Pentecost, May 28,” Sister Catherine said. “The Benedictine values will continue beyond the last vowed member.”

The sisters have also entered a period of discernment through discussions with leadership at Hill-Murray School (founded in 1971 by merging all-girls Archbishop Murray Memorial High School and Catholic all-boys Hill High School) about how to finalize the relationship between the school and the monastery in perpetuity.

“We’ve always had a strong connection with our neighbor Hill-

Murray,” Sister Catherine said. “At one point, we even had sisters living over there in small rooms.”

As the sisters respond to the needs of the time, Sister Catherine notes the opportunities with Hill-Murray. Sister Linda Soler, for example, is in campus ministry at the school, serving as chaplain for several sports teams, including the varsity football team.

Eucharistic Miracles of the World

“How might this become a spiritual center for the entire campus? There’s such a need for peace, with all the challenges that youth are facing in life today,” Sister Catherine said.

“We’re taking time to listen to God’s will, and we have the expertise of Hill-Murray people and the sisters discerning with so much good energy,” she said.