THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 43, NO. 14 | NOVEMBER 5, 2021
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
PHOTO BY JD BENNING
The monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, twice pause in their day for lectio divina — reading and praying over sacred texts in silence. But with social media, people around the globe can glimpse Father Gabriel Landis, OSB, carrying on this ancient practice in the St. Benedict Room of the abbey. The Leaven is featuring local religious orders’ digital wizards as part of its National Vocation Awareness Week coverage.
Social media allows outsiders a glimpse into religious life By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
K
Where to find them
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — “Life at a monastery can be kind of mysterious,” said Julie Ferraro, social media and digital communications manager for the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison. What goes on inside might sur-
prise people. Ferraro often finds herself documenting the Sisters celebrating birthdays, cooking, gardening, playing musical instruments and cuddling up with the Mount’s dog NATIONAL and cats. VOCATION “There’s no such thing as a AWARENESS typical workday,” she said of her role at the Mount. WEEK IS Life at many religious comNOV. 7-13 munities was once a mystery to the outside world. Now, thanks to social media — and the communicators behind the scenes — the public can get a unique glimpse into life inside a religious order.
Documenting history Stephanie Nash began working for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth 15 years ago. She wears a variety of hats, including overseeing
Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica
Visit: mountosb.org or search “mountosb” on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
Visit: scls.org or find them on Facebook @ sistersofcharity; Twitter @scleavenworth; and YouTube @sistersofcharityks.
Sisters, Servants of Mary
Visit: sisterservantsofmary.org or find them on Facebook @servantsmaryministerstosickusa. PHOTO COURTESY OF JD BENNING
St. Benedict’s Abbey
JD Benning, director of communications at St. Benedict’s Abbey, tells the monks’ stories with photos and videos that capture everyday life and special events for a global audience.
Visit: kansasmonks.org or find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube @kansasmonks.
the Sisters’ social media accounts, which never run out of content to share. The order has been in Leavenworth since 1858. “Facebook is our place to tell our story of the SCL charism and how we give back to the communities we live in,” said Nash. “We share many archived photos,” she added, “because we love to jog people’s memories of the Sisters they knew once upon a time.” Photos of the motherhouse campus in Leavenworth are also a hit.
“It is a gorgeous campus,” said Nash, “and many of our ‘followers’ spent [or] spend a lot of time here. It generates comments and interaction on our posts.” Other posts revolve around holidays, the Sisters’ personal stories and even job openings within the order. The public will get to know the Sisters even better now that Bryon McLaughlin, their director of communications, is producing a podcast, where he interviews >> See “DIGITAL” on page 7