300-some monks and seminarians
are “mostly white,” there is a rich
and wide mixture in its makeup of
Hispanic/Latino, Asian American,
and African American as well as still
other ethnicities and heritages.
The community of monks and
students worship and pray in familiar and traditional Catholic ways, of
course, but at the same time one can
witness a myriad of prayer forms and
practices taking place. The school
of theology celebrates its liturgy in
Spanish one day a week; the monks
are in choir chanting the psalms
many times each day and night;
there is an occasional Greek Orthodox liturgy; students hold Marian
pilgrimages and devotions; liturgical
customs and observances are studied
and practiced widely; individuals
and small groups can be seen in chapel in adoration. The community not
only welcomes and respects these
diverse prayer styles and observances, it fosters it. And, like the parish
community in the town below, the
monks and students pray devoutly,
fervently—and frequently.
Furthermore—and here is the
key, I think—the people at the foot
of the hill and the people at the top
of the hill have a spiritual link and a
bond. They watch each other, their
paths often cross, they respect each
others’ lifestyles and prayer styles.
They know that in one thing they are
all one: They are all, together, seeking God. In ways as distinctive and
individual as each of its members,
the townspeople and the monastic-seminary community are responding
to Christ’s summons to “pray always
without becoming weary.”
What follows, then, are only
three prayer pathways—drawn from
Put a little community in your life.
Vocation Director
Benet Hill Monastery
2555 N Chelton Road
Colorado Springs CO 80909
719 633-0655
BENEDICTINE SISTERS Sign on: www.benethillmonastery.org
Enter #270 at VocationMatch.com
VISION 2009
For more features go to VocationGuide.org
Enter #138 at VocationMatch.com
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