BENEDICTINE TOUCHSTONETOUCHSTONE Benedictine Nuns • St. Emma Monastery • Greensburg, PA 15601 Phone: (724) 834-3060 • Fax (724) 834-5772 • Website • Email [email protected]

BENEDICTINETOUCHSTONE

Benedictine Nuns • St. Emma Monastery • Greensburg, PA 15601Phone: (724) 834-3060 • Fax (724) 834-5772 • Website www.stemma.org • Email [email protected]

Winter 2006

O Kingof Nations,and their

desired One,the Corner-stone thatmakes bothone: Come,and deliverman, whomyou formedout of thedust of the

earth. Amen.

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Prioress’ Reflection By Mother Mary Anne Noll OSB

In ourtechnologicalc u l t u r e ,candles are litin our church-es as a sign ofour self-sur-render for ascandles burn,

spare the younger. “No greater lovehas one than to lay down his life forhis friends.” As money arrived at the Paradise(how ironic the name!) Post Office,nine Amish elders said they wouldshare the money that was sent withthe children of the dead murderer sohis children could go to school. Itwould be not right, these elders con-cluded, that the Amish might receivea lot of money and the other familypractically none. “Be perfect as theheavenly Father is perfect for the sunshines on the just and the unjustalike.” In this world where violence oftenbegets more violence in an eye for aneye mentality, these faith actions ex-pressing their profound living of theGospel dazzle in this darkened world. On the photo on the front cover, wesee the O Antiphon banner, “O King ofNations,” on the ambo. The antiphoncontinues, “and their desired one, theCornerstone that makes both one.Come, and deliver man, whom youformed out of the dust of the earth.”These O Antiphons address the Mes-siah under the great titles of the OldTestament and are sung at Vespers be-ginning December 17. They also areused as the Alleluia verse before theGospel during the Eucharist on thesesame days. In the foreground of the cover photoburn the Advent candles—three purpleand one pink—marking the progres-sion of the Advent season. Most of us are familiar with theChristophers’ motto, “better to lightone little candle than to curse the dark-ness.” Who can measure the impact on thedarkness of the world by those whooffer up their sufferings of body, mindand heart with those of Jesus on theCross—of those who attend Mass dailyand pray frequently? The world becomes brighter eachtime people practice, “whatever you do

for the least of my brethren…” It is so moving to hear first-handof someone who has cared for their in-valid spouse for years, parents whohave devoted their lives to a specialneeds child, or of a son or daughterwho has always looked after their par-ents. How brightly those candles glowwhen people take neighbors or rela-tives shopping or to a doctors’ appoint-ment! The volunteers who help themany religious organizations and workfor the various civic causes alsobrighten the world. Recently I received a business cardand on the back, it read, “I have Jesusfor my personal Lord and Savior…”What a surprising place to find the lightof Christ One candle lights up the path forus and for others. It brings the light ofChrist into a world that is stumblingin the dark. If we do not make the ef-fort to have our candles burningbrightly, who will? A blessed season of Advent hopeand expectation of the coming Onewho enlightens our lives. May thisChristmas make us greater transparen-cies of the light of Christ.

Mother Mary Anne OSB

they are consumed. Candles are lit tomake meals special, on Adventwreaths, and on birthday cakes. Try to imagine the pre-electric worldin which candles were a main sourceof light. With observation and fromusage, Jesus noted that people lit alamp or a candle and put it on a lampstand so that all could see. The early church placed the celebra-tion of Christ’s birth on December 25—just after the winter solstice. The lightof Christ enlightening the world coin-cides with the lengthening of daylight. Two thousand years later, the con-trast between the light of Christ and thedarkness of events in the world seemsto become ever more dramatic. Eachyear we plead with new urgency forChrist to come into our hearts and ourworld. Can one read the newspapers,watch the news, or be aware of the lo-cal happenings and not see a dark land-scape? Darkness enveloped the one-roomschoolhouse where the Amish girlswere killed several weeks ago aboutfour hours from us. Hearts around theworld were touched first by the horrorand then by the incredible Christianwitness of the Amish who immediatelyforgave the man who killed theirdaughters. How brilliantly did the light of theirlived faith in Jesus Christ contrast withthe darkness of the deed! “Father, for-give them; they know not what theydo.” A few days later came the report thatthe older girls had asked that they beshot first in the hope the man would

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Dear friends and benefactors of St. Emma, I have just returned to our motherhouse in Eichstätt and,with the memories of my visit to St. Emma still fresh in mymind, I want to share my impressions with all of you. My visit was filled with positive experiences. One ofthe highlights for me was the recognition of how much thenew church building has influenced the community prayerand the spiritual life of the whole community. There is aspecial spiritual atmosphere at St. Emma, and I credit thisto the nourishment that comes from their devotion to theliturgy. The sisters are clearly striving toward the spiritualvalues in the spirit of St. Benedict, whose Rule encouragesus to “seek God” before all else. Another highlight was to see how the community caresfor the last of the original, founding German sisters, Sr.Gaudentia, with such love and respect. She is the link totheir roots, and continues to be a joy to all who have theprivilege of helping her. The community of 13 sisters is surrounded and sup-ported by a wonderful circle of volunteers. These lay peopleoffer faithful, loyal support and help at all levels. They arelike an extension of the community itself: men and womenof all ages, working together for a common goal. When Iexpressed my appreciation of their generous self-giving, thegift of their time and talents, it warmed my heart to heartheir answers: “The sisters here are wonderful! They de-serve our help.” They even told me how grateful they areto have the opportunity to help at St. Emma. As a German,this especially impressed me, because it really seems to beunique to America, that people volunteer their services sogenerously in this way.

A Letter from the Abbess

Mother Franziska Kloos, OSB, Abbess of ourMotherhouse, Abtei St. Walburg, visits with Sr. Gaudentia.

Next year I plan to return again to St. Emma, and willlook forward to seeing my beloved sisters and friends.Meanwhile, I would like to take this opportunity to thankall of you for the tremendous support you give to St. Emma,whether it be through your donations, your time and work,or—even more important—through your prayers. The building projects are now completed, but still needfinancial contributions until they are paid for. Neverthe-less, they were well worth it, because they not only makethe retreat work easier (for example, I think of the newkitchen), but they also provide more comfort to the guests(especially the new elevator and new conference rooms!)These new additions were certainly no luxury—they weremuch needed, indeed, long overdue! Making the retreatfacility more spacious, more accessible to people with mo-bility problems, and offering beautiful spaces for commu-nity worship and private prayer—these things will help thesisters of St. Emma not only continue their ministry of hos-pitality, but will also help to attract new vocations tocome and seek the Lord in this Benedictine environment. Thank you again for your continued support of St. Emmaand I send my blessing to you and your families.

M. Franziska Kloos, OSBAbbess, Abtei St. Walburg, Eichstätt

Our Christmas Prayer Schedule

Dec 2411:15 Vigils and Midnight Mass

Dec 256:30 a.m. Lauds

8:00 a.m. Christmas Day Mass

11:45 a.m. Sext/None

4:30 p.m. Vespers

7:15 p.m. Vigils

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A History of St. Emma – Part IV Upon Mother Leo-narda’s death in 1965,Mother Emmanuel Drey,OSB was appointed Pri-oress. Born a Jewess,Bessie Drey became aChristian and a Catholicat age 21. At school, shewas told that she couldread the Old Testamentwhile the other studentswere receiving Catholicinstruction – but not toread Is. 49…”And a vir-gin shall conceive andbear a son.” Since thatdirective was given, ofcourse Bessie had to readit!

Needless to say, Sr. Emmanuel was in the first group ofSisters or the Holocaust would probably have claimed yetanother victim. Since Minster is only a 30-minute drive fromDover, these few German nuns had to stay with a Britishcommunity in Teigmouth (no longer in existence) when thewar broke out. The property was poor when they arrivedand even poorer when they returned after the war. In 1953, Sr. Emmanuel was sent to St. Vincent Archabbeyand College, Latrobe, PA to be an assistant to MotherLeonarda. In her short eight years as Prioress, Mother Emmanuelpaid off the large building debt and had the plans drawnfor the star-shaped Walburga Shrine consisting of the win-dows from the St. Walburga Church, Pittsburgh, PA. TheDiocese of Pittsburgh had graciously donated these win-dows to us when that parish was closed in the late 1960’s. In 1967 Mother Emmanuel had the first dishwasher in-stalled for the retreat house. Until that time, the Sisterswashed the dishes by hand for all the groups – whether itwas a weekend of 50 or one meal for 120. Operated on for liver cancer on Thanksgiving Day,Mother Emmanuel died just two months later in January1973. Until the time of Mother Emmanuel’s death, all the cor-respondence for St. Emma was done from St. Vincent. From1953-63 Sr. Emmanuel came out to register retreat groupsand helped serve in the dining room. During the first sixyears of the retreat house (before the monastery was built),Sr. Emmanuel and the other Sisters waited until theretreatants had taken their rooms in the retreat house andthen stayed in the vacant rooms or in one of the linen rooms. Using her artistic talent, Mother Emmanuel designedMass vestments, palls to cover the chalice, corporals etc.that the Sisters sewed and embroidered. Mother Emmanuel dealt with her liver cancer the sameway she dealt with the other heavy crosses in her life: insilent resignation to the will of the Father. We who entered at St. Emma heard her speak only onetime about what it was like to have to flee the country ofyour birth. She said that a person has no idea at how deepthe relationship is to the country of your birth until you areforced to leave that land.

At an art school in Munich, Bessie became friends withthe woman who would enter Abtei Sankt Walburg and be-come Sr. Dorothea Brockmann, OSB. For a time they hadan art studio together; they entered at the same time andmade vows together. In 1937 Abtei Sankt Walburg purchased a 15-acre prop-erty in Minster, England, known as St. Mildred’s Abbey—in case the community would have to flee Germany (theydid not). This Benedictine Abbey was founded in 670, de-stroyed, and re-founded several times until it was sup-pressed under Henry VIII and sold into private hands.

Mother Emmanuel Drey, OSB

Prayer Requests&

Intentions

Please use the enclosed envelopeto send us your prayer requests

and intentions.

Our legal name is:The Sisters of Saint Benedict

of Westmoreland County

Our Federal ID-# is:75-231-104

Pleaserememberus whenrevising

or makingyour will.

Thank You! We were recently surprised and touched to bedesignated as the Community/organization to ben-efit from collections taken up after recent perfor-mances of the play Late Nite Catechism. We re-ceived $1,141.97 from Latrobe Art Center, Latrobe,PA, and $400.22 from the Queen of Peace Parish inPatton, PA.

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On Saturday, Septem-ber 2 our postulant,Sheridan Fremming ofDallas, Texas, took thenext step in her formationprocess, receiving thehabit and white veil of anovice that were pre-sented in a ceremony pre-ceding Vespers. The gar-ments were blessed dur-ing the celebration of theEucharist that morning.Prior to entering, she hadworked as a medical unitsecretary. In blessing the habit, our chaplain, Rev. Msgr. Robert J.Shuda, prayed: “O God, bless this religious garment. Yourservant who will wear it will visibly express her willingnessto serve you with her whole being.” The cincture (belt) was blessed next using these words:“God, You let Your Son be bound by the hands of the god-less in order to save us. We ask you, bless this cincture. Grantyour servant who will wear it the grace to always rememberthe fetters of Your Son.” Then he prayed and blessed the scapular: “God, Yougrant every virtue and give grace in abundance. We ask youfervently: bless this scapular, which Your servant will wearas a sign of her religious life, so that she may be recognizedas dedicated to You. Finally, in blessing the veil, he prayed: “Lord, graciouslybless this veil, which proclaims her dedication to you, so thatshe may be blessed, immaculate and holy through Christ,Our Lord.”

In July, Mother Irmngard Porta, OSB of the GeneralateSt. Joseph’s House in Nambia, Africa visited us. Besides visit-ing some of her Sisters studying in the States, Mother Irmngardhad also attended the General Chapter of Benedictine Sisterswho belong to the Federation of St. Scholastica in Erie, PA.

During her visit, she shared with us the joy of the nu-merous vocations to their monastery and the reality of the ex-treme poverty the community and country experiences. Spring-ing into action, we sent her back “packed” with three old laptops(greatly expanding their existing computer system of one thatthey shared!) that we had received as well as important practi-cal items such as toiletries, office supplies, religious articles andfans (handheld plastic advertisements).

Mother Irmngard Visits from Nambia, Africa

Postulant Sheridan Takes Veil of Novice

Please remember young men and women who are dis-cerning priesthood and religious life in your prayers.

Novice Sheridan Fremming

Habit, veil, scapular and cincture after they have beenblessed at Mass.

2nd Annual Fundraising DinnerApril 14, 2007 • 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

$75 per person • $400 for a table of 6

Hors d’oeuvres, Silent Auction, Dinner

Call St. Emma for additional information.

Mark your calendars now!

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By Robert J. Allen Although most of the world ig-nores Advent and many Catholicstreat it as a short lent, it is really atime for celebration; the birth of aChild who is God’s gift to all peoplefor all time. In this Child, we aregiven the great gift of Hope. Hisname is Emmanuel; God is with us. Hope enables us to go on, to seekGod in all we do, in all the peoplewe meet in our hidden fear of whatwe didn’t do or should have done.As Catholics, we are given the giftof Faith, but as fragile humans, wemust put into practice the act of

Hope in order to enjoy peace in our life. We cannot offer peace in your lifeas God provides nor can any amountof money ever buy happiness. How-ever, as a non-profit, we can help toprovide assurance that your gift canguarantee a higher-than-average re-turn to you and provide tax relief. Thisis called a Charitable Gift Annuity – thehope for many who live on fixed in-come or dislike the volatile world of thestock market. The government allows charitableinstitutions to accept a charitable do-nation that provides a tax deduction,removes this gift from estate tax, and

TwäxÇàM g{x fxtáÉÇ Éy [ÉÑxguarantees a fixed per-centage of income foryour life and that of asecond person – andhave a portion of that giftbe tax free. Starting as low as$5,000 at age 65, youcould earn 6% or morefor life. Just contact our de-velopment office or call

October 17-23 brought us some new guests — and friends. The DiscalcedCarmelite Nuns of the Association of Saint Teresa met here for their triennialassembly meeting. The Sisters traveled from Carmels in Guam, Salt Lake City(Utah), Carmel by the Sea (California), Arlington (Texas), St. Louis (Missouri),Lafayette (Louisiana), Port Tobacco (Maryland), Danvers (Massachusetts),Loretto (Pennsylvania) and Ontario (Canada). We enjoyed supper togetherone evening and shared some wonderful commonalties in our traditions.

Carmelite Nuns Attend MeetingZ|ä|Çz g{tÇ~á The Thanksgiving holiday focuses ourgratitude to God for all His blessingsthroughout the year. It also provides anopportunity for us recognize the gifts Godgives to us through so many people. We are grateful to our wonderful vol-unteers. No list could ever encompass ev-erything these generous people assist uswith, but their endeavors include: man-gling sheets, cleaning chapels, planting andweeding flower and vegetable gardens,working in the gift shop, cooking for andserving the retreatants, cutting grass,mulching leaves, washing windows, sew-ing and mending, washing drapes, remov-ing snow, helping in the office, washingdishes, organizing and working our annualFlea Market, running errands, driving Sis-ters to appointments, baking Christmasand Easter cookies, trimming shrubs andcutting down trees, refinishing furniture,and doing the “whatever” it takes to makeSt. Emma special. The generosity of thesepeople manifests God’s Providential carefor us and makes the miracle possible thatwe have no hired help. Many thanks, too, those who gaveitems for our Flea Market or who sharedwith us delicious baked goods and food,flowers and plants, furniture and equip-ment, handmade items for the Gift Shopand the many etceteras.

(724) 834-3060x113 and in the privacyof your home and without obliga-tion, we will provide an EducationalIllustration.

E-mail: [email protected]

Benedictine Sisters Catholic Gift & Book Shop 77777

Name

Address

City, State, Zip

Telephone (If we have a question about your order.)

Need by

Shipping CostsUp to $ 20.00 $ 5.95$20.01-$40.00 $ 6.95$40.01-$75.00 $ 8.95$75.00-$125 $9.95$125.01 & up $10.95NO CODs

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� Check �Money Order

� VISA � Mastercard

� Discover

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Order Form:Order by Dec. 11 for Christmas delivery! Mail to: St. Emma’s Monastery, 1001 Harvey

Ave., Greensburg, PA 15601 • (724) 834-7483 • Fax (724) 834-5772

Pennsylvania residents, please add 6%sales tax. THANK YOU!

• Advent and ChristmasWisdom from Henri J. M.Nouwen $ 9.95

Christmas Gifts to Strengthen Your FaithBooks

All Brass Rosary(topaz)

All Brass RosarySterling silver center &

crucifix (ruby)

All Sterling Silver(black onyx beads)

DVDs

Therese$ 24.95

Bernadette$ 24.95

A Time forMiracles$19.95

Miracle ofMarcelino $19.95

The Star ofChristmas(Veggie Tales)$14.98

The BestChristmasPageant Ever$ 16.95

Advent andChristmas withThomas Merton$ 9.95

Rosaries• All Brass Rosary, silver plated, 5 mm beads $ 49.00 colors available: crystal, pink, ruby, peridot, sapphire,topaz (shown), amethyst, garnet, emerald, jet• Brass Rosary with sterling silver center and cross, $ 72.00 6mm Aurora Borealis Checo beads, colors available: amethyst, crystal, pink, aqua, peridot, ruby (shown), sapphire, emerald, garnet• All Sterling Silver Rosary - 8 mm black onyx beads $112.00

• Advent and Christmaswith Fulton J. Sheen $9.95

Strangers to theCity by MichaelCasey$ 15.95

A View from theMonastery$ 15.95

2007 St. EmmaCalendar– Scenes fromthe monastery

A Tasteof

Heaven

St. Emma Monasteryand Friends

A Taste ofHeavenA Cookbook withrecipes from St.Emma Monasteryand friends. $

Lent and EasterWisdom fromFulton J. Sheen$ 9.95

Benedictine Nuns

Retreat Schedule – 2007

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Monastic Guest HousePriests’ Retreats

Semi-Directed Retreat”Prayer: the Contemplative Dimension” January 7 (Sunday supper)-12 (Friday breakfast), 2007

Rev. Lester Knoll OFMCapDaily Outline: Eucharist, one conference, spiritualdirection (optional), Eucharistic Adoration , silenceexcept for meals. optional discussion in the evening.SILENT Directed RetreatMarch 4 (Sunday supper) — March 9, 2007 (Fridaybreakfast) Rev. Tom Acklin OSB

Daily Outline: Eucharist/homily, Exposition of theBlessed Sacrament throughout the day, spiritual direc-tion (optional), meals also in silence.

Lay & ReligiousSILENT Directed RetreatMay 21-26 Rev. Thomas Acklin, OSB waiting listJune 3-8 Rev. Mark Gruber, OSBAugust 3-9 Rev. Mark Gruber, OSB

February 23-25 SILENT Lenten Rev. Mark Gruber OSBMarch 2- 4 SILENT Lenten Rev. Tom Acklin OSB

9-11 Men Rev. Mark Gruber, OSB 16-18 Women Rev. William Fay 23-25 Silent Lenten Rev. Mark Gruber OSB 28 Lenten (Men/women) Rev. Jacques

Daley, OSB 31 Lenten (Lay/religious)

Rev. Mark Gruber, OSBApril 22 Benedictine Spirituality Rev. Maurus

Mount OSB 28 Pro-Life Rev. Mark Gruber, OSB 29 Bereaved Rev. Edward Litavec

May 6 Carmelite Spirituality Rev. Justin Matro, OSB

June 25-July 1 SILENT (lay/religious - part time welcome) Rev. Mark Gruber OSBAugust 3-8 SILENT (lay/religious - part time

welcome) Rev. Angelus Shaughnessy OFMCap 24-26 Men/women Rev. Angelus Shaughnessy OFMCap

You are cordially invited to extend your celebration

of Christmas ~ of Christ’s birth ~ by joining the Benedictine Nuns

of St. Emma Monastery,Greensburg, PA for

Christmas Visit and Vespers,

Saturday, December 30 • 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.Enjoy 100+ Nativity displays and other Christmas

decorations • Cookies and Punch

3:30 Christmas Caroling4:00 Sung Vespers with Benedictine Nuns

If able to attend, call us with numberat 724-834-3060 or email

[email protected].

We remember you, our relatives, friends and benefac-tors, in our daily Eucharist as well as in The Liturgyof the Hours which we sing six times a day. Once amonth the Eucharist is offered especially for you andyour intentions. We hold you in our hearts as weoffer our lives consecrated to Christ through our dailyora et labora.

T UÄxááxw V{Ü|áàÅtá4

Pro-Life Day of Prayer The Benedictine Nuns invite you to jointhem for the annual Pro-Life Day of Prayerto be held Wednesday, January 17, 2007from 2:30 P.M. until 8:30 P.M. Rev. MarkGruber OSB will be the retreat leader. Thereis no fee.

Development Director’s Retreat • May 6-9, 2007 Robert J. Allen, author of Text for Task, will providethe opportunity to better understand how your work indevelopment is your vocation. This retreat/seminaraims at how stewardship is founded on some 2,360 pas-sages in the Old and New Testaments. It also offers youthe opportunity for spiritual renewal.