Fed100 Anniversary |

Benedictine Sisters of Colorado Springs, CO
Benedictine Sisters of Glendora, CA
Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, IL
Benedictine Sisters of St. Leo, FL
Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, TX
Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA
Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL
Benedictine Sisters of Tulsa, OK
Benedictine Sisters of Bristow, VA

Federation of St. Scholastica 1922 - 2022: The same call and gift of the Spirit that came to Benedict of Nursia early in the 6th century came to the women who formed the Federation of Saint Scholastica early in the 20th century. This same call and gift of the Spirit comes to us today, inspiring and animating us to respond to the gospel with the good zeal of Benedict, with listening hearts, with clarity of spiritual vision, and with hearts impelled by love. In the years leading up to our centennial celebration in 2022, we intend to publicly celebrate the vision and dedication of Benedictine women over the past 100 years while at the same time supporting current works as well as new and wider efforts to bring the peace of Christ and the justice of the gospel to today’s turbulent world.

Weekly Reflections

Week of October 25

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22:34-40

As election day draws near, today’s familiar gospel presents both a challenge and an invitation. We all know this gospel as the core of Jesus’ teaching---“the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind AND the second is like the first, to love your neighbor as yourself.” The love referred to by Jesus is not a warm, fuzzy, feeling type of love. This kind of love is self-sacrificing.

The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary states that this love is “unmotivated, unmanipulated, unconditional, and unlimited.” These four words describing love sound nearly insurmountable to me in my humanity. How, in this pre-election climate, am I to respond?

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Podcast Series

Kevin Chears, Oblate

Oblate Kevin Chears is a life long Chicagoan, residing in the Edgewater neighborhood with her husband and two dogs. She is an Oblate of St. Scholastica Monastery and one of her favorite lines from the Rule of Benedict is Chapter 68:5 "Trusting in God's help, he (she) must in love obey." Kevin is a pastoral associate at St. Gertrude Parish in Edgewater.

Evangeline Salazar, OSB

Sister Evangeline Salazar, OSB, is member of Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs, CO. Responding to the call of the poor, the hungry and oppressed, she ministered with the people in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, and Guantanamo Bay. She shares ome of her reflections on this work in a new book, On The Border: The Way of the Cross. Presently, at the age of 80, she is a volunteer with Annunciation House in El Paso, TX, ministering to asylum seekers released from the detention centers. She was instrumental in the Benet Hill community sponsoring Cuban asylum seekers, Frank and Louisa Dominguez Rojas. Evangeline earned a bachelor’s degree at Mt. St. Scholastica College, Atchison, KS, and a master’s degree in education at the University of Colorado.

Centennial Prayer

The same call and gift of the Spirit that came to Benedict of Nursia and his sister Scholastica early in the 6th century came to the women who formed the Federation of Saint Scholastica early in the 20th century. This same call and gift of the Spirit comes to us today, inspiring and animating us to respond to the gospel with their good zeal, with listening hearts, with clarity of spiritual vision, and with hearts impelled by love. And so we pray:

Audio recording of prayer by Sister Lynn McKenzie, OSB, President of the Federation of St. Scholastica

Loving God, we give you thanks
for our Benedictine heritage,
and for the expression of this call and gift in the
communities of the Federation of St. Scholastica.

May our celebration
of the Federation's first 100 years
strengthen us in our spiritual tradition,
deepen our capacity to listen,
widen our hearts with your love,
and sharpen our spiritual vision
that seeks to see Christ in the heart of all Creation
and at the center of our common life.

One in Christ,
may the communities of the Federation,
oblates, benefactors, and friends,
share the peace of Christ,
show the love of Christ,
and make Christ known in our world.

Amen FOR SPANISH TRANSLATION, CLICK HERE