The Bristow Bulletin

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Inside this Issue

Monastic Stewardship

Election of Prioress

Labor Day Weekend

On the Journey

First Impressions

Finding a New Ministry

Benedictine Counseling Services

Jubilee 2011

Ministry Minutes

Newsreel

New Faces

A good steward is someone who takes special care

of what is given. From a monastic point of view,

the reason for this special care is that we recognize

in all creation the loving work of God, and we are

grateful. At first glance, being a good steward may

appear to be a simple task. But this kind of mindful

attention requires much more than a passing

acknowledgement of God’s presence. It requires of

us a daily, even minute by minute, conscious

recognition that everything we have been given is

pure gift and deserves respect because of our love

of the Giver. Everything. Plants, trees, animals,

minerals, waters, natural resources, each other and

ourselves – all are a part of creation. All are sacred,

and the intellect, gifts and talents we each have

been given are sacred too. Monastic stewardship

calls us to take good care of all, because we have

been placed by our God into a holy relationship

with every fiber of creation.

It is from this effort to attend deliberately to God’s

generosity that we are instituting this online version

of The Bristow Bulletin. Much is said these days

about environmental awareness and “going green.”

Here at the monastery, we are continually looking

for ways to live more simply and to contribute,

even in a small way, to the preservation of our

natural resources. This means we are taking care to

evaluate what we have, what we use, and how we

use what we have. One area of mass over-

consumption we have noted is with regard to the

amount of paper we waste. In these days of

continuing technological advancement, is it really

necessary to use so much paper for our ordinary

tasks?

In the ages of long ago, when monasteries were

largely responsible for copying and printing books

and documents, paper was a precious commodity.

Today paper is a throw-away item; make a mistake

and grab another sheet. Copious pages pour from

our printers and copy machines – paper just isn’t

cherished as it was long ago. We don’t think twice

about the God behind the creation of that sheet we

just tossed in the garbage.

Improving, slowly but steadily, our technology is

enabling us to go paperless for many of our

communications. This is helping us in turn to use

less space, reduce our trash, redirect some costs,

and perhaps contribute to saving a tree. And we’re

paying closer attention to the paper we do use:

being careful to use both sides of a sheet, avoiding

printing too many copies, posting a “community

copy” rather than individual copies when we can,

and recycling as much as possible. Limiting oneself

to one sheet of paper can make one very careful of

the words put on that paper!

Through The Bristow Bulletin online, we will be

able to share our life with many more people than

we otherwise would be able to reach. In addition,

future issues will bring you more reflections and

stories from our Sisters as well as pictures from the

monastery and from our events. We hope you will

join with us in our efforts to preserve our common

resources and be good stewards of all that has been

given to us by our gracious God.

Sister Joanna Burley, OSB

Editor

If you do not wish to receive further Bulletin

announcements, or if you would prefer only a paper

copy, please call Maureen O’Donnell at 703.361.0106

or email her at adminasstosb@comcast.net.

Monastic Stewardship

Because the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia believe in the sacredness of all creation, we claim monastic

stewardship as our corporate witness.

(BSV Vision Statement)

On June 26, 2011, Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB was installed as Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of

Virginia for a final four-year term. According to Canon Law, a Prioress may serve for a total of 12

consecutive years. Sister Cecilia has shepherded the community twice for a total of twenty years, from

1987-1999 and again from 2003 until the present, when she was re-elected by the Sisters.

In her guidance of the monastery, Sister Cecilia is advised by the Monastic Council. During the

Installation Ceremony, the five members of the Council were blessed: Sister Andrea Verchuck

(Subprioress), Sister Vicki Ix, Sister Veronica Joyner, Sister Lisbeth Cruz and Sister Glenna Smith.

In Benedictine monastic life, the prioress is “believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery” (RB

2:2) and St. Benedict devotes the entirety of Chapter 2 of the Rule to the qualities of the prioress (or

abbot). God has indeed blessed us many times over with wise leadership throughout our history. It is

with deep trust and joy that we again place ourselves into Sister Cecilia’s loving hands.

At our monastery, Labor Day weekend is the time we set

aside for all our formation ceremonies. This September we

were busy indeed with four women deepening their

commitment to Benedictine life with us.

Reception to the Novitiate is the ceremony that institutes

the year-long period of prayer and study that enables a

woman to grow in understanding and love of God and the

monastic life. This September 4th we welcomed three

women into the “womb of the community” as novices.

Sister Joanna Burley, OSB, Sister Shirley Ann Arce,

OSB, and Sister Andrea Westkamp, OSB will spend the

coming year in very limited ministry but with an intense

focus on prayer and monastic studies. This precious time

of communion with God in the protection and love of the

community will prepare these women for First Monastic

Profession next September.

Sunday, September 5th, saw the conclusion of the

novitiate year for Sister Patricia Jean Novak, OSB, as

she made her First Monastic Profession at Evening

Prayer. In the presence of the Sisters and with her family

in attendance, Sister Pat made the three-fold promise of

obedience, stability and fidelity to the monastic way of

life that shapes the Benedictine life. Sister Pat’s profession

is for three years with the hope that she will make

Perpetual Profession – a permanent commitment to this

community and to the Benedictine search for God.

With gratitude to God, we rejoice in the vibrancy and

growth of our community!

The Blessings of New Life – Labor Day Weekend

Community Statistics:

Sisters in Perpetual Profession 25

Scholastics: 4

Novices 3

TOTAL 32

On the Journey …….

Sister Vicki Ix, OSB

Vocation ministry is just that

– a ministry, one of welcome,

presence and encouragement.

Each year our Vocation Team

plans special days that will

introduce women of all ages

to our monastic life. As we

look forward to a new

program year, it is wonderful

to recount the blessings of the

past twelve months. There

have been so many!

We met eight new women this year through our

Monastic Discernment Weekends. Two of them

are now in a serious discernment with us. Two

women became Affiliates this past year. Affiliation

is a non-binding expression of mutual interest – an

imaginary tether that reaches from the heart of the

seeker to the monastery. Two wonderful women

began our Live-In Program this year. Andrea is

from Germany and Mary Frances is from Poland.

Both women have blessed us just by sharing in our

prayer and work. We are happy to have them with

us as they continue to discern a monastic vocation.

Three more women have been accepted into our

Live-In Program over the summer months. They

will all move into the monastery during the last

week of August. [Yes, it’s getting a bit crowded

upstairs. That’s a problem we love to have!]

The program year ended with our third Wonder

Week. We doubled our previous enrollment as we

welcomed twelve 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls for six

days of fun, faith and friendship. Purple tie dye t-

shirts reigned supreme that week – on the “Wonder

Girls” and on the Sisters who shared their gifts with

them throughout the week. I survived my 3rd

sleepover in the Subiaco Room. We actually slept

some this year! Wonder Week would never happen

without our two counselors – Marie and Emily.

Marie is a graduate of our high school, St.

Gertrude’s, in Richmond. Emily will be a senior

there this year.

Looking forward now to a new year, we bless God

who builds this house and express our gratitude for

all who pray for vocations to our community.

Wonder Week Participants

First Impressions…...

Mary Frances Majewska

First impressions have both advantages and

disadvantages. On the positive side, they are fresh and

unbiased; on the negative, they may sometimes be

superficial and not grounded in real life experience.

I have been here a little over one month now, so I

guess my impressions still count as “first”. I am a

“live-in”, discerning my vocation and getting to know

the community of Benedictine Sisters of Virginia.

My very first impression of this house goes back to

one December morning in 2009 when out of the

snowy and frosty weather I walked into the place,

which radiated warmth, kindness and hospitality. A

year and a half later, I still consider these three things

to be qualities which describe the community at

Bristow.

One may wonder what the recipe is for such a

welcoming atmosphere and a perceptible sense of

mutual love and support. It is not because Sisters live

here in some kind of artificial environment, protected

from the struggles of daily life, or free from the

natural tension of personalities, temperaments and

backgrounds. No, life here is very real, and represents

the same challenges as found in any other

circumstance where people live and work together.

I see several ingredients of this successful recipe. The

first one is faithfulness to the essence of religious

call, with its centrality of Christ in the lives of

individual sisters and of the community as a whole. I

have been very impressed by how seriously the

message of the Gospel is taken and lived here. From

the principal goal of a religious community and its

ministries, through prayer and work, down to daily

interactions, table conversations and the overall

atmosphere of mutual care-the central values of the

Gospel are embodied here with simplicity and

authenticity.

This mature faithfulness to Christ’s teaching creates a

milieu which bears fruit in the form of the second

ingredient: mutual love. Here it is love, which is

genuine and perceivable, lived and expressed in a

variety of ways - in big projects and undertakings, and

in daily small acts of kindness. It is love which binds

the community together and carries it through happy

times and difficult moments. It is also love which

reaches beyond the monastery walls. Guests are

welcome here with open arms, lay friends of the

monastery form a circle of support, sharing and

reciprocating this love, and even complete strangers

are received with the spirit of the Rule of Saint

Benedict always in mind: “All guests who present

themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.” (RB 53)

The third ingredient which characterizes this place is

open-mindedness. The 143-year old community has

lived through many changes of the modern world and

of the Church, and it has evolved by discerning the

signs of the times and adapting its life and ministries

to the needs of people whom it serves. The histories

of many religious orders, congregations and individual

communities have shown how difficult this process

may be. But change is a sign of vitality, and this

community embraced the spirit of renewal with

wisdom, which I attribute to respectful listening and

responding to the spirit of God, and to each other.

I said at the beginning that first impressions may

sometimes be superficial. It is true that I have been

here only a short time now, but my experience of this

community has been deepening every day, and the

impressions mentioned above have been continually

reinforced.

In his apostolic exhortation, John Paul II said, “The

first duty of the consecrated life is to make visible the

marvels wrought by God in the frail humanity of those

who are called” (Vita Consecrata, 1996). The

Benedictine Sisters of Virginia have made visible

those “wonders of grace”, and have been sharing them

for almost 150 years now. For a newcomer like me, it

feels like a right place where I can learn and grow.

Mary Frances has been part of our Live-in Program since June of this year. For more information

abut our Live-in Program for discernment, contact Sister Vicki at vocations@osbva.org.

One of the challenging parts about making first profession

and becoming a Scholastic is starting a full-time ministry.

Please understand – working full-time is not the issue; all of

us who are “older vocations” have worked full-time for

years. The challenge is to get the hang of working full-time

as a Benedictine Sister. Gone are those golden days when,

as a Novice, ministry hours were limited to six a week and

we were immersed completely in our new life as a monastic

within the womb of community. Novices may only engage

in ministry six hours a week, but as a Scholastic the

ministry hours are increased to 30, and the work schedule

can take you away from the monastic schedule. Working

with a Benedictine monastic heart means balancing prayer

and work and community – not always an easy task!

My first ministry as a case worker with the Homelessness

Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) was

based here at the monastery, so I was able to explore,

somewhat gently, the balance needed for monastic life. But

although our program had the biggest impact on reducing

the number of homeless persons in Prince William County,

the grant monies ran out and I needed to look for a new

ministry.

My work with the HPRP program led me to consider

finding a ministry that used my law degree. As I explored

different practice areas – Family law? Guardian ad litem ,

for children? – one area kept popping up: Immigration Law.

I had always been hesitant to practice any area of law that

directly represented individuals – the responsibility for

getting everything just right seemed too huge. But my

experience with HPRP had taught me the power of working

with a client, rather than taking charge of a client, and so

the investigation began.

I knew I wanted to work with experienced people in a

successful practice, and I had heard many good things about

Hogar Immigrant Services, a branch of Catholic Charities.

One phone call became a moment of God’s grace; the

person I spoke with said he had just recommended an

expansion of their legal immigration services into the

Manassas end of Prince William County – and here I was

looking for that very opportunity! After a round of

interviews and reference checks, I started Hogar’s

internship program this past May along with two law

students.

Often God’s kindness leads us along in baby-steps, with

each step contributing beautifully to the journey in a way

that may not be clear except in hindsight. As a Novice I

was sheltered in the monastic life. As a beginning

Scholastic I began to explore ministry. Now I am gifted

with the challenge of balancing this life of prayer,

community, and work in the Benedictine tradition. With

God’s grace, and the support of my Sisters and the

wonderful coworkers at Hogar, I am excited to begin!

For more information on Hogar Immigration Services in

general and its legal services in particular, visit the website

at http://www.hogarimmigrantservices.org .

Finding a New Ministry – Immigration Law

Sister Karen Lynn Trespacz, OSB

Legal Services Staff of Hogar Immigrant Services

Sister Karen Lynn is in the bottom row, second from right.

Benedictine Counseling Services is expanding!

Sister Kathleen Persson, OSB

Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB, Prioress, has announced that Benedictine

Counseling Services is expanding its services to include the Richmond,

VA area. Sister Kathleen Persson, OSB, has relocated to Richmond at the

direction of the prioress. Sister Kathleen’s task is to offer mental health

therapy with the Benedictine charism of hospitality and unconditional

regard that is an integral part of both the Benedictine and social work

philosophies.

Sister Kathleen is living in the convent in Richmond with her Benedictine

sisters and offering her counseling services to the greater Richmond

community. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience as a social worker.

Sister Kathleen has worked in Maryland as a Director of Counseling Services for the chronic mentally ill and

has also worked for many years with Capital Hospice as Director of Counseling Services. She has been

nationally certified in Grief and Bereavement and is also trained in EMDR therapy. Sister co-authored the

book, Good Mourning, and has attended and offered grief and bereavement trainings nationally at

conferences for those working with persons with life limiting illness. For the last 5 years Sister Kathleen has

been working with Benedictine Counseling Services in Bristow, Virginia serving the homeless population

and also providing therapy for individuals and couples. Sister Kathleen is certified in Virginia as a

supervisor for licensure for other social workers and has been regularly providing that service to newer

clinicians. She has also had many student interns over the years from universities and colleges which include

University of Maryland, Catholic University, Marymount University and Loyola College.

Sister Kathleen is very happy to be able to help meet the needs of others and hopes to develop a warm and

therapeutic relationship with those encountered in the Richmond area. As the sisters in Bristow were first

established in the Richmond area and have been a presence there since 1868, it is a relationship that the

Sisters find very sacred and one that they consider important to maintain. Sister Kathleen is excited to be a

part of this history through her new ministry. “It is a privilege to be able to bring our services to Richmond. I

feel I will be touching our Benedictine roots,” says Sister Kathleen. “The move is both a challenge and an

opportunity to connect with our founding sisters in a unique way. I have heard so many heartwarming stories

from our sisters as they share their own experiences in the Richmond area.”

Through the generosity of Monsignor William Carr at Saint Bridget Catholic Church, Sister Kathleen has a

private office for her ministry. She can be reached at 804.814.2793. We ask for your prayers that this new

endeavor be rewarding and beneficial to both the sisters and the Richmond community.

Sister Anne Marie Lange, OSB

50 Years

Sister Anita Sherwood, OSB

75 Years

Sister Mary Patricia Herrity, OSB

50 Years Sister Henry Marie Zimmermann, OSB

60 Years

Jubilee 2011

On Sunday, June 5,

2011, Sisters Anita

Sherwood, Henry

Marie Zimmermann,

Mary Patricia Herrity,

Anne Marie Lange,

and Miki Planter-

Bromell celebrated a

combined total of 260

years of professed

religious life as

Benedictine monastic

women.

After each jubiliaran

renews her religious

profession, she places

her written copy on

the altar. Then

together they sing

their act of self-giving

in the Suscipie:

“Receive me, O God,

as you have

promised…”

On the Literacy Forefront

BEACON is on the move!

Executive Director Debbie

Abbott reports that BEACON

has extended its ESOL (English

for Speakers of Other

Languages) programs to the

Woodbridge area in two

locations. Woodbridge has seen

a rapid population growth since the 2000 Census,

increasing in size by more the 40% to over 53,000

residents in 2009. More than 11,000 of those residents

identify as Hispanic, and the need for English

education among the non-English speaking population

has become critical. To answer the need, Carlos Castro

of Todos Super Market and the community of Saint

Paul’s United Methodist Church (pastored by Reverend

L. Wayne Carter) have made space available to

BEACON to offer ESOL classes to those seeking to

improve their command of the English language.

Classes this Fall will be held at both sites, with daytime

and evening options, at various proficiency levels. We

are extremely grateful to both Mr. Castro and Reverend

Carter for their generosity. To make the Woodbridge

service a reality, a few more dedicated tutors for the

program are needed. Please call BEACON

(www.beaconliteracy.org) at 703.368.7491 for further

information about how you can become a partner in

Beacon’s award-winning Adult Literacy Program.

News from BARN It has been a summer of transformation for BARN!

With much gratitude to HomeAid Northern Virginia

and Miller & Smith, a $250,000 renovation project has

been realized. What began as a simple rebuilding of

our old playground became

much more as our wish list of

needed repairs grew. In addition

to a new playground for the

children, a new deck, new

landscaping and a track around

it for bikes and walking have been installed. Inside the

house, additional kitchen cabinets, stoves, dishwashers,

new flooring, insulation in the attic, and new paint have

generated much excitement and pleasure. The project

required the help of 26 different subcontractors, and the

results are beautiful. Our families and staff extend their

most sincere thanks to all who helped to support life at

BARN.

Pastoral Calendar

The Benedictine Pastoral Center welcomes Sister

Andrea Westkamp, OSB. During her novitiate year,

Sister Andrea will work with the Pastoral Center in

retreats, spiritual direction and office operations.

Upcoming and Ongoing Events:

The Gospel of St. Mark

Wednesday mornings, 10:00 am to 11:30 am. First Fridays

Conference from 10:00 am to 11:15

Mass 11:30-12:15. Lectio Divina/Centering Prayer

1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 10:00am to 11:30am. Advent Quiet Day with Father Michael Hahn

December 13, 2011 Samaritan Woman Retreat

A nine-session Directed Retreat based on Chapter 4 of

John’s Gospel: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.

For more information please contact the Benedictine

Pastoral Center at 703-393-2485 or Sister Charlotte

Lee, OSB at 703-361-0106

email:scharlottelee@hotmail.com.

Visit

http://www.benedictinepastoralcenter.org/

programs.html

For a full listing of programs.

Ministry Minutes

Sisters Cecilia Dwyer, Vicki Ix, Veronica Joyner, Karen Lynn Trespacz, and Joanna Burley traveled to Saint

Meinrad Archabbey to attend the Monastic Worship Forum Conference “Ancient Wine in New Wineskins:

Celebrating Eucharist with Twenty-First Century Documents.” Benedictine musicians and liturgists gathered to

share their talents and wisdom and to discuss the implications of the revised Roman Missal.

Sisters Karen Lynn Trespacz and Kathy Persson participated in the Benedictine Spirituality Workshop and

Retreat (BSWR) at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, AL. BSWR is an annual three-week experience for

Benedictine women who are preparing for Perpetual Monastic Profession. The Sisters attended conferences on

various topics relating to monastic life during the first two weeks. The final week was a silent, directed retreat for

personal reflection and discernment.

Sister Pat Novak and Sister Doris Nolte attended the Novices and Directors Institute (NADI) at Monastery

Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. NADI is an annual, two-week conference for novices preparing to

make first monastic profession and for novice directors to share resources. The theme for 2011 was “Listen With

the Ear of Your Heart.”

Sisters Doris Nolte, Vicki Ix, Mary Clark and Pat Novak attended the Monastic Institute at St. John’s Abbey,

Collegeville, MN. Sponsored jointly by Saint John's Abbey and the School of Theology· Seminary of Saint

John's University, the Institute focused on the theme, "Bible and Prayer in Benedictine Spirituality."

Sister Charlotte Lange received the Commonwealth Catholic Charities 2011 Community Service Award for her

many years of commitment to the greater Richmond community.

The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia received the 2011 Family Values Award from the Centerville Virginia Stake

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The award honors community leaders who have made

outstanding contributions to the family.

The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia have received a grant from the charitable organization Support Our Aging

Religious (SOAR!). Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB accepted the $15,000 award in the name of the community at a

dinner held in Washington, DC. The grant monies have been used to assist with the renovation of the

monastery’s bathroom facilities, a need that could only have been filled with the assistance of the SOAR! Grant.

To learn more about the history and mission of SOAR! and their good works, please visit their website: http://

soar-usa.org/

13th Annual Festival of Trees Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 at the Westin

Washington Dulles. The black tie optional event raises money to help

the homeless mothers and children served by BARN each year. Register

or make a donation securely online at http://barninc.org/fot2011.

Linton Hall School’s 14th Annual Golf Tournament Monday Oct. 24,

2011 at Evergreen Country Club in Haymarket, VA.. To register,

sponsor, or make a donation check the website http://lintonhall.edu.

Holy Day/Holiday Sale Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 18-20.

Check our website http://www.osbva.org for further details and hours.

NEWSREEL

Upcoming Events

New Faces Among Us Sister Cecilia Dwyer, OSB,

prioress, has announced the

appointment of Mary Colgan

Finnigan as Chief Operating

Officer of the corporate

activities of the Benedictine

Sisters of Virginia.

Finnigan has had an

extensive career in

management through her

affiliation with Colgan Air

Corporation, and is well-

known in the local business arena through her work

with the Prince William County-Greater Manassas

Chamber of Commerce. As COO for the

Benedictine Sisters, Finnigan will oversee the

business operations of the monastery and the

Sisters’ ministries.

Finnigan has a long history of association with the

Benedictine Sisters, having served as President and

member of the Board of Directors for the

Transitional Housing BARN program. “I am

absolutely thrilled to join such an outstanding

organization which I have had the honor of serving

as a volunteer for more than 10 years. I have

known many of the Sisters most of my life. I have

deep respect for each of them and truly believe in

the wonderful work of their ministries,” states

Finnigan.

“We know Mary well because the Colgan family

has long been supporters and benefactors of our

community and ministries,” says Sister Cecilia.

“We want to ensure the long-term success of our

ministries and we think Mary is going to be just the

person for this position. Her ties to the local

community will be a huge asset and we know of her

outstanding work ethic from her service on our

boards.”

Welcome, Mary !

Lynx Tales A renovation of the administrative offices and entrance foyer of the school greeted our

Linton Hall staff and families this year! Emphasizing the Benedictine heritage of the

school, the Benedictine Cross is now the central motif of the entryway. The school year

was ushered in with two very successful events: the LHS Family Picnic and the annual

Yard Sale. Four new members of the faculty have been welcomed into the world of the

Lynx: Robin Martin (Kindergarten), Elizabeth Cheney (3rd Grade), Kathleen Hunt (Grade 4) and

Michele Milano (Music/Choir).

Gator Bites Seventy-six new freshman walked through the front doors of

Saint Gertrude High School for the first time as the 2011-2012

school year got underway. The class of 2015 brings the enroll-

ment this school year to a total of 262 students. The SGHS

family welcomed a new Principal this year, Richmond native

and SGHS alumna (’83) Dr. Judi Lynch, Ph.D. Judi holds degrees in English, Education, and Education-

al Leadership and Policy Studies. Previously, Judi was Director of Special Initiatives at the Virginia

Tech College of Veterinary Medicine. Other new faces this year include: Missy Ackerman (Athletic Di-

rector), Amber Berry (Development Assistant and Special Events Coordinator), Tamara Ingram

(French), Roger Spinner (Director of Facilities), Amy Van Sumeren (Assistant Athletic Director), and

Jenny Watkins (English).

Hot off the press! Susan Walker, President, has announced the appointment of Nancy Parsons to the

position of Development Director, effective October 24, 2011. Nancy earned her BA degree in English

from St. Bonaventure and her MS in English and Language Arts from Syracuse University. She

comes to SGHS with over 20 years of experience in fundraising and development.