"Well-trodden paths from house to house..."
On hope-filled futures, a new book from Old Monk, and Benedictine Peacemakers
This week, I am preparing to drive to Minnesota to spend the month at another monastery: St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota. I’ll be there as a short-term resident scholar at the Collegeville Institute, immersing in another monastic environment and focusing on my writing.
As I move from one monastic community to another temporarily, one of my favorite images came to mind. In his interview with Krista Tippett on On Being, Benedictine monk Brother David Stendl-Rast was asked about the future of monasticism, beyond the hierarchies of the past. He said that clearly, these old structures have to be replaced by networks: “[Networks] are the future.” Citing another mystic-monastic, he went on:
“Raimundo Panikkar … said the future will not be a new, big tower of power. Our hope in the future is the hope into well-trodden paths from house to house… That is the image that holds a lot of promise for our future.”
I’ve experienced these “well-trodden paths” many times over the years. The interweb of connection between thousands of members on Monasteries of the Heart. The social ties that we have across distance in our dispersed, interspiritual community that grew out of Nuns & Nones. The walking trails that connect the hermitages in the woods to the main Erie Benedictine monastery, and thus connect visiting seekers to each other and with the monks that make their home there. The informal text threads that small groups keep up ever since meeting on retreat years ago. The ways that those of us who are invested in expansive futures of monasticism share ideas and encourage one another over zoom. The roadtrips that my friends are taking as they explore their own longings for community.
So, this coming month I look forward to living in a place with its own well-trodden paths. With the others at the Collegeville Institute, the brothers of St. John’s, the sisters of St. Ben’s, and the students at the college, I’m excited to live on a monastic campus within small-town Minnesota.
I’ll be offline (off social media especially, and email as much as possible) for most of October, to soak up the beauty of fall and creativity of this time. But before I do, there are two things I’d love to share with you. Both projects are close to my heart: a dear mentor’s book, and a new program for young people to live in the Erie monastery. Both uplift and promote this hopeful vision of the future of monasticism for us all.
New Book: Everyday Sacred, Everywhere Beauty by Mary Lou Kownacki
Our beloved Old Monk—Mary Lou Kownacki, Erie Benedictine monk and mentor to many—died in January 2023. I am always going to be grateful for the three years I got to spend sharing community with her. I worked for her at Monasteries of the Heart and learned from her countless lessons: how to ground yourself for a life of courageous action, the spiritual glue that is required for community to unfold, how friendship and beauty are at the heart of life, and that monasticism is a spiritual and social movement meant for everyone.
On Monasteries of the Heart, our online monastery for contemporary seekers, she wrote a blog for many years called Old Monk’s Journal—an honest, funny, insightful look into a monk’s insights in what ended up being the final decade of her life. A group of us from the Erie Benedictines and Monasteries of the Heart—Linda Romey, Anne McCarthy, Jacqueline Sanchez-Small and I—have spent the last year re-reading her blogs and turning them into a book for all to enjoy.
Mary Lou’s writing never ceases to blow me away in its simplicity and profundity. While many of us already fell in love with her writing (see abridged list of books below), I am hopeful this book will introduce a whole new generation of readers to her wisdom.
Order Everyday Sacred, Everywhere Beauty by Mary Lou Kownacki (Orbis 2024)
Explore her previous writings (mostly available on Kindle) including her poetry (Old Monk; Blue Heron and 37 Other Miracles), and her books (Peace is Our Calling, Monk in the Inner City, Between Two Souls).
New Program: Become a Benedictine Peacemaker and live at the monastery
Over the few years I have lived in community with the Erie Benedictines, much of what I have participated in has been about inviting new folks—and therefore new life—into the monastery. There has been the Joan Chittister Writer-in-Residence, the Benedicta Riepp Residency, Benedictine Ministry Interns— and most recently, the Benedictine Peacemakers!
My life was changed by getting to live and work with the community. Several of my friends’ lives have been changed by doing so as well. I am excited to see more people experience the gift that is monastic community—especially for young people who are seeking community, spirituality, and deeper purpose. The program is focused on people aged 22-30, but if you fall outside of that range and still are interested, reach out and there might be a way to connect.
Finally, this program isn’t just about spiritual community and good works. It’s about being a creative presence in the evolution of monastic life. As the program description states:
For 1,500 years, monasteries have attracted seekers of a deep spiritual life. They created monastic communities that became the backbone of social services and the voice of social change wherever they were located. Today, young people who want to develop a deep spiritual life still seek spiritually grounded communities.
As an evolution and widening of monastic life, the Benedictine Peacemaker program is a model for approaching personal formation, spiritual community, and good work in the Benedictine spiritual and monastic tradition, with a particular focus on the practice of peacemaking.
As a recent Benedicta Riepp-er, I couldn't agree with you more about the benefits of sharing community life. I continue to be in awe of the impact that thel last year and a half has had on my spiritual life. I'll be praying that your time at St. John's is fruitful and enriching as I journey back to the Mount for a spiritual tune-up!