Out of the Stillness: St. Placid Priory

2011-01-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Pacific Winds
Recorder Group

Opening for

Cecilia String Quartet

Saturday, January 15, 2011
6:30 pm
at Mt. Greens Clubhouse
Lacey, WA

Pacific Winds is a recorder group composed of Barbara Gibson, Tenor; Sister Monika Ellis, OSB, Alto; Katie Callahan, Karin Wallner-Bickham and Shannon Blood, Sopranos.

Cecilia String Quartet's members are: Sherry Riebli, First Violin; Phyllis Solter, Second Violin; Anne Edge, Viola; Judi Martin, Cello.

Cecilia's website: http://psolter.com/CECILIA/index.html
Mt. Greens information: http://calendar.theolympian.com/lacey-wa/venues/show/4179145-mt-greens-clubhouse

In the Wee Hours

2010-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

A strange owl passed through
our woods last night; I woke, but
did not hear my name.

help of the helpless

2010-07-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

healing in your wings,
my sisters' hands, the trees, and
in the songs of whales

Spring at the Priory

2010-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Spring is beautiful here on the St. Placid Priory grounds. The air bathed with fresh rains has a fragrance like no other time of the year. The rhododendrons are in bloom and brighten the otherwise shady places with lush and abundant color. Returning migratory birds sing in our forest in a chorus of sound that brings me outside many times during the day. I just now spotted a pair of Wilson's warblers, bright yellow, chipping away full throated. How can such a small bird make such a BIG sound?

The forest floor, especially on the Sacred Path of Enchantment, is covered with millions of tiny white flowers. What a show!

I hope you find time to step outside in spring days and discover something going on that fills you with hope and renewal.

Inspiration

2010-05-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Two highlights of this past week. Several of us were privileged to hear Greg Mortenson speak - the author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools. He was as down-to-earth with a clear vision of the importance of educating our daughters as I had imagined. The evening was especially inspiring as it was the vision and work of high schoolers, to bring him to town and to promote what Mortenson does.

Then last evening several of us attended a play, The Thin Place, at Intiman Theater in Seattle. Written by a local playwright based on some interviews with a very diverse group of people about faith, and the place of faith in their lives. A one act play with a Nigerian American, Gbenga Akinnagbe. Ghenga did an excellent job; a gifted presence. He shifted characters with ease.

Truly Living

2010-05-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Life was meant to be lived, with all its joys and struggles and unknowns. I have found the monastic journey to be an invitation - and even a requirement - that I enter fully into the mystery of living life, of the unfolding of a truly HUMAN life. Play is important too!

Anyway, I like the words of poet Dawna Markova:

"I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear

of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid,

more accessible,

to loosen my heart

until it becomes a wing,

a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,

to live so that which came to me as seed

goes to the next as blossom,

and that which came to me as blossom,

goes on as fruit."

Sacred Play and Gestating Questions

2010-04-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've just spent a nurturing day with playful, prayerful women. We practiced incorporating creativity and art into spiritual direction and pastoral ministry. I too suspect Jesus was out playing with the children more than preaching in the Temple! One of the gems I bring from the day is the following poem by David Whyte.

Sometimes

Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the forest

breathing
like the ones
in the old stories

who could cross
a shimmering bed of dry leaves
without a sound,

you come
to a place
whose only task

is to trouble you
with tiny
but frightening requests

conceived out of nowhere
but in this place
beginning to lead everywhere.

requests to stop what
you are doing right now,
and

to stop what you
are becoming
while you do it,

questions
that can make
or unmake
a life,

questions
that have patiently
waited for you,

questions that have no right
to go away.

-- David Whyte
from Everything is Waiting for You
©2007 Many Rivers Press

Earth Day

2010-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Our monastery grounds are gorgeous. Simply stunning with an abundance of life. Dramatic changes in season, from the stark barrenness of winter (which is no such thing) to the bursting forth of life in spring, to the emerging colors of summer and the beauty of the change of life in fall. The sunlight plays through our trees, and the stars at night call us to something more. And beyond ourselves.

Many people assist in creating and protecting and nurturing this beauty, from the mundane tasks of mowing and pruning and feeding. We have friends who have and continue to create: rock gardens, circular gardens, sacred paths of enchantment and the planting of annuals. Birds gift us with music and squirrels simply entertain.

Now all is not well in paradise. Deer eat. Raccoons, well, forage. Moles move dirt in directions we hadn't intended...

We humans are dependent upon creation for our survival. Yet also for growth. Creation heals. Creation gives hope. Creation fills our souls and suggests vision. Let us notice all that is around us, especially in the most unexpected places.

Sacred Transitions

2010-03-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

A dewy bone-chilling cold. Hints of blue sky dancing with fog and cloud. Hints of blossoms ready to burst forth. Grass an emerald green. This morning was the graveside service for the mother of a friend - someone discerning a call to join our community. Prayer; words of remembrance; and soft chant: and may the angels take you up to paradise...

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day: a celebration of Irish culture. But more. A celebration of the many cultures and ancestors who helped shape who we are today. Tomorrow is the Solemnity of St. Joseph: a remembrance of all the (step-)fathers and grandfathers who loved us and challenged us; protected us and encouraged us. We are not alone: in tribe nor in father figures. Today we sisters remembered Mechtild of Magdeburg, a thirteenth-century beguine who preached extensively. Her book is called The Flowing Light of the Godhead. The passing of time, in all its intricacies, is sacred. Let us notice and remember.

Sacredness of Death

2010-03-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

The rain fell gently today. Messy, cold, disruptive and yet beautiful. Reminds me of Richard. A close friend of more than 35 years had called me yesterday morning to speak of her continued grief and challenges in journeying with her dying father; she and her mother, siblings and extended family. While on the phone the call came in - her father had gently passed away. More quiet tears. Messy because we should not want someone to die; messy because Richard had been in a waking coma for more than 9 months; messy because the best and the worst in each of them emerged. Yet death is sacred, gentle while violent, a journey. Let the tears flow.

The Monastic Vocation

2010-01-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

We have two women here at St. Placid Priory this weekend discerning their vocation to the monastic life. Have you ever considered joining a monastic community? The monastic way is for people who long for the deeper things - deeper relationship with God, deeper relationships with others, deeper self knowledge, deeper prayer life, deeper commitment. We live a life of routine, prayer, and service dotted with those wonderful surprises by God. The daily Liturgy of the Hours (aka Divine Office) nourishes us, Lectio Divina deepens us, and the surprises God sends keep us on our toes, keep us laughing, and keep us going! You can see more information about the monastic way at our web site: http://www.stplacid.org

The Gifts That Differ

2010-01-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated the Feast of St. Placid and St. Maurus. Our chapel was lovely with an icon of St. Placid, patron of our monastery, surrounded by red vigil lights. It made me think of all the gifts we bring to community, and how we share them with each other and with the larger community. The gift of creativity, of making beautiful things and making our surroundings beautiful, is without price. Beauty helps us to pray, to be fully present, to celebrate.

The closing hymn at Eucharist was "Sing a New Church," text by Dolores Dufner, OSB of St. Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, MN. The refrain is--

"Let us bring the gifts that differ
and in splendid varied ways
sing a new church into being
one in faith and love and praise."

Thanks be to God for each person's gifts, and the way we share them!

R&R

2009-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Fall day trip: my heart
and being expand, like a
lovers' rendezvous...

Prayer Shawls

2009-08-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

Our hearts are full of so many things...sometimes we just need a listening ear, another heart that will receive what we have to pour out. Often, there is nothing to be done about these things except to listen, to receive.

One thing I have appreciated being able to do for someone who is ill or grieving, or who is afraid for someone else who is sick: offer them a prayer shawl. Our Knitters and Spinners spend many prayerful hours knitting shawls for just this purpose...to give to someone who is suffering for whatever reason. And they are received with such gratitude.

I give thanks for all our Priory Knitters and Spinners who knit prayers of comfort and healing into warm shawls, pouring out their love and energy for others. Amen.

A Gathering of Writers

2009-07-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last night was the weekly gathering of my writers critique group. We are the Puget Sound Writers Guild (www.pugetsoundwritersguild.org). We are feisty, committed, opinionated, caring, daring, funny and too often perplexed with our own writing process. But we are honest and supportive of each others' writing process. We hear three presentations - usually scenes, sometimes planning material - and give constructive feedback. This is where the laughter and the bantering erupts.

We offer a class - the novice class - for those interested in learning the internal structure and process for creating, writing and fine editing novel-length stories. Our newest 'graduating class' is now with us. Each new member adds a unique perspective, and it's fun to see them stretch and grow as professional writers.

I am in the early stages of writing a medieval who-dun-it involving a beguine sleuth. We're currently in 1280 Bruges and three innocent souls have died. Or were they so innocent?

Lunch with Cousin Maria

2009-06-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

A death in the family can bring people together as it did today in my family. Cousin Rosemary was born in the same year and the same month as I - twenty days earlier than me. She died suddenly, very unexpectedly. It is hard to imagine a world without Rosemary. In our growing up years we visited often and I knew her as fun loving, full of surprises, willing to state her opinion on any topic, beautiful.

I met her sister for lunch today, along with my own sister. We reminisced and we caught up on each others' lives. We talked about Rosemary and our whole family. We promised each other to meet again - soon.

Jesus came with the promise of eternal life. In faith I know Rosemary lives. In faith, I know we will all meet again, and relatively soon. Humanly, however, I miss Rosemary, and I cherish even more, now, the times I meet face to face with the people I love. The being together comforts and bolsters me against the sadness of leave takings. The coming together and the going away... all part of this wondrous life on earth.

2009-06-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Details, details, details. That was my day, today. How satisfying to make a list of those little, but not unimportant, details that need to get done, and then watch as each thing is checked off the list. My day had no other appointments or meetings - rare and wonderful. So, I set about taking care of the "thises and thatses" which can weigh me down if I procrastinate too long.

What are you waiting to take care of? What little detail niggles you at the back of your consciousness? Is it a thank you note waiting to be written? Is it a phone call needing to be made? Is it organizing your email? Is it repairing a hem? Is it saying, "I'm sorry."?

Take some time today to consider what little (or big) details are weighing you down. Develop a list, and then let a little burst of energy enliven you to get them done and check them off, one by one. You'll feel better. I did!

Blessed Beauty

2009-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Since the quiet of our retreat, we have been blessed with many days of sun, whose rays have highlighted the sounds of birds chirping, flowers blooming, and even the variation of greens in the foliage. I try to let God's Cathedral support me in my writing; to soak it in so that (hopefully) what comes out on quill and paper also reflects God's ongoing creation.

What Birds Talk About

2009-06-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Birds in the morning
working, talking cheerily
of life in the trees.

Light Prayer

2009-06-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

Praying through or with the energies all around me, the light that enfolds me and every thing, is wondrous. Words from the past take on new meanings: Jesus Christ, the light of the world; the kingdom of God is within; don't hide the light under a bushel basket - put it out on a lampstand; God is my light and my salvation; let your light shine for all the world to see; Who touched me? I felt the energy go out of me... The burning bush... the column of fire by night...

I feel a wind of transformation blowing through me, blowing through the universe. We are waking up to new possibilities, new responsibilities. It is the light that leads me. It is a good morning.

Retreat Time, Slow Time...

2009-06-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

Lying on the grass
sun soaking into my bones
dragonfly skims past...

Retreat Begins

2009-06-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

We Benedictine nuns here at St. Placid Priory began our annual retreat yesterday, Friday, June 5. This year we are spending all eight days in silence. Yes, SILENCE. Except for chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and responding at Mass, we are not speaking. The days go by much more slowly than usual. If you want to slow the pace of your life, keep silence for a while.

I wanted to focus on a particular task today, but a bird called out to me, and I had to go outside instead of completing what I had been doing at my desk. The robins were all upset... so I followed their cries of distress and caught a glimpse of an owl silently passing through our woods. It was a breath-taking sight. As if that were not enough, I was led up to the top of our parking lot (by the beckoning of the little birds) and there on the edge of the pavement was a merlin. Beautiful blue/gray, banded tail feathers, quite self-possessed. Wow. No sooner did I try to raise my field glasses than it was away.

Owls and hawks are symbols of transformation. And this is only the beginning of the retreat...

Cool Rain

2009-06-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Patter on the roof...
days of frantic sun give way,
now, to quiet rain

On the Edges

2009-05-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was inspired to take some pictures outdoors. The weather was lovely, and many of our flowers were in bloom.

After enjoying my leisurely walk around the monastery, recording (as I thought) some of the most beautiful flowers, I went inside to look at the pictures on the computer.

I was a little disappointed. The sun was bright, so that much of the color was washed out, or the contrast was too great.

I began to look more closely at the pictures, trying to find the beauty I had seen outdoors. When I began in the upper left corner and scanned across, I found an image I liked--this one of leaves, dark and light. This was not what had attracted me to the original subject...yet it ended up being what spoke to me of beauty.

As I reflected on this experience, it seemed to me that this is sometimes what happens in my life. What first attracts me may end up being not as beautiful as I thought...or I find on looking closer that there is much more depth in what is on the edges of my awareness. I need only take the time to look, to see more deeply, to appreciate the true beauty always present.

On Returning Home

2009-05-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Precious is your life
in trees, in us who gather
now at your table.

Mystery

2009-04-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sister Loses Mind; Hunts All Week Without Success

Have you ever had something happen where you thought you might be losing your mind?

I had a situation like that a few days ago. At first I was indignant, casting blame to the four directions with a sure hand. But none of it stuck...just flowed back to pool at my own feet. I still don't know the answer...there is no rational answer that fits with my experience.

So now what? Will I spend the rest of my life agonizing over this mystery? I believe God says to me, "Even though this makes you feel crazy, let it go. Just be with this small mystery, live with it, accept it. Be with me."

Answer God's Call

2009-04-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the Feast of St. Catherine of Sienna. She lived in the fourteenth century when the Pope was working out of Avignon and the world as they knew it was in chaos. Her passionate devotion to Jesus led her to live an austere life. She worked to bring the Pope back to Rome, which did happen in her lifetime. She worked for unity and peace between conflicting factions. She was almost illiterate and yet she is named a Doctor of the Church for her brilliant, inspired thinking.

Catherine answered the call of God with utmost generosity.

Do you hear God calling you to the religious life? Sometimes this call feels more like an urgent desire. Sometimes it is experienced as a recognition of a good fit with a particular community. God could be calling you through the way a community prays, or through the way a community serves.

Regardless of how you "hear" the "call," are you responding to it? And if you are not, why not? It is, after all, GOD calling. Who are you to ignore GOD? God only wants what is good for you, what is satisfying, fulfilling and very meaningful. Answering the call also brings with it the grace to follow to wherever that call leads.

To a Piper on College Street

2009-04-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Walking, I hear pipes.
Drawn closer, standing, list'ning
at dusk...my heart lifts.

--from a descendant
of the Campbells and the Alexanders

Holy Leisure

2009-04-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

The weather was so enticing today that I spent some time by the water. After an appointment in Tacoma I stopped on Ruston Way and sat on a bench, drinking in the misty blue of Commencement Bay and the skies above, gazing at the water, the rocks, the slow-moving ferry and sailboats. I watched spring unfold in the form of young mothers with babies in strollers, a boy on a skateboard, a young woman skating. Later in the day, before a meeting, I was on the waterfront in Olympia, walking and looking at the boats. One was named "Quiet Time," and another "Opus Dei." I was reminded that taking some quiet time really is Opus Dei, the work of God, and my life contains more joy when I honor this truth.

And Into the Silence

2009-04-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Monday) was our monthly day of silence. The sisters, with the support of our staff, enter into a day of intentional silence. We were enriched by the presence of a number of guests/retreatants who entered into the silence with us. The sun warmed my heart. Some of the trees were in full bloom. I sat outside with my lectio [sacred reading] materials, listening to the cacophony of birds. A wealth of the Divine Presence embraced and nurtured the silence. Such a delight in the midst of the screeching, discordant noise of "civilization." How can a true civilization evolve, let alone thrive, without silence?

Want to know more about lectio? Get our Sister Lucy's book, Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening and Awareness. Want to experience silence with us? Call the center and book your room on our next day of silence in May.

Praying With the Body

2009-04-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

St. Placid Priory was simply filled with festivity on Sunday, April 19. First of all, it was Sunday and we always celebrate Sundays with liturgies full of song and grace. It also happened to be our monthly Oblates and Associates day, when people gather at the Priory to learn about and grow in Benedictine values. St. Placid Priory It is always an added festivity when our Oblates and Associates come here.

Then we had a very special celebration with our Oblate, Roy DeLeon, whose book, Praying With the Body, has just been released. His book is available for purchase in our Priory Store, and those who picked it up had the opportunity to speak with the author himself and ask for his autograph. What a joyful moment, when I brought my book to Roy, who wrote a blessing for me in it!

The book is about using the body in gentle and easy ways to express the prayers we hold in our minds and hearts and bodies. The movements are designed to deepen our prayer, embody our prayer and give physical expression to what we are hearing in the depths of our beings. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to explore new and different paths of prayer.

Rummage

2009-04-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

We had our annual rummage sale yesterday. Several friends came to help out and the day was successful. Those who staffed the event were happy and those who came were happy. The line of eager rummage salers reached out to the curb of the parking lot before 8:00 when we opened. And it was such a beautiful day for a sale! Lots of sunshine and birdsong.

Rummage sales are important these days, not only for us who depend on this income, but also for those folks who make their way from sale to sale each Saturday. It is a good way to re-cycle and to keep stuff out of landfills. It is also a good way to clear the house of unnecessary things and to offer them to those who might be in need at a nice, low price. I figure if I haven't picked something up in a year or so, it really belongs to someone else. Our annual rummage sale helps me to pass these things on to others.

Thanks, Sister Damaris, for another great event!

A Writers Gathering

2009-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

I spent last evening with members of my fiction writing group, The Puget Sound Writers Guild. We gather weekly to hear and critique presented chapters of our ongoing work. The critiques were thoughtful and given to encourage writers to push for their best possible work. I am awed at the perceptive minds and colorful personalities that are committed to one another's growth as writers. To critique without criticizing; to disagree with humor; to care while challenging. We so love our craft that we are currently teaching a group of novice writers what we were given by our now-deceased mentor. The are a wonderful, committed, zany group of people. They will fit right in. Soon they will be joining us.

Benedict's Rule is framed to provide guidance about bringing disparate backgrounds and personalities together in respectful peace. The strength of gracious hospitality. I experience a peace that allows me to flourish as I am (as my first best person) and to support and challenge those around me to become better selves. I am blessed by the presence of guests: our regular guests and especially the unexpected ones.

November to April

2009-04-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Star Magnolia

November leaves fell
revealing slender white buds--

spring's hope, now fulfilled.

Baseball and the Gospel Life

2009-04-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed an evening of baseball last night, watching the Mariners on our TV with several of my Benedictine sister fans. I noticed how joyful the fans at Safeco Field were - lots of smiles and exuberance. It didn't hurt that Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 400th home run as a Mariner or that Ichiro hit a grand slam. It was just a great night over all for my team! And it was about community. It was the TEAM that won the game - all the players working together. The team that lost was also working together very hard. It was not their night.

The Gospel life is like that, too. It is all about community. Sometimes we feel like winners! We have joy, energy, and enthusiasm for the mission. And sometimes we feel like losers. Where are the light and the pats on the back and the peace anyway? Well, community is about living together with the beauties and the beasts within and around us. Christian living does not mean we will feel great every day. It does mean that we are part of a team, that we work hard in the service of God and God's Creation, that we encourage each other and be there for each other in good times and in not-so-good times.

Yeah, Mariners! Yeah, Everyone!

Practice

2009-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I immersed myself in music. I practiced my recorder alone, then I spent an hour with a friend playing duets. In the evening I took another friend and myself off to the local Pub and enjoyed an evening of jigs and reels performed by local musicians passionate about Irish music. I was inspired by their talent and their facility. It takes me scores (maybe even hundreds) of repetitions before I master a difficult phrase. My teacher told me recently that the adage, "Practice makes perfect" is not quite true. It is really perfect practice that makes perfect. He cautioned me to make sure that what I repeat over and over again as I practice is actually correct.

The spiritual life takes practice, too. It is not so easy to practice my life perfectly, though. So I may fall down, and get up and try again; fall down and get up and try again; fall down and get up and try again. St. Benedict wrote a simple rule for beginners. I take great comfort in that I do not need to be perfect, only perfectly willing to get up and try again.

Freedom of Speech

2009-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I listened to an NPR program, "On Point," about right wing radio and television announcers whose words could incite listeners to do violent acts. In the Rule of St. Benedict we learn that above all we are to approach persons with reverence. I am concerned that our society has lost this sense of awe and reverence toward persons and accepts the rantings and ravings that we hear over the air waves as normal. I would like to call for more civility of tone by all media folks. We need high quality political discourse, not hot-headed, disrespectful diatribes about people whose political views are not the same as the person behind the mic. St. Benedict wrote wisely. Let us return to offering reverence to all people, even during passionate debate about important issues.