Every day at the beginning of morning prayer at the Mount,
the prioress reads aloud a portion of the Rule of St. Benedict. Yesterday, she
read from Chapter 58 about the procedure for receiving new members. It is noted
that newcomers should not be granted an easy entry to the monastic life; they
must knock at the door four to five days to show patience before being granted
entry, then spend two months in the novitiate, “be clearly told all the
hardships and difficulties that will lead to God,” listen to the Rule read in
its entirety, “again be thoroughly tested in all patience” for another six
months, listen to the Rule again, wait another four months, and listen to the
Rule yet again before being received as a member of the community, which
entails prostrating oneself at the feet of each monk to ask her prayers. My
initial response to hearing this reading was, “I’m out of here!”
Fortunately, I did not have to stand outside the front door
of the Mount and knock for four to five days before being admitted as a
postulant. However, I did enter into a lengthy period of discernment and completed
an extensive application process, thus entering the training ground of listening,
patience, and humility required for life in community.
On Saturday evening, we ritually welcomed a new member to the
Mount—Sr. Patricia Gamgort, who transferred her vows from another monastery.
Although Sr. Patricia has been a Benedictine for 60 years, she too underwent a
period of discernment and waiting before officially becoming a member of Mt.
St. Scholastica. Making any type of vowed commitment is not to be done lightly
and is cause for great celebration. I’m grateful for Sr. Patricia’s witness to
the value of continually being formed. As someone just starting on the monastic
path, I’m also encouraged to see the fruits of listening, patience, and
humility that come from faithfully following the Benedictine way of life.
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