Published for their friends by the Sisters of St. Benedict
St. Benedict’s Monastery, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Spring, 2012
Volume 20, No. 1
1903—Holy Ghost Church, School and
First Convent at 315 Selkirk
Avenue, Winnipeg, MB prior to
becoming an independent community
2012—Present Location
1912—Motherhouse, novitiate and
St. Benedict’s Monastery
orphanage at 311-317 Pritchard
225 Masters Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
1961—Motherhouse
225 Masters Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
1915—First Home
in Arborg, MB
1923—Motherhouse and orphanage
in Arborg, MB
Message from the Prioress
- Sister Virginia Evard, OSB
D
ear Friends,
Today, as I write,
we commemorate World
Day of Prayer for Vocations on
Good Shepherd Sunday. Christ,
the Good Shepherd, who lays
down his life for his sheep, is the
model for each of us who are entrusted with the care of others: our
children, elderly parents, co-workers, all people who
depend upon us for their material and spiritual needs.
We are all called by our Christian vocation to lay
down our lives for others.
I am reminded of the valiant leap of faith and trust
taken by our foremothers who founded this community on August 19, 1912 with only twenty-seven
cents to their name. In a letter to Rev. Mother Alexia
Kerst, OSB, of Villa Scholastica, Duluth, MN, in June
of that year, they expressed their intention:
As it is impossible for the Rev. Oblate Fathers
to find Polish nuns to teach in the Holy Ghost
School, and as our leaving the place would be a
most serious blow to the parish, we have made
up our mind to continue to sacrifice ourselves
here, and we are asking leave to remain. His
Grace, of St. Boniface being willing to accept us
and to organize us for his diocese.
There was pressure from the Bishop of Duluth to recall the sisters for the needs of his diocese and there
was pressure from the Archbishop of St. Boniface for
them to remain in Winnipeg because of the critical
need for bi-lingual Polish and English speaking sisters
to teach the mainly Polish speaking immigrant children of Holy Ghost School.
What strikes me about their statement is the
phrase, “we have made up our mind to continue to
sacrifice ourselves here”, (emphasis mine) which,
in turn, echoes Jesus’ own words in today’s Gospel:
“I lay down my life in order to take
it up again. No one takes it from
me, but I lay it down of my own
accord.”
John 10:17-18
Mother Veronica Zygmanska, our
founding prioress, and her pioneering
companions exemplified this same
servant leadership. Through their discernment of the signs of the times in
the needs of the people, their faith
and their trust in God, their determination and their self-sacrifice, they established the Benedictine presence and service in
Western Canada.
The Sisters of St. Benedict are grateful for our foremothers’ witness to the risen Christ in their choice,
the legacy of their dedicated service and the vision
of all who have followed after them in this community. We invite you to come and celebrate with us
on August 19, 2012 this work of love which has
endured for 100 years.
With deepest gratitude for your love and support,
Want to learn more about the History of the Sisters?
Check out the Special 90th Anniversary Spring 2002 Commemorative Issue
of the Benedictine Connection Newsletter on our Website
www.stbens.ca/news.htm
Page 2
Remembered with Love
S
ister Gabriel Czarnowas, O.S.B., 91, died peacefully at St. Joseph’s Residence,
Winnipeg, on Thursday, January 5, 2012. She was in her 70th year of monastic profession.
Sr. Gabriel was born on September 2, 1920 in Winnipegosis, Manitoba, the second eldest of
nine children of Stanley and Antonia (Dyrkacz) Czarnowas. She entered the Benedictine Sisters in
Arborg, Manitoba on June 29, 1940 and made her monastic profession on August 18, 1942.
She was a very dedicated, tidy and prayerful person by nature and these traits were honed
during her many years of monastic life and gentle care-giving in her nursing ministry. She is remembered as a dedicated, comforting nurse who always had a caring smile. She was always most
faithful to community prayer. She loved to crochet and to work in the garden tending her raspberry bushes and flower
gardens, picking and cleaning vegetables, rooting out dandelion plants, as well as shoveling snow or tidying wherever
needed.
A Vigil Service was held on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm at St. Benedict’s Monastery, presided by the
Prioress, Sr. Virginia Evard, O.S.B. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 10:30 am at St.
Benedict’s Monastery and presided by Msgr. Louis McCloskey with commendation by Sr. Virginia Evard, Prioress. Interment followed in the Monastery Cemetery. May she rest in peace. †
S
ister Dominic Kolano, O.S.B. was called to her eternal rest on Saturday, February
18, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Residence. She was in her 78th year of monastic profession. Born
on October 9, 1917 in Brandon, Manitoba to Albert and Catherine Agnes (Pilch) Kolano she
was the third youngest of their 11 children. She entered the Benedictine Community in Arborg,
Manitoba on September 21, 1932, following in the footsteps of her older sister Bernice (Sr.
Clothilde) and made her monastic profession on July 3, 1934.
Sr. Dominic was a creative, fun-loving, multi-talented person who loved interacting with
people, sharing jokes, designing jewellery, especially jeweled Christmas trees and was a wonderful
seamstress. She had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and always treasured her pilgrimage to Czestochowa, Poland to pray at the shrine of the Black Madonna. Sr. Dominic faithfully
served her God and community throughout her life.
A Vigil Service was held on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery presided by
Sr. Virginia Evard, O.S.B, Prioress. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, February 24, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.
at St. Benedict’s Monastery presided by Msgr. Louis McCloskey with commendation by Sr. Virginia Evard, Prioress. Interment followed in the Monastery Cemetery. May she rest in peace. †
S
ister Virgilia Soroczynski, O.S.B.
gently, though unexpectedly, passed away in the
early hours of Wednesday morning, March 28, 2012 at St. Benedict’s Monastery, Winnipeg.
She was in her 100th year of age and 78th year of monastic profession. She was born on
September 20, 1912 in Brandon, Manitoba to Michael and Josephine (Brodzinski) Soroczynski, the
seventh of twelve children, three of whom died in infancy. She entered the Benedictine community in Arborg, Manitoba on April 19, 1932 and made her monastic profession on July 3, 1934.
Sister Virgilia spoke of her family home as a place of faith, love, work and fun. She carried
her family and community relationships deep in her heart. She will be remembered for her commitment to God, her faithfulness to community prayer, her energy, enthusiasm, wit and love of cleanliness and of beauty. She never lost her sense of hospitality and joy of life. She took great pride,
even in her last days, in being able to prepare special dishes as a treat for the sisters.
A Vigil Service was held on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery presided by Sr. Virginia
Evard, O.S.B, Prioress. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery
presided by Msgr. Louis McCloskey with commendation by Sr. Virginia Evard, Prioress. Interment followed in the Monastery
Cemetery. May she rest in peace. †
Benedictine Connection
Page 3
Celebrating 100 Years of Prayer & Work
Marking a Milestone
What better way to mark
a 100th anniversary than
to invite our friends to
celebrate with us?
Please join us!
You are invited to join the
Sisters of St. Benedict
in a
CelebraƟon
in honour of our
100th Anniversary of Foundation
Sunday, August 19, 2012—2:00 pm
Eucharistic Celebration
presided by Archbishop James Weisgerber
Short program and reception to follow
On the grounds of St. Benedict’s Monastery
225 Masters Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
RSVP, call:
RSVP,
338-4601
call: 338-4601
by July By
31,July
2012
31, 2012
Anniversary Book Committee
Pictured (l-r) are Sr. Virginia, Sr. Joan, Barb
Hicks and Sr. Mary who are working
diligently on preparing a pictorial 100th
Anniversary Book which will soon be
available for purchase on-line and during
the 100th Anniversary Celebration event to
take place on August 19th, 2012.
Page 4
Honouring the Sisters of St. Benedict
St. Benedict’s Foundation Inc. invites you to honour the Sisters
through a donation in support of their mission and ministries.
Consider a gift of:
100 pennies—$1.00
100 nickels—$5.00
100 dimes—$10
100 quarters—$25
100 loonies—$100
100 toonies—$200
100 $5 bills—$500
100 $10 bills—$1,000
For your donation convenience and continued support, special
100th
Anniversary
envelopes
will
be
available for your use
on
August
19th,
2012.
Thank You!
“100 for 100”
As we look forward into 2012 and beyond, we hope you will join us by
renewing and increasing your support for our work and by standing strong with
us as we continue in our ministry of service to others.
Community Retreat
-Sister Joan Mormul, OSB
T
he week of March 25 – 30
was one of retreating into
silence and contemplation
with the guidance of Sr. Cecilia
Dwyer, OSB prioress of the Benedictine Monastery in Bristow, Virginia. It was a time of renewal and
reflection as Sr. Cecilia led us
through various topics in the prologue to Benedict’s Rule – the
theme being: “GOD SPEAKS A
WORD. A COMPANY OF WOMEN
SPREADS THE GOOD NEWS!”
Cecilia reminded us by exhortation
and example that it is the ordinary
things in life that are the monastic
way to the holy. She stressed that
the Liturgy of the Hours are the
framework and pattern of the monastic life. She quoted Godfrey
Diekmann, OSB who said “it is the
Liturgy of the Hours that holds us
to the wheel of monastic life”.
We immerse ourselves into the
presence of God so that everything
becomes for us the presence of
God.
“Community is who we are
together while our common life is
Benedictine Connection
how we are toity, fidelity and obedience, the
gether”,
she
sister completes, confirms and
stated in her
specifies baptism by her three
reflection of the
expressions of the same comSacrament
of
mitment. We draw to one anPresence
and
other in simple ordinary acts of
the
Common
presence. Community life is a
Life. The fertilizform of asceticism. It is only
er in our spiritual
through one another’s forgarden is balgiveness that we can find Christ
ance and the
in one another.
monastic
inBeing women makes a differstinct is found in
ence in how we live the Rule of
this
balancing
Benedict. We are midwives
act. We weave
Sr.
Cecilia
Dwyer,
OSB
helping
birth the next generaour life around
tion. The Rule abounds with
the Word of God.
The Word is the tool for working the feminine gifts. God even forced Benedict
earth of the heart and constitutes to listen to his sister, Scholastica, during
the leaven of our day. We are creat- the rainstorm.
ed to be hearers of the word.
God spoke a Word, a Word of love to a
Benedictine monasteries were the company of women in early 1900 and
holiday inns of the Middle Ages. the company of women grew, flourished
Guests and hosts reveal their most and spread the good news for the last
precious selves in hospitality. 100 years – the good news we will once
Through hospitality we are called to again proclaim on August 19 at our
have extravagant hearts and to turn 100th anniversary Mass.
a prejudiced world around, one heart
Sr. Cecilia will return in May, 2012 to
at a time.
facilitate the election of prioress.
By professing the promises of stabilPage 5
Highlights
Vocation Retreat — A Vocation Discernment weekend, an
initiative of the Association of Religious of Manitoba, was held
Feb 3-5 at St. Benedict’s Retreat Centre. A team of religious
and 11 women and men interested in exploring religious life
attended.
Staff In-Service Day
Left—Cheryl Allison, Director of Finance, receives a 15year service award from Sr. Virginia Evard, Prioress
Right—Sharleen Yakel receives an award for 5 years of
Service at the Retreat and Conference Centre, housekeeping department.
Sabbatical Guest Shannon Stein
spends time in meditation in the
Monastery Chapel.
National Vocation Conference
Sister Mary Coswin (back row, 2nd from left) with eight
other sisters from Winnipeg at a National Vocation
Conference held in Calgary March 11-14, 2012.
World Day of Prayer 2012 Malaysia
Once again, the Sisters of St. Benedict united in prayer with Christians in more than 170
countries around the world and 2000 communities across Canada on March 2, 2012,
the World Day of Prayer, to pray in solidarity with the people of Malaysia.
It was the women of Malaysia who prepared the worship service under the theme “Let
Justice Prevail”. To be able to live together in harmony is a blessing from God for which
the people of Malaysia give thanks. Along with the theme “Let Justice Prevail”, the
women of Malaysia name fair and just governance as the basis for peace and harmony in
the social order.
Centre Wish List— Donations toward the purchase of patio chairs for our guests, and mini blinds to
dress up our conference room windows and Director’s office. Contact Sr. Mary 339-1705
Page 6
Retreat and Conference Centre Activities
- Sister Mary Coswin, OSB
Below—Nancy
Reeves (r) speaking
with one of the 29
participants of the
workshop I’d Say
‘Yes’ God, If I Knew
What You Wanted,
held February 17-18,
2012.
Above—Sabbath 2012—Retreat for Young Adults was held
April 19-22. Pictured above are the participants and retreat
leaders.
Right—Dr. Robert Wicks (bottom) facilitating Riding the
Dragon: Strengthening Your Inner Life in Challenging Times
workshop held April 27-28. Lisa Marie Tucker (top r) entertains guests Friday evening of the workshop.
Note from the Editor
T
he front cover of
this newsletter
illustrates
the
100th Anniversary logo
designed by Jay Jorowski.
On it is inscribed “100 Years of
Prayer and Work”. The
word “Prayer” inspires me in this logo
and how appropriate it is to the lifestyle of the Sisters. Having once
worked as a parish secretary, I took
advantage of the opportunity to attend
the daily Liturgy that was held early in
the morning just prior to my start of
work. There was only a handful of people that attended on a daily basis,
many of whom I did not know, and had
only spoken to on a cordial basis.
What I noticed, and felt over the nine
years of praying “where two or more
are gathered” was the transformation
and opening of my heart to this small
group. I felt a very strong connection
with them, many of whom I still do not
know personally well. Praying with
Benedictine Connection
them had the power to transform me
and to really connect with them on a
deeper level.
As the Sisters go about their
daily work, prayer is the stronghold of
their lifestyle, and as Sister Joan describes in her article on their community retreat held this past spring, “we
weave our life around the Word of
God”. The Sisters are woven together
through their prayer – private prayer,
Liturgy of the Hours, Mass. Not only is
their lifestyle reflected in their prayer,
but they become the prayer, bound to
one another in good times and in challenging times.
In her book Lessons from the
Monk I Married, Katherine Jenkins
describes a passage her monk friend
had underlined in a book which belonged to him. It read “The way can
only be known if you deeply participate
with existence. It cannot be known
from the outside, you have to become
a participant. . . Meditation is something that is happening in (your) very
- Diane Huselak
being, deep inside. You cannot observe
it, there cannot be any objective
knowledge about it.” There is so much
that is being said in this passage, but the
keyword I am drawn to is the word
“participate”. How easy it is for us to be
by-standers, onlookers on the side, but
to be full “participants with existence”,
now this is something to ponder! When I
see the Sisters, I see them as full participants with existence through their life of
prayer and the unseen effects this has
on all of us.
I have heard it said that many
people are overcome by an immediate
sense of calm at St. Benedict’s, a type of
“super-natural” power that rises within
them; this is the calm of a house that is
saturated with prayer. Can you imagine
100 years of this collective participation?
And the transforming power this participation has not only on the Sisters but its
connection to you and me, our planet
and the universe? Prayer has the power
to do this! Prayer is power! And, St. Benedict’s is one mighty powerhouse!
Page 7
Invitation to Worship
Morning Prayer
Midday Prayer
Evening Prayer
Mon.-Fri. 7:00 am Sat. 9:00 am Sun. 10:00 am
Daily
11:50 am
Daily
5:00 pm
(No Evening Prayer in Chapel on Wednesday)
Eucharist
Sunday 11:00 am OR anticipated Sat. 7:00 p.m.
Tues., Wed. & Thurs. 9:00 a.m.
Exposition of Blessed Sacrament with Adoration on Sisters’
Retreat Sunday — last Sunday of month, 2:45 – 4:45 pm
Upcoming Events
“Decontaminating the Image
of God and Learning to Pray
Again” - October 19-21, 2012
Well-respected spiritual director
and workshop leader Brother Don
Bisson, FMS will guide participants
to examine the distorted images we
have, both inherited and created,
and invite us to authentic relationship with God in prayer and meditation.
Times may change. Please phone 338-4601 to check.
“The Other Side of Chaos”
Privacy Policy
St. Benedict’s Monastery (the “Monastery”) and St. Benedict’s
Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”) do not sell, trade or share their
database information. The Monastery and the Foundation use a
reputable mailing firm to prepare mailing labels for their newsletters and
brochures.
The Monastery and the Foundation rely on the generosity of their
supporters and friends. Supporters and friends always have the right to
be removed from our mailing list or be exempt from specific
communication from us. Please contact the Monastery or the
Foundation or look at our website for more information about these
matters.
November 9-11, 2012
Author and retreat leader
Margaret Silf of England will be
in Canada this fall and at St.
Benedict’s to present a workshop/retreat that will help
participants develop an authentic “spirituality of transition” that leads us to live out
life's changes constructively, creatively and confidently.
Call the Retreat & Conference Centre for more info. 339-1705
Benedictine Connection is published twice a year by the Sisters of St Benedict, St. Benedict’s Monastery, Winnipeg, MB Canada
and is distributed free of charge to relatives and friends of the community.
Newsletter Committee: Diane Huselak— Editor, Sr. Mary Coswin, Sr. Catherine Labinowich, Sr. Joan Mormul.
Many thanks to all who have contributed to the newsletter by way of articles or photos.
For the love of the earth, this newsletter is printed on recycled paper without an envelope.
Return undeliverable address blocks to:
Office of Communications and Development
St. Benedict’s Monastery
225 Masters Avenue
Winnipeg, MB Canada R4A 2A1
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Website:
204/338-4601
204/339-8775
[email protected]
www.stbens.ca
Please notify us of any change of address
Page 8
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