Santa Rita Abbey 2022 Fall Update
OCSO General Chapter, September 2-23, 2022
This year our Order, the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (a.k.a. the Trappists), held its overdue General Chapter in Assisi, Italy, in two parts. The first of these, held February 7 – 17, was for the election of our new abbot general: Dom Bernardus Peeters. The second part was held September 2-23 to attend to other business of the Order. A highlight of this second meeting was the Chapter’s private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on September 16. Our Mother Vicki was thrilled to be able to greet the Holy Father in person, and we are thrilled to have such a wonderful photo of their brief encounter.
Retreat House Update
On September 12th we launched a fundraising campaign for our Retreat House’s new roof by sending out an appeal through our email newsletter and a post on our website. It has been a great success! The projected base cost for the new roof is $18,990, and as of this writing (November 21), we have raised $30,000!
In the meantime, we are now also facing the replacement of two HVAC units at the retreat house. The projected cost for the equipment and its installation is $13,505.00. This unforeseen additional expense increases our total fundraising goal to $32,495.00. Thanks to your abundant generosity, we are nearly there!
We were hoping to have the new roof installed in November, but now it looks like it will happen in December. Drywall repairs and painting will follow. We also have to get the new HVAC units installed. We’ll keep you posted as things continue to develop. In the meantime, know that we are most grateful for your support!
Retreat House Roof donation form
October 7-10, Monastic Experience Weekend
Several women expressed interest in attending our 2022 monastic experience weekend, but in the end, according to the designs of God’s providence, it became a week-long experience for one woman, Toni. She thoroughly enjoyed her time here, attending the Divine Office, talking with our vocation team members (Mother Vicki, Sr. Rita, and Sr. Pam), lending a hand in the altar bread bakery and elsewhere, along with ample time for quiet prayer, reading and reflection. Please keep Toni in your prayers as she continues to discern God’s will for her life.
Volunteer Helpers
In spite of the leaky roof at the retreat house, we re-opened our volunteer helper program this fall. Two wonderful women signed up for several weeks apiece. Jennifer and Suzanne lived at the retreat house, joined us at the liturgy, and helped us with our work for about five hours each day. Cheerful and unfailingly generous, their work tasks included cleaning the monastery and the retreat house, washing windows everywhere, grounds work outdoors, helping with the work in our altar bread bakery, and assisting in the monastery kitchen. We were so grateful for their help! They loved sharing in our community life, working for us, soaking up the peace and quiet of our rural area, glimpsing the amazing wildlife (especially a bobcat and her two kittens!), and gazing in wonder at the splendor of our night skies.
Our volunteer program is now closed for the winter but will open again in April 2023. Interested? Check out the web page at https://santaritaabbey.org/volunteer-helpers/
November 6-12, Our Annual Community Retreat
Each year we Sisters enjoy a week-long retreat. No, we don’t go away somewhere; we stay right here at home in the monastery! We continue praying the Divine Office together, but put aside our daily work assignments in order to enjoy an abundance of holy leisure. This year our retreat director was Fr. Allan Deck, SJ. We found his conferences to be inspiring and the whole retreat to be richly rewarding. Thank you, Fr. Allan!
And now the feast of Thanksgiving Day is upon us, to be followed three days later with the first Sunday of Advent! Know that your Santa Rita Sisters pray for you and all of God’s children. May God bless you and your loved ones, our country, the Church, and the entire human family with hearts that are truly grateful, compassionate, and generous throughout this holiday season.