Volume 37, Nr. 1, February 2007 Richardton, ND 58652
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"International Monastics" NetworkBefore the August ABA convention, Father Simeon Thole, a member of the board of directors, put out a unique call for participation. While most of the special interest groups and sections are initiated by people who have come together themselves around their interest, Father Simeon wanted to challenge a group which had not presented itself. He invited monastics who had their origins in distinct subcultures to come to the meeting to share their experience of monastic life. It was clear from the very beginning of this effort that North American monasticism has much diversity, as represented by the evolution of the group itself. The term originally used in the planning, "minority monastics," suggested the traditional broad categories of black, Asian, and Hispanic. The more contemporary term "monastics of color" raised questions as to the varieties of minority cultures which have often been lumped together as "of a certain color" or "not of color." At the time of the meeting, this diversity was welcomed by a broader invitation to those who considered themselves "non-Anglo" or "not of the dominant culture." Although few of those invited were able to attend the convention, those who did present themselves accentuated the need for this broad welcome. Communities today consist of men and women from around the globe. Blacks may be from families that have been here for generations or they might be new immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean. A Spanish surname may belong to a family recently arrived from somewhere in South America or one that resided in the Southwest before whites ever arrived. Asian cultures are as many and varied as European ones; parts of what is considered the "Caucasian" world, such as the Balkans, Greece, Sicily, Lebanon and others, have strong and unique cultures of their own. In some parts of the country, Mediterraneans or Polynesians or any other ethnic group may be common, while in others they may be rare. The number of Americans of "mixed race" also grows rapidly in a country where, a century ago, the ideal of many families was for a Pole to marry a Pole, a Mexican to marry a Mexican, and almost no one had so much as seen a Vietnamese or a Nigerian person. This is the world from which monastic vocations come. While each monastery has its own subculture, a challenge to anyone first entering it, there are additional challenges for those whose values, behaviors and worldview were formed in a culture which is not the German/Irish/Anglo-Saxon norm which long dominated American identity. Those who attended the initial meeting had so much to share that it was difficult to know where to begin. They did decide that there was value in offering support to one another. Recognizing their own diversity and their desire to welcome rather than define, they decided to refer to themselves as "international monastics." Veronica Joyner, OSB, of St. Benedict's Monastery in Bristow, VA, was one of the leaders of the initial meeting. "We had just enough time to introduce ourselves to each other and share a few stories. We hope to share more and come up with some ideas of how to develop this concept into a group for ourselves and others who could not attend. We decided to call it the international monastic forum since many minority monastics are both from within and outside of this country." Sister Veronica was joined in the organization of the first meeting by Sister Therese Moreno, OSB, of Fort Smith, AR. They were encouraged by the gathering and hope to strengthen the bonds formed there. The first step in building a network is the establishment of a blog to further the ongoing discussion. It is under the guidance of Allen Tarlton, OSB, of Collegeville, MN, and anyone who wishes to join the conversation can go to the group?s blog at the website: <http://my.opera.com/internationals/blog>.
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OSB | ABA | Am Monastic Newsletter
The American Monastic NewsletterPublished in February, June and October | |
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Judith Sutera OSB |
The Mission of the American Monastic Newsletter is to be an instrument of communication and information for Benedictine monasteries of North America and members of the American Benedictine Academy. |
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Renée Branigan, OSB |
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Adel Sautner OSB |
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