You are invited to explore the latest
Mewsletter
from the
Feline Benedictine Cloister
Winter, 2023
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Hello. Welcome back to the Mewsletter. Thanks be to God that you are here!
I’m Br. Ricky, Novice Master and Mewsletter editor. I am delighted to bring you Benedictine wisdom from the Feline Cloister.
I trust that you are having a blessed Lent, especially if you attended my class on Lent accessed through the Mewsletter In-Between.
If you missed my class or would like a brush up on moving through Lent per The Rule of St. Benedict, click here.
In this issue of the Mewsletter we take a look at idleness and leisure. And I'm delighted to share that we have two new Worldwide Novices! Read all about it below.
Mewsletter Contents
Here’s what you will find in the Mewsletter. Read it all or scroll down to the section you want to read.
Our New Worldwide Novices!
Felines Unpack the Rule of St. Benedict - "Chapter 48 - The Daily Manual Labor, Verse 1 - Idleness is the Enemy of the Soul
Mewsings from the Feline Cloister - Leisure is a Friend of the Soul
Learning Benedictine Lingo - Who/What is the Cenobite?
Mewsletter Monastery - The Abbey of Regina Laudis
Novice Application
Visit the Feline Cloister
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Our New Worldwide Novices!
Welcome Cleopatra Whitney and Willow!
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"I am Cleopatra Whitney from Peabody, Massachusetts. I'm excited to become a Worldwide Novice and join your wonderful group."
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"My name is Willow and I purr my greetings to you all from Jackson, Mississippi. I know that you all have lots to teach me about The Rule of St, Benedict."
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Felines Unpack The Rule of St. Benedict
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At Br. Ricky’s request Cloister Novices will choose and unpack a verse from the Rule in each Mewsletter issue. Novices will not only learn more about the Rule but will also be taught to research noted Benedictine scholars and writers. At the end of the article each Novice contributor will share what the verse means to her or him.
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Novice Miss Sassafras -
Contributor
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Chapter 48 - The Daily Manual Labor -
Verse 1
Idleness is the Enemy of the Soul
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"“Idleness is the enemy of the soul.
Therefore, the community members should have specified periods
for manual labor as well as for
prayerful reading.”
Rule of St. Benedict, RB 48.1
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Hello! I’m Novice Miss Sassafras. Br. Ricky, our Novice Master, asked me to research and prepare an article for you on the above verse from Benedict’s chapter on the daily manual labor.
When I first read the verse my fur stood up. Idleness is the enemy of the soul? Seems counter-cultural especially for us felines, even in the Cloister.
But "with the ready step of obedience" (RB 5.8), I got busy with my research on a statement that seemed anathema to me. Check out what I discovered.
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Mewsings from
the Feline Cloister
"Leisure is a Friend of
the Soul"
by Sr. Nikki, OSB-F
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What with all these arrows??
Are we going to learn about archery?
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Hello! Sr. Nikki here. I hope you read the excellent article by Novice Miss Sassafras on verse 1 of RB 48 - The Daily Manual Labor: "Idleness is the enemy of the soul."
In my view as porter in the Feline Cloister, there are many humans and even some felines (!) who focus too much on productivity and accomplishment. They neglect taking time to refresh and renew. So I decided to make a case for leisure - what leisure is and why we need this God-given gift in our lives.
I invite you to read my Mewsing on leisure. I know that it is still Lent and we are about to enter Holy Week. But, perhaps during Holy Week we might give up overwork. Sounds like a great idea to me, and I hope to you.
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Learning Benedictine Lingo |
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In this section of each Mewsletter you will be introduced to a term that is found in the Benedictine Glossary of Amma Jane’s website, St. Benedict’s Toolbox Annex. If you are an old hand with the Rule of Benedict, I invite you to scroll to another section of the Mewsletter or have some treats, or take a nap.
Br. Ricky, Cloister Novice Master and Mewsletter editor, designed this section and wants you to have some fun with it as you learn.
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The Benedictine Term for Today - Cenobite
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Maximillian is puzzled
by Benedictine lingo and mews,
“Ceno what?”
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Benedictine Term Quiz
Who or what is a cenobite? Which of the following do you think might fit the Benedictine cenobite?
A. Extradimensional beings who exist in an extra-dimensional realm and vary in number, appearance, and motivations. (Creepy. Click here for a scare.)
B. A monastic who likes to be a guest at a monastery, but when asked to work, flees.
C. A monastic who likes to hang out with other monastics
D. “Ceno: means “new” and “byte”(or “bite”) means a unit of data that is eight binary digits long. Hence… a cenobite is a new bit of data.
E. Benedict’s least favorite kind of monastic
F. A monastic who likes to do what he or she wants, making up their own rules
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Monastic felines wandering about.
Are these felines cenobites?
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Here is a monastic named Celia Louise,
rooted in her home.
Could she be a cenobite?
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What descriptions did you choose? “C” is the best because in the Rule Benedict explains that cenobites, his favorite kind of monastic, “belong to a monastery.”
To learn a more about cenobites, click here. Then scroll down and click on “cenobite” for the definition.
To learn about cenobites, click here. Then scroll down and click on “Cenobite” for more information.
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Reverend Mother Lucia Kuppens, O.S.B., the 3rd Abbess
of the Abbey of Regina Laudis.
She has been a Benedictine cenobite for 33 years.
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A Little Bit About the Abbey Of Regina Laudis
The Abbey of Regina Laudis, founded in 1947 in Bethlehem, Connecticut, is a community of contemplative Benedictine women dedicated to the praise of God through prayer and work. The nuns of the abbey chant the Mass and full Divine Office each day (7 services), while expressing the traditional Benedictine commitment to manual work and scholarship.
The members strive to integrate work and prayer through wise stewardship of their land comprising 450 acres, including a non-commercial working farm, professionally operated by the community. The common stereotype of a nun is broken when guests see a community member driving a tractor or working with a chainsaw, expanding the notion of what it means to be a contemplative Benedictine nun.
The community manages hay fields and pastures, typically harvesting 6,000-8,000 hay bales a year, which feed their flocks and herds. The community tends a Belted Galloway beef herd, Dutch Belted dairy cows and oxen, as well as Shetland sheep. They process wood from clearing projects on the land to sell; they harvest and preserve fruits and vegetables from gardens and orchards, as well as honey from their apiary. These prayerful and hard-working nuns are never idle.
“When they live by the labor of their hands, as our ancestors and the apostles did, then they are really monastics.” RB 48.8
(See “Felines Unpack the Rule of St. Benedict” above which address RB 48.1 on idleness and work.)
The mission to praise God at all times is symbolized by the lyre on the abbey's crest and by their motto, taken from the book of Judith – Non recedat laus:
“Let praise never cease!”
Praise God for this inspiring and amazing community. No one falls into idleness here!
Please click on the links in the above text to see the wonderful photos and videos of the life of this community.
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A nun of Regina Laudis busy at her loom |
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Visit the Feline Cloister |
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Meet the members of the Order of St. Benedict-Feline (OSB-F).
They will mew the fine points of The Rule of St. Benedict.
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Their mission is to teach felines and humans about The Rule of St. Benedict and how the Rule can help us find peace and joy in daily life. |
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Felines - You Too Can Become a Novice!
Help You and Your Human Learn More
About the Benedictine Way of Life
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I hope you enjoyed and learned from this issue of the Mewsletter. There's a lot more on the website for Benedictine living.
All in the Feline Cloister send their deepest prayers for a joyful Easter for you, your family and friends.
Your Feline Friend and Companion,
Br. Ricky, ODB-F
Novice Master and Mewsletter Editor
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