Benedictine Traditionlives ______Z______
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The Benedictine TraditionLives ______________________Z______________________ …in the hearts and through the good works of the Sisters, their benefactors, alumni, oblates, friends, and relatives. Annual Report and Annual Appeal 2011 Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh Annual Appeal 2011 Dear Friends and Partners of St. Benedict: Last year about this same time, I wrote to you about how our world is constantly changing, that no matter what our calling, all of us are often challenged to adapt our perspectives and expand our horizons so as to remain vibrant and strong. And never has this been truer for the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh than it is today! To be the best stewards of our resources and to better meet the needs of the people we serve and the Sisters, we have put our property up for sale and we are making plans to build a smaller, greener monastery. Adaptability is built into our monastic tradition. St. Benedict knew that the spiritual tradition he started more than 1500 years ago had to be kept alive with the Gospel spirit. Consequently, the heart of the mission he established is always growing to encompass new things. So we go forward in faith, committed to remaining vibrant and strong by building a new and more efficient home from which our ministries will flow and grow. I invite you to join us in our work today and for the exciting work ahead. With your partnership, we know we can do whatever is necessary to continue our mission of seeking God in community, prayer and ministry. Men, women and children in need are counting on us, and we in turn, are counting on you. Together we can answer our Gospel call. God bless you for whatever you can do to support our ministries today and tomorrow. Your friendship and partnership give witness and ensure that The Benedictine Tradition LIVES! Peace, Sister Benita DeMatteis, OSB Prioress P.S. To learn more about us, our history and plans for the future, please visit us online at www.osbpgh.org. Monastic Women with Discerning Hearts Contributions n Mail Appeals $ 165,513 n Wills & Bequests $ 237,196 n Spiritual Bouquets $ 4,169 n General Mail $ 57,531 n Restricted Gifts: Greene County Mission $ 691 Equipment for Ministries $ 981 To Support Retired Sisters $ 7,860 Building Maintenance Fund $ 4,770 n In-Kind Gifts $ 14,874 $ 493,585 ______________________Z______________________ Use of Contributions n Ministries & Support of Sisters $ 228,108 n Restricted Expenditures: Greene County Mission $ 691 Equipment for Ministries $ 981 Support of Retired Sisters $ 7,860 Building Maintenance $ 4,770 n Administration & Fundraising $ 137,702 n Reserved for New Monastery $ 113,473 $ 493,585 “Listen carefully, my child… with the ear of your heart.” Rule of St. Benedict Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh Report to Benefactors for Fiscal Year of 2010-2011 Alison Serey, Director, Office of Community Advancement Thank you, Partners of Saint Benedict, for responding to our fundraising programs with enthusiasm and support. Your donations, totaling $493,585, helped the Sisters to advance their 1500 year tradition of seeking God in community, prayer and ministry. ______________________Z______________________ The Benedictine Tradition Lives … Through Prayer in Community … In the presence of God and the angels sing your praise wisely. RB Ch. 19: 5-7 The primary ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh is to pray the Liturgy of the Hours communally for the Church, the People of God. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours together as a community is a significant expression of Benedictine life. The Liturgy of the Hours is the daily prayer outlined in the Rule of St. Benedict to be prayed by monastic women and men and consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and scriptural readings. Through Hospitality to Strangers … All guests are to be welcomed as Christ for he says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” RB Ch. 53:1 In the spirit of hospitality, the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh have opened their hearts and their home to those most in need in collaboration with Catholic Charities and other agencies. They have provided a safe haven to refugee families, students, single women in transition, and to individuals and families in medical crisis. Monastic Women with Discerning Hearts Through the Ministry of Spirituality … Let us prefer nothing whatever to Christ… that he may bring us all together to everlasting life. RB Ch. 72:11 The Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh share Benedictine spirituality and values with others in a variety of ways. Spiritual Spas offer bi-annual opportunities for spiritual growth through days of reflection in solitude and in dialogue with the Sisters and other participants. Spiritual Direction is offered by several of the Sisters and can be arranged on an individual basis. Retreats, both private and directed, are available upon request. Through the Ministry of Justice … Walk without blemish, be just in all your dealings, and speak the truth from your heart. RB Prologue: 25-26 The community works collaboratively with other religious women in the Diocese of Pittsburgh to promote awareness of and participation in issues of peace and justice. Benedictines for Peace, a Community committee, sponsors a Peace Vigil on New Year’s Eve. To learn about the ministries of each Sister, please visit our website, www.osbpgh.org. Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh Stewardship … a value and a calling By Sister Evelyn Dettling, OSB Sister Michael Mack, the Treasurer for the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh, stewards our temporalities and tends our gardens. In both of these ministries she is following the age old wisdom found in the Rule of St. Benedict, “The [Treasurer] will regard all the goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected.” RB Ch. 31:10. Sister Michael lives out this deep concept of stewardship primarily in the business office overseeing all the financial obligations of the community and ensuring that the needs of the Sisters are met. This demands patience and precision, discipline, and attention to detail. These qualities are included in what Saint Benedict calls “good zeal” and they are qualities that Sister Michael brings to her work and to her play. When she is not in the office she will be found caring for the monastery land. As a young woman, concern for getting a good job caused Sister Michael to move from an interest in psychology to attaining a degree in marketing and then to becoming certified in advanced accounting. When she entered the Benedictine Community, she brought a variety of experiences from the corporate and non- profit sectors. She had worked in the Marketing Department of Duquesne Light and in the corporate office of a large hospital conglomerate in the Twin Cities of St. Paul/Minneapolis. However, she fell in love with non-profit organizations when she went to work as the Controller in the finance office of Carelink, a mental health agency in Philadelphia which taught basic living skills to people coming out of mental institutions. Sister Michael’s heart was at home there. She found meaning and satisfaction in serving Carelink’s clients through financial administration and through her support of the care-givers. After Sister Michael made monastic profession with the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh, she continued her work in the non-profit world, first with the Multiple Sclerosis Service Society and later at Ursuline Senior Services where she served as finance manager for each agency. In 2008, Sister Benita, the newly elected Prioress for the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh, asked Sister Michael to serve the Community as Treasurer. Sister Michael accepted this position with enthusiasm—the good zeal that flows from her love of the Community and her desire to keep the Community viable, vital and growing. Monastic Women with Discerning Hearts As Treasurer, Sister Michael belongs to the Resource Center for Religious Institutes which provides guidance in financial, legal, and human resource issues to religious congregations across the U.S. In addition, she collaborates with several financial professionals from the local corporate community who serve as volunteers on the Community’s Committee of Investment Advisors. Sister Michael sees her work “as a ministry of responsibility and accountability to each of the Sisters, to the Benedictine Community, to our benefactors, and to the People of God.” Her aim is not to accumulate wealth but to sustain the Benedictine communal life of prayer and service to the needs of others. Sister Michael also has great regard for the land as a gift from God. On warm days, Sister uses her skill to design flower gardens. She delights in planting and transplanting, cultivating and nurturing. In doing this, she goes back to the early Benedictine agrarian tradition. She says that in the gardens, on her knees, warmed by the sun, refreshed by a breeze, hearing the song of the birds, she prays best. And when the lovely blossoms fill vessels for the altar, she feels that her gardening has truly paid off wonderfully well. Far from neglecting either the Community’s temporal goods or her lovely gardens, Sister Michael cherishes and reverences all with good zeal “as vessels of the altar.” Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh Our Special Blessings for 2010-2011 Blessings from our Benefactors July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011 The Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh depend on the generosity of those who support our mission by prayer, good will and financial assistance. We give thanks for all who participate as partners in helping us to make our mission statement a reality: Continuing 1500 years of seeking God in community, prayer and ministry. Heritage Society Charles Levak Gerard D. & Nancy L. Klein Anonymous (4) Marc & Patricia Ann Liebman Mary T.