Lord, send down your spirit and renew the face of the earth! I write this Prioress’s Reflection as we begin the Liturgical transition from the Easter Cycle, ending with Pentecost, to begin the Ordinary Time Cycle of the Church Year. We have continued to be nourished by the Scriptures and its teachings to send us into the next transition in our lives.

Here at Sacred Heart Monastery, the changes in our lives and space have continued. On December 19th, we enjoyed the presence of key persons from Benedictine in Minnesota, now the sole corporate member of Villa St. Benedict. They traveled to Lisle for the final signing of paperwork, and we celebrated with a prayer service and meal.

The Sisters have downsized our living space and moved to the 2nd floor of our Monastery (from 4 floors in 2005) at the east end of the building. Benedictine in Minnesota now has the responsibility to repurpose unused spaces to prepare for the expansion of Villa St. Benedict. The Sisters have chosen to continue to take care of the liturgical ministries in the Chapel and upkeep the Grotto for as long as we can. We have many residents, as well as non-residents, involved with various ministries in Chapel, and Father Becket remains our Chaplain – now close to 25 years in that capacity!

Our own lives have more fully transitioned into the lives of the residents here. We now eat with them, in either the Benedale or Villa Center dining room. It has been truly life-giving to get to know them and share stories.

A bit of history: The current Benedale Center dining room is located in the same area where Sacred Heart Academy girls ate from 1929 to 1967, where the Sisters and our guests ate from 1967 to 1987, and where the 32 Queen of Peace Retirement Center residents, plus workers and the Sisters ate together from 1987 to 2005. From 2005 until 2023 the Sisters had our own dining area in our Monastery section. Our Divine Office and community prayer space is now in what had been the sewing room of the Academy. In 2020 we had transitioned our Divine Office prayers from the Chapel into our Chapter Room, and in 2022 moved again into our smaller Community Room.

To nurture our own sense of community, we try to meet and eat together on Sundays. We share thoughts and concerns by engaging in a “Wisdom Circle conversation” on one Friday night a month, and also hold Community meetings. We celebrate our birthdays and some holidays with an afternoon ice-cream or cheese and cracker social. We truly have the best of both worlds in this, “our preferred future.“

God bless each of you as together we find and serve the person of Christ in one another.

Sister Mary Bratrsovsky, OSB
Prioress

Cell Phone: (630) 750-6010 or mbratrsovsky@shmlisle.org