Community Support

If you want to know what first attracted me to the Ferdinand Benedictines, it was the love and service I witnessed when I came to visit. I remember the simple act of putting tablecloths on the tables in the dining room really amazed me.

After supper one weekend when I was visiting, one of the sisters requested help putting the tablecloths on for a special celebration the next day. In no time flat, the sisters got busy, mindful of what exactly needed to be done. Each sister worked together, jumping in where needed without saying a word. The whole scene really amazed me. I thought to myself, "This is a community that really loves one another and is mindful of one another's needs."

Of course putting on tablecloths is a small act compared to bigger things I've seen. There are certainly greater needs that are also met, but it is the small, everyday tasks where sisters help one another that really touch me.

Recently I went to MO to visit my parents over spring break. Without being asked, several sisters volunteered to travel with me. They were willing to drop me off and pick me up. It was a lot to ask of someone, and I certainly didn't want to burden anyone. However, the sisters who helped me assured me that they were more than willing to help.

Sister Brenda took me to my parents and Sisters Mary Ann and Mary Louise picked me up. What a blessing it was that I didn't have to worry. "Give us this day our daily bread." God supplies all our needs.

I must admit I felt a little guilty that they had to make the trip. But that is what community is for. We all truly help each other in our time of need. I worked on being OK with asking them to do this. I had to stop protesting inwardly and feeling guilty and accept that they were all truly OK with making the trip.

I was blown away not only by their generosity, but also by what was said at the end of the trip. Sisters Mary Ann and Mary Louise had been on the road from 8am to 5pm. When we arrived back in Ferdinand, would you believe they thanked me for allowing them to be a part of my journey. They were glad I felt free enough to ask them to make the trip. That certainly wasn't what I was expecting at all. It took me by surprise.

We are a part of each other's lives. We are a community that holds and supports one another in time of need.