At the heart of our Benedictine tradition lies a deep, warm and sincere hospitality to all our visitors. We listen deeply to each other, support each other's gifts, and grow together in common love and faithfulness. Learn about our monastic life.
Saint Bede Monastery is an ecumenical retreat and conference center located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We welcome church, civic, and service groups for retreats, meetings, seminars, and workshops. In addition, the center offers a wide variety of religious, spiritual, cultural, and educational programs. Private retreats are always welcome as well!
Sister Christine Vladimiroff, OSB Directs Community's Retreat
 In early June, Sister Christine Vladimiroff, prioress of Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Erie, PA, directed our week-long retreat. With precision and warmth, she guided reflection and prayer on the Rule of St. Benedict. Her deep reverence for community life was woven through selected themes of monastic values of hospitality, the love of Christ, forgiveness, obedience, and humility. Using scripture, stories from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, as well as observations from current theologians, she repeated often her mantra that "we go to God together." Sister Christine stands proudly with Ecclesial and prophetic women of the church as we claim a unique position in the church, past, present, and future.
Four Sisters Celebrate Golden Jubilees
 Sisters (from left) Bridget Donaldson, Lucy Miller, Barbara Weiland, and Patricia Ostrander gather with Sister Michaela Hedican, Prioress(center), after Mass on Sunday, June 6. Father Tom Donaldson, Sister Bridget's brother, was the celebrant and Sister Michaela shared a reflection.
Students Today, Leaders Forever
 On June 24, our large conference room served as a dormitory for 25 recent high school graduates and adult leaders. The weather was wet and stormy, but the "tour group", with the fast growing youth service group, STLF (Students Today, Leaders Forever), kept dry and cozy with sleeping bags on the carpeted floor. In the morning, the leaders stirred up a ound of pancakes for breakfast. A wonderful cross section of Hmong, Caucasian, African American, and Native American students ate and shared their hopes for the "tour" of duty. After completing a project in Eau Claire, our guests were headed for work in Chicago.
STLF originated in Minneapolis a few years ago and has rapidly branched to most upper Midwestern states. Their "tours" hook up with pre-arranged local service projects and assist in many different facets of service, including building, repairing, and packing food and supplies.
Funded by grants, gifts, and support from the parents and friends of the participants, they live a simple community life for a week to ten days while putting in full days of service. To date, Students Today, Leaders Forever boasts of 131 completed "tours" of service involving 5,073 participants.
Larry Martin speaks to Lay Associates on book about St. Bede
Larry Martin, a Lay Associate at Saint Bede’s, on May 17 spoke to Associates on a book he co-authored about St. Bede.
Kathy Risler makes first commitment as Lay Associate
Kathy Risler makes her first commitment as a Benedictine Lay Associate at Evening Praise. Looking on are Sisters Michaela Hedican, Prioress (left) and Sr. Karen Streveler.
Children’s Legacy Luncheon Award Winner
- Bob Lesniewski
Bob Lesniewski, retired co-founder of the Indianhead Area Special Olympics (IASO) and a special friend of Saint Bede’s Monastery, in late April was among honorees at the Eighth Annual Children’s Legacy Luncheon in Eau Claire. Bob, a Thorp native, in 1976 earned a bachelor’s degree in vocational rehabilitation from UW-Stout. He was recognized for his leadership during his 36-year career as a founder and executive director of the IASO, which serves 18 counties surrounding Eau Claire.
"He and his wife Janet, his wife of 38 years, helped to develop the area’s Special Olympics program into one of the best in the country, largely because of the manner in which Bob directed coaches, volunteers and management teams," a luncheon speaker noted. "All have benefited from Bob’s tutelage, inspiration and passion."
Lesniewski was one of five honorees at the luncheon. Each received $500 to donate to their favorite causes. Bob’s gift was split between the IASO and Saint Bede Monastery and Center.
In photo (from right): Bob Lesniewski holding his awarded glass bowl, Janet Lesniewski, Ruth Feeney, Sister Karen Streveler.
Glimpses Around St. Bede
In this age of awareness to recycle, go green, stay local and make room for one more...
Outside the second floor laundry room at the Center, a female Eastern Phoebe is the best example yet! She used a two-year-old robin’s nest, added moss, mud, and dried grass, and produced not the usual five eggs, but six! With quiet foot and watchful eyes, we await the hatching of a half dozen new warblers.
- Sister Judy Kramer/photo by Sister Karen Streveler
Monastic Musings
The following is the third in a series of reflections on the document entitled: Wisdom from the Tradition, A statement of North American Benedictine Women in Response to Our Times.
Commercials have long intrigued me. If you want to know what makes human beings tick, pay attention to the needs into which commercials play. Take for instance the famous restaurant which boasts, "When you are here, you are family." Our is a time characterized by profound feelings of alienation. Many people struggling with a sense of isolation, loneliness, rejection and a gnawing feeling of being alienated from others. To know that there is a place where you can be part of a family feeds into the need to be connected, to belong, to matter to others. For this restaurant, it is being part of the family. For St. Benedict, it is being a member of the community that is the antidote to alienation.
Read full story.
Sister Margaret Michaud Presents at Lenten Series 2009
Sister Margaret Michaud, OSB, widely known scriptural scholar, long-time teacher for the Diocesan School of Biblical Studies and former Prioress of the Saint Bede Community, was one of five presenters at Lenten Series 2009, held at Saint Bede Center. She recently was recognized for her spiritual and scholarly leadership with a gift from the St. John’s project by Center Director Sister Judith Kramer, OSB.
In photo: Sister Margaret Michaud, OSB (left) and Sr. Judith Kramer, OSB (right).
Bloomer Eighth Graders Hold Retreat at Center
Eighth graders from St. Paul School, Bloomer, WI, on April 14 held their retreat at Saint Bede Center, where they blended spiritual and recreational activities. Among highlights: The prayerful, floral crowning of the statue of Mary on the monastery’s grounds.
"In My Name" Award
On March 25, the Sisters received the “In My Name“ Award from Catholic Charities, La Crosse. Sister Michaela Hedican, OSB, Saint Bede’s Prioress, (shown here with Bishop Jerome Listecki of the Diocese of La Cross), accepted the award “in the name of all our Sisters who have prayed and worked in the diocese since 1892.” Twelve Benedictine Sisters from Saint Bede attended the event, along with many friends of the community, pastors and staff from Eau Claire.
Sister Dale Wollum, OSB
Sister Dale Wollum, OSB, poet, former English teacher and the current daily chronicler at Saint Bede Monastery, greeted her former student Richard Sage, Executive Director of the La Crosse diocese’s Catholic Charities.
Five Lay Associates Make Commitments
Five Benedictine Lay Associates made their Commitments in a ceremony held Sunday, March 15 in Saint Bede Chapel. A sixth Associate, Judy Layde, (not pictured) made her commitment on Monday, March 9. Pictured (from left, rear) are Ken Novak, Larry Martin and Tom Greenlee. In front (from left) are Claire Martin and Marianna Greenlee. (Photo by Sr. Karen Streveler, OSB)
Our Monastery Is For Sale
St. Bede Monastery is now for sale. View property information.
As long as we can, we will continue to offer hospitality
on the hill at Saint Bede. Most of the groups considering purchasing our monastery property
share the hope of continuing some sort of welcoming and
group hosting. May our open doors continue to welcome
you!
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The Benedictine Sisters of Saint Bede Monastery have been notified by Catholic Charities, La Crosse, that they will receive an “In My Name Award.” The award will be presented at a luncheon in La Crosse on March 25...Read full article. |
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CURRENT
EVENTS
June 7 - Jubilee Celebration for:
50 Years
Sister Barbara Weiland
Sister Bridget Donaldson
Sister Lucy Miller
Sister Patricia Ostrander
75 Years
Sister Therese Roth
June 7 - 12
Community retreat directed by
Sister Christine Vladimiroff, OSB
July 21 - 27
Federation of Saint Benedict
Chapter meeting at St. Benedict Monastery, St. Joseph, MN
October 17 - 18
Marriage Encounter at Saint Bede Center
Are you part of an organization, committee or support group looking for a place to hold your meetings, workshops or retreats? Consider Saint Bede Center: peaceful, private accommodations in a natural setting - perfect for accomplishing the task at hand. Let us be your host. Call us at 715.834.8642 or email us.
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