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New Postulant Finds Benedictine Life Appealing
Leanne Sandall, 23, from Deer Park, Washington is the newest member of the Benedictine Sisters' community. Leanne was accepted as a postulant during the spring of 2011, shortly after her graduation from Seattle Pacific University, and she formally entered in September.
Leanne said she began considering religious life when she was in high school. The awareness of her possible religious vocation dimmed considerably in college, when she was "distracted" by her studies, friends, college life and everything that was going on. However, the thought of a life dedicated to God eventually returned to her stronger than ever.
"The idea of religious life resurfaced and this was really amazing. I had been pushing this thought away but it resurfaced and I decided, well, maybe I'll listen. So I slowly started to accept that idea."
Leanne began a process of "seriously researching" religious communities online and was surprised by what she found.
"I had no idea there were so many options and I had no idea what I wanted. It was pretty intimidating," she said. "You are barely realizing that you have a religious vocation and then there are all these options and it is really overwhelming.
"Someone just invited me to visit (a community) which was really providential since I had no idea what I was doing," she laughed.
That visit was to a Dominican community in Seattle, and the Dominican Sisters provided her with a spiritual director. She also has an older relative who is a Christian Brother, so she had a couple of people with whom she could discuss ideas and experiences.
As she explored different orders and their charisms, Leanne found Benedictine life really resonating with her.
"I was really drawn to the Office (Liturgy of the Hours) and the balance of work and prayer. Then I found out more about it and I was like, wow, I like this even more. The values of silence, stability, community and helping people. It's very open door monasticism, which I think is the best way to go. For me, that really fit."
Leanne visited several Benedictine communities in the Northwest, and came to Mt. Angel for the Monastic Week in the summer of 2010. She immediately felt a comfort level here which she hadn't experienced in her visits to other communities.
Thoughtful and soft-spoken, Leanne is being introduced to monastic life in a number of ways. She is auditing a theology class at Mt. Angel Seminary, and is also doing a class with Formation Director Sr. Joseph Fennimore. She works at Mission Benedict twice a week, using her Spanish to help those who don't speak English. She also helped Sr. Theresa Henscheid with harvesting this fall, and assisted with canning as well.
She also finds opportunities to use her musical talents at the Monastery. A music education major in college, Leanne plays the flute on some Sundays and sings.
Though she has spent only a few months in the Monastery, Leanne has a deep, intuitive understanding of monastic life that emerges in conversation. She said that the type of work you do isn't the most important thing for someone in monastic life.
"Monastic life is more about being monastic than being a teacher, gardener or a musician . . . You're a monastic, that's who you are."
Resurrection Parish Receives St. Joseph the Worker Award
The 7th annual St. Joseph the Worker Dinner on May 1st was the best attended and most profitable yet, generating over $42,000 for the Shelter.
Resurrection Parish in Tualatin was honored at the Dinner for the parish's long history of support for the Shelter. Resurrection has had an organized effort each December for nearly two decades to provide Christmas gifts for each resident at the Shelter. The parish also holds a food drive for the Shelter and Mission Benedict, as well as a collection. Many of the parishioners there also donate directly to St. Joseph Shelter and some have volunteered time at the Shelter.
Jane Mize, Cathy Boyen and Fr. Bill Moisant represented Resurrection at the Shelter dinner.
Foundation Honors Mt. Angel Academy Alum Arlene Harris Smit
Arlene (Schmitz) Harris Smit, MAA 1957, was honored at the Benedictine Foundation's Annual Dinner on June 7, 2011 for her "outstanding support" of the Benedictine Sisters and of St. Joseph Shelter.
In presenting the award to Harris Smit, Benedictine Foundation Director Steve Ritchie said, "If you ask her about her personal or professional accomplishments, you will find Arlene to be quite modest, even self-effacing. But, if you know her, you know that she is, really, quite a remarkable woman in a number of ways."
As she accepted the award, Harris Smit seemed to confirm this description of her, noting that there are three primary ways people give, and downplaying the significance of her financial support.
"You can give treasure, talent and time," she said. "Time and talent are really the things that should be honored because a person doing that gives so much of themselves."
If you talk to those who know her well, though, Arlene Harris Smit has always given plenty of all three things. Harris Smit was the fourth of nine children in the family, and grew up on a farm in the Mt. Angel - Scotts Mills area. Like most youngsters in farm families, she was expected to work hard at helping on the farm and in the kitchen while growing up, and she did.
Harris Smit also was a hard worker and a high achiever in school. She excelled in her classes at Mt. Angel Academy, and she credits the Sisters for helping her find her "purpose in life," specifically mentioning Sr. Gemma Piennett, Sr. Joeine Darrington and Sr. Antoinette Traeger.
"My career was successful because of them," she said. "I looked at the Sisters as role models in terms of their commitment and service.
"The Sisters helped (Academy students) find a career that was meant for you. So many people when they graduated didn't know what they were going to be doing . . . I just can't imagine people not being happy in their work."
Harris Smit never had that problem. Following her high school graduation, she attended Seattle University, working her way through college, and then was part of the first graduating class in the University of Washington's Physical Therapy program.
Shortly after, she returned to Mt. Angel and started consulting work with Bendictine Nursing Center Administrator Sr. Antoinette. Harris Smit said that the Sisters recognized the need for rehabilitation services in the nursing home setting even before Medicare mandated it in 1966.
Her work at the BNC blossomed into a fruitful relationship that endured nearly 30 years, as Harris Smit developed the physical therapy department there, serving both BNC residents and outpatients . She also helped develop the Center's Home Health Program. Later, she founded Silverton - Mt. Angel Physical Therapy and operated that clinic until she sold it in 2007.
While her pace has slowed a little bit in recent years, Arlene Harris Smit continues to make a difference by giving of herself - and her time, treasure and talent - to family, friends and those in need.
Sisters Share Their Monastic Life
Prompted by their curiosity about monastic life, four women from different parts of the United States came to Queen of Angels Monastery in July for the Benedictine Sisters' Monastic Week Experience.
For an entire week, the group of women prayed, worked, ate, and went to community recreation with the Sisters. They experienced daily monastic life first-hand, and, judging from their comments at the end of the week, their impressions about life at Queen of Angels were very positive.
One woman said, "I came with no set expectations and wanted to be totally aware and open to where God's Spirit is leading me. I never imagined being so warmly and generously welcomed into your community life. I have been absolutely astounded by the experience of this loving, humble and unpretentious community."
Another one of the participants expressed her gratitude for the experience. "Thank you for sharing, so openly, your personal stories and your precious home. You are radiant lamps of Christ's love . . . individually and collectively, you are significantly impacting the community for the kingdom of God. I am revived, inspired and so happy to know you."
Later in the summer, a total of 17 teenage girls attended two sessions of Camp with the Angels at the Monastery. According to Vocation Director Sr. Marietta Schindler, the camp experience is heavy on the fun activities, but is still a great introduction to Benedictine life, and the girls share in prayer and community life with the Sisters. The participants came from Vancouver, Salem, Keizer, Eugene, Stayton, Scio and Brooks.
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