Emmanuel Monastery
Benedictine Sr. Esther Bataille, 99 years old, holds Aasim, 99 hours old
As it has been recognized by many others who have come to know us, our name, EMMANUEL MONASTERY, speaks to our call and response. In 1971 twenty-three faith-filled, courageous women left the monastery in Elizabeth, NJ and set out on a journey to a new and challenging future in a place that was unfamiliar and at a time when the Church was also being called to respond to the spirit of Vatican II. These 46 years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have continued to be times of new growth and a call to openness to the ways of the Spirit. Truly our God has been with us!
We came to Baltimore mostly as teachers and worked in Catholic schools wherever there was the greatest need, bringing the concept of inter-community staffing to the schools, and freeing us from institutional sponsorships. Ensuing years broadened our calls to various ministries, again often involving us in inter-community as well as ecumenical and inter-faith endeavors. Along with teaching, we found ourselves branching out into retreat work, parish work, social service ministries, peace and justice studies and activities, and a variety of initiatives in Benedictine hospitality and spirituality. The latter was greatly assisted by the establishment of a permanent monastery in 1986 in Lutherville, MD.
Amin with his little sister, Sakina, visit the monastery. From the very beginning, hospitality has shaped who we are. In our early years, living in a large convent in Severn, MD, we were able to provide a home for a young pregnant woman, a single mother and her baby, and a family in need of shelter among various other opportunities. A more recent experience during Christmas week of 2010 truly changed our lives and focused our hospitality outreach even more.
We received a request to provide housing for a young pregnant woman from Afghanistan who was seeking asylum in the United States. The facility where she had hoped to stay was full... "no room in the inn." Sara came to Emmanuel Monastery on New Year's Day, 2011. On January 6th, Feast of Epiphany, her son, Amin was born. They lived here with us for 2 ½ years, enabling us to experience first-hand the wonder of the growth of a child from birth, the forming of a friendship that is as strong as any family ties, and the broadening of understanding and relationship with our Muslim sisters and brothers as we experienced the beauty of Islam . Sara's husband was able to join her about 2 years ago and they have a little daughter now as well. The community has been further blessed with having 3 other women live with us over the past few years, and a family from Nigeria during this past year.
Sara's experience made us aware of the difficulties that women especially face when coming to this country seeking asylum. In March of 2011, only 2 months after Sara's arrival, our development director Molly Corbett suggested we gather with other women religious in the area to talk about collaborating in a ministry to women seeking asylum in the US. From this AWE was born, Asylee Women Enterprise, which today serves a multitude of asylum seekers, men, women, children, families in myriad ways. For a fuller account of this whole story - a new Christmas story - visit the Global Sisters Report http://globalsistersreport.org/news/migration/transformations-follow-after-nuns-take-mother-and-child-946
With eight other religious communities, we continue to be involved in the work of AWE, most especially during these precarious times in which we live. AWE today offers a wide variety of services to asylum seekers in addition to housing: employment services, medical and health services, ESL classes, career development, case management, community networking, and legal assistance...and this is only part of the story. Visit their web site at www.asyleewomen.org
Emmanuel Monastery is also blessed with a large number of Oblates and PACEM members (People Associated with theCommunity of EmmanuelMonastery) who share in facilitating our programs and in activities and life around the monastery. The monastery offers a variety of programs to the larger community. Our sister Eileen facilitates a weekly Lectio Prayer Group which meets each Monday morning at the Monastery. Other programs offered at the Monastery include VISIO DIVINA, the Heart of the St John's Bible; Vespers and Quiet Prayer for Peace the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Co-Sponsored Programs include HOLY LIVING, LIVING WHOLLY: Exploring the Rule of Benedict for the 21st Century; Mary Oliver Series: Listening to the Voice of the Mystic; and THE SOUL'S JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF. Programs are facilitated by community members working with our oblates and other facilitators.
It is with humility and gratitude that we say again that we have been aptly named:
"Emmanuel Monastery,"
for truly God has been with us. We pray we may be that Presence to those who come here.
We came to Baltimore mostly as teachers and worked in Catholic schools wherever there was the greatest need, bringing the concept of inter-community staffing to the schools, and freeing us from institutional sponsorships. Ensuing years broadened our calls to various ministries, again often involving us in inter-community as well as ecumenical and inter-faith endeavors. Along with teaching, we found ourselves branching out into retreat work, parish work, social service ministries, peace and justice studies and activities, and a variety of initiatives in Benedictine hospitality and spirituality. The latter was greatly assisted by the establishment of a permanent monastery in 1986 in Lutherville, MD.
Amin with his little sister, Sakina, visit the monastery. From the very beginning, hospitality has shaped who we are. In our early years, living in a large convent in Severn, MD, we were able to provide a home for a young pregnant woman, a single mother and her baby, and a family in need of shelter among various other opportunities. A more recent experience during Christmas week of 2010 truly changed our lives and focused our hospitality outreach even more.
We received a request to provide housing for a young pregnant woman from Afghanistan who was seeking asylum in the United States. The facility where she had hoped to stay was full... "no room in the inn." Sara came to Emmanuel Monastery on New Year's Day, 2011. On January 6th, Feast of Epiphany, her son, Amin was born. They lived here with us for 2 ½ years, enabling us to experience first-hand the wonder of the growth of a child from birth, the forming of a friendship that is as strong as any family ties, and the broadening of understanding and relationship with our Muslim sisters and brothers as we experienced the beauty of Islam . Sara's husband was able to join her about 2 years ago and they have a little daughter now as well. The community has been further blessed with having 3 other women live with us over the past few years, and a family from Nigeria during this past year.
Sara's experience made us aware of the difficulties that women especially face when coming to this country seeking asylum. In March of 2011, only 2 months after Sara's arrival, our development director Molly Corbett suggested we gather with other women religious in the area to talk about collaborating in a ministry to women seeking asylum in the US. From this AWE was born, Asylee Women Enterprise, which today serves a multitude of asylum seekers, men, women, children, families in myriad ways. For a fuller account of this whole story - a new Christmas story - visit the Global Sisters Report http://globalsistersreport.org/news/migration/transformations-follow-after-nuns-take-mother-and-child-946
With eight other religious communities, we continue to be involved in the work of AWE, most especially during these precarious times in which we live. AWE today offers a wide variety of services to asylum seekers in addition to housing: employment services, medical and health services, ESL classes, career development, case management, community networking, and legal assistance...and this is only part of the story. Visit their web site at www.asyleewomen.org
Emmanuel Monastery is also blessed with a large number of Oblates and PACEM members (People Associated with theCommunity of EmmanuelMonastery) who share in facilitating our programs and in activities and life around the monastery. The monastery offers a variety of programs to the larger community. Our sister Eileen facilitates a weekly Lectio Prayer Group which meets each Monday morning at the Monastery. Other programs offered at the Monastery include VISIO DIVINA, the Heart of the St John's Bible; Vespers and Quiet Prayer for Peace the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Co-Sponsored Programs include HOLY LIVING, LIVING WHOLLY: Exploring the Rule of Benedict for the 21st Century; Mary Oliver Series: Listening to the Voice of the Mystic; and THE SOUL'S JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF. Programs are facilitated by community members working with our oblates and other facilitators.
It is with humility and gratitude that we say again that we have been aptly named:
"Emmanuel Monastery,"
for truly God has been with us. We pray we may be that Presence to those who come here.