Benedictine Nuns Thriving in New Evangelization

In this time of great need for building a culture of life, the Sisters of the Benedictine Monastery of the Good Shepherd educate outlying parishes, retreat goers and conference attendees on the scientific innovations, wonder, reliability, and benefits of Natural Family Planning and inspire them to embrace the richness of the Church's teachings on sexuality and married love.The Benedictine Sisters of the Monastery of the Good Shepherd respect, pray and work for the dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death.

NASHVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - It was with a flush of emotion that my call to Sister Nancy Boushey of the Benedictine Monastery of the Good Shepherd in Rio Grande City, Texas ended. What began as an interview in a day fraught with pre-teen meltdowns, frantic errands, and 4-year old antics, ended with a lingering peace and the certain hope that "all manner of things shall be well." It seems others have the same reaction after contact with the Benedictine Sisters at their flourishing monastery in South Texas.

Pray.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Sisters established the monastery on a hilltop on 115 virgin acres donated by Texaco Oil. The one mile approach road is lined with marble statues that welcome visitors in the name of St. Benedict and The Good Shepherd.

Its ranch setting is dotted with wild olive trees. Seven miles from the Rio Grande City, it has been called a refuge and oasis of peace by its visitors. Indeed, Sister Boushey asserts that "saints and mystics are being formed [t]here."

In accordance with the Rule of St. Benedict, the Sisters sought and nurtured an atmosphere of quiet in order to effectively live out the Scriptural edict "Be still and know that I am God." An open, two-storey Prayer Terrace; Adoration Chapel; Daily Mass; Liturgy of the Hours; and the natural beauty and rest of their property help nurture the attitude of prayer that permeates the monastic life and atmosphere there.

In addition, meandering walks on the monastery grounds, picnics by the Presa Placida (placid pond) stocked with hungry, gaping fish, and the occasional wild creature also contribute to the rest and peace that pervade the property. Road runners, rabbits, tumbleweeds, and once a 5-foot stray pig are among those attracted to the property. It is understandable why so many people also retreat to their monastery.

and Work

Ultimately, though, the Sisters follow in the footsteps of their founding father, St. Benedict, who lived in a similar time in history when ungodliness and a lack of faith and morals permeated the culture. While in college, young Benedict saw beyond the dissolute and licentious lives of his companions, and understood the contrast of an "anything goes" mentality to the teachings of Christ in the Gospels. Retreating to the desert to live and pray, Benedict emerged to transform the culture through monasticism.

Benedict XVI attributed to the life and work of St. Benedict a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture that helped it emerge from the "dark night of history" that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. In accordance to the founding principles of the Rule of St. Benedict, the Benedictine Sisters also hope to participate in transforming a dissolute, post-modern culture through the retreat facility and pro-life conferences and workshops that support them.  

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Through the lens of years of post-abortion and pro-life work, the Sisters perceive how profoundly lost the beauty of sexuality is in a culture where the human body is treated as a toy. Deeply affected, they recently merged their apostolate with NFP Outreach and its director, Father Daniel McCaffrey. Together, they work through the monastery, ministering to the deep need for a culture of life, and of the person.

In an American Catholic population where 82% use contraception and 4% is sterilized, Fr. McCaffrey and the Sisters educate outlying parishes, retreat goers and conference attendees on the scientific innovations, wonder, reliability, and benefits of Natural Family Planning and inspire them to embrace the richness of the Church's teachings on sexuality and married love.
 
Drawing abundantly on their "Feminine Genius," (a woman's inherent gift for nurturing the wholeness of the person), the nuns address the grave damage brought about by the rejection of Catholic sexual ethic and encourage a return to its rich heritage of truth and wholeness.

Changing the World

The Benedictine Sisters of the Monastery of the Good Shepherd respect, pray and work for the dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death, and they invite other women to join them in their special apostolate of addressing the major moral issues of our times.

Urging a radical rediscovery of the divine plan for marriage, spousal love and family, they pour themselves out in the monastic and active religious life, offering themselves to the 900,000 Catholics in their diocese, and to the "new evangelization."

In providing a center of formation for Benedictine spirituality and religious life, Theology of the Body, the Catholic sexual ethic, God's plan for marriage, spousal love and family, and Humanae Vitae, they help reveal the beauty, security and stability of proper sexuality to the 21st century. In doing so, they also help build strong marriages and healthy, happy families, effectively drawing the laity into a providential shaping of the culture with the timeless values of the Gospel.

Self-proclaimed risk-takers, the Sisters have expanded their ministry exponentially in just a few years through the generosity of many benefactors, and pray for additional vocations to help manage their rapid growth and many invitations.

The dreams that the Good Shepherd has planted in their hearts continue to unfold, and they know that "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1). In this time of great need for building a culture of life, they turn to The Good Shepherd for new vocations and resources, for it is He who makes them "want for nothing" (Ps. 23).

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A "Come and See" is scheduled for December. For help discerning a vocation to the religious life, or information on retreats or conferences, contact Sister Nancy Boushey at
OSB Benedictine Monastery of the Good Shepherd
Rio Grande City, TX 78582
(956) 486-2680
sanbenito@granderiver.net
www.starrcountybenedictines.com

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