New Skete Monasteries News

In Plain Sight   by Sr. Melanie A few years ago, I was walking through the woods surrounding our monastery with a guest who happened to be a naturalist. He was giving me a lesson in identifying overlooked species that work in woodland gardens. One tree that I had never noticed is called Striped Maple or Moosewood.   It is a relatively small tree, but interesting in many respects. Its bark is pale green with yellow stripes. The leaves resemble a duck’s foot, rather than a typical maple leaf, and they turn from lime green to light yellow in the fall. When the leaves emerge in spring, they have a scarlet bud scale that is visible from quite a distance. After becoming familiar with this tree, I searched the woods for a small one to transplant. Unfortunately, most of the smaller ones had been food for the browsing deer, and I couldn’t find a good specimen to move, and I went on to other pursuits. The following spring, I was in a lower section of our garden where it w...

The Role and Qualities of the Director Part 1 of a 3 part series Written by Brother David In an earlier article on spiritual direction [New Skete newsletter #13, Spring 2009] I spoke about spiritual direction as the telling of the story of one’s relationship with God to the director, who “consciously shapes the story being presented through questions or by connecting it with other events in the directee’s life and re-presents it (in the literal sense of gives it back) to the teller in a way that reframes the story to reveal more of who this God is in the directee’s life.”   As we change and grow so does our story deepen, revealing to us more of who we are and who this God is in our lives.   I also noted the difference between therapy and spiritual direction and getting advice and spiritual direction.   In both therapy and seeking advice (whether in the form of talking things over informally with a friend or dealing with a situation in more formal pastoral counsel...

Advance Planning Is Key to Successful Fundraising Program Written by Sister Cecelia, Prioress/New Skete Kitchens Business Manager and Ida Williams, Director of Marketing Spring has arrived, and it is not too late to think of Mother’s Day for a fund raiser project. Here, we are already thinking about autumn and holiday cheesecake fundraisers.   Each year we strive to provide better ways to help you conduct a successful fundraiser for your school, church or civic group.      This year we have added cheese spreads, a gluten free cheesecake and our new family size 6” round cakes to our fundraising line.   While a high quality product goes a long way in garnering interest from your supporters, we know that it takes more than reputation alone.   It takes planning and promotion.      Here are some tips for success: ·         Plan early - avoid fundraiser panic ·     ...