Monastery of St. Gertrude's Podcast

Interviews from Sisters and supporters at the Monastery of St. Gertrude's in Cottonwood, Idaho.

Sister Carol Ann: The Church’s Role in Social Justice 06/01/2020

Sister Carol Ann: The Church’s Role in Social Justice In this episode, we continue our conversation with Sister Carol Ann from December, when she gave us an overview of the Church’s role in social justice and the history of the sisters’ political activism over the years. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/14646932

Sister Mary Marge: A Natural Educator 05/15/2020

Sister Mary Marge: A Natural Educator Her joy for education is evident, as you can hear both when she talks about launching an after-school religious studies program for high schoolers in the wake of the closure of St. Gertrude’s high school, and also when discussing her own monastic studies in Rome. She is a natural educator. Listen until the end to hear her explain one of the St. Benedict’s quotes at the monastery that is much deeper than it may appear on the surface. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/14230523

Sister Placida: Isolation 05/01/2020

Sister Placida: Isolation /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/14230334

Sister Janet: Destined for the Monastery 03/15/2020

Sister Janet: Destined for the Monastery Listening to Sister Janet's talk about all the serendipitous moments in her young adult life will no doubt convince you that she was always destined to be at the monastery. While she may not have realized it right away, God illuminated his path for her when she first visited the local church in Nampa. In this episode, she’ll tell you the fascinating story of how she came to be at St. Gertrudes, and the lifted purple Chevy Malibu that got her there. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/13422947

Sister Sue Ellen: Astute Answers to Tricky Questions 03/05/2020

Sister Sue Ellen: Astute Answers to Tricky Questions Sister Sue Ellen was on the receiving end of many challenging questions from her young students. In this clip, she humorously recalls some of those questions, which can stump even the most well-versed theologians. In this role, Sister Sue Ellen’s religious beliefs deepened as she thoughtfully answered each question, respectful of the fact that some parents may teach the bible literally while others may not, and illuminating how the bible and science support each other. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/13422911

Father Meinrad: Joining a Divorce Ministry 02/15/2020

Father Meinrad: Joining a Divorce Ministry In this episode, we are rejoining Father Meinrad, the chaplain for the Sisters. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/13014434

Sister Margie Schmidt: Pastoral Care in the Hospital 02/04/2020

Sister Margie Schmidt: Pastoral Care in the Hospital Pastoral care in the hospital setting is one of the most significant ways Christians can continue the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ. As the hospital chaplain, Sister Margie Schmidt provides support to patients, family, and staff members during times of overwhelming fear, anger, and grief. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/13014317

Sister Mary: Her Journey to Joining the Monastery 01/15/2020

Sister Mary: Her Journey to Joining the Monastery In this episode, we rejoin Sister Mary Forman, the Prioress of the Monastery. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/12697847

Sister Teresa: The Co-Housing Project 01/02/2020

Sister Teresa: The Co-Housing Project In this episode, we rejoin Sister Teresa Jackson and chat about her role as the Coordinator of the Co-Housing Project, a visionary new community at the Monastery that plans to open in the summer of 2021. This project will provide a space for single women who want to be part of a Benedictine community but are not necessarily called to a vowed life. Sister Teresa gives us insight as to what this new community will look like and how it is designed to meet the current needs of the community-at-large. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/12552446

Sister Carol Ann: The history of the Church and social justice. 12/15/2019

Sister Carol Ann: The history of the Church and social justice. In this episode, we rejoin Sister Carol Ann, whom we previously met on the seventh episode of this podcast. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/12247310

Sister Barbara Jean: The relationship between the monastery and their lands. 12/01/2019

Sister Barbara Jean: The relationship between the monastery and their lands. This week, I join Sister Barbara Jean, who has had a remarkable life dedicated to serving many communities. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/12232628

Theresa Henson: Benedictine values in modern media 11/15/2019

Theresa Henson: Benedictine values in modern media On this episode, I sit down with Theresa Henson Director of Creative Services for the monastery. She uses her media agency background to promote the missions of the monastery. She walks us through the evolution of the mission over the years to meet the needs of the surrounding community. Providing insight from her own previous work experiences, we also have an interesting discussion on how Benedictine values and the philosophy of “regular prayer” can enhance the secular workplace. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/12055820

SIster Janet, Women in Ministry, and Mary Magdalene 11/02/2019

SIster Janet, Women in Ministry, and Mary Magdalene This week, I’m talking with Sister Janet Marie Barnard, Treasurer, Healthcare Coordinator, and Technology Coordinator for the monastery. In this excerpt, she discusses the evolving role of women in the Catholic church and doesn’t shy away from discussing how she sees this controversial issue developing in the future. She also sheds light on the common misconceptions of Mary Magdalene, one of the most important women in Jesus’s life. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/11878118

Jamie Tucker: Artist In Residence 10/15/2019

Jamie Tucker: Artist In Residence The Monastery has a very active Artist in Residence program. Artists in all kinds of media come to stay at the Monastery for different lengths of time and let the spaces and rhythm of the Monastery affect their art in different ways. I had the opportunity to catch Jamie Tucker just before the end of her month-long residency this summer, and talk with her about what she was doing and at the Monastery and why she had chosen the Monastery in particular for her month-long focus on her art. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/11493839

Sister Sue Ellen and the Steps To Sisterhood 10/02/2019

Sister Sue Ellen and the Steps To Sisterhood Sister Sue Ellen is one of the most soft-spoken and gentle-sounding sisters that I've spoken with so far. She also taught catechism to young grade-school kids for some time, and maybe it's her knack for explaining complex concepts in simple ways that made her description of the formation process so easy for me to understand. In this excerpt from our interview, she walks me through the process she took to become a Sister and it was one of the clearest explanations I've heard of the process. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/11478824

Sister Mary Marge In The Snow 09/16/2019

Sister Mary Marge In The Snow I spent more than an hour talking with Sister Mary Marge and every part of our conversation carried the same amount of warmth and human connection that this excerpt does. You get the feeling from her that you would definitely want her to be your grade school teacher, because she would care about you whole-heartedly no matter who you are. I'm definitely not sure that I would have responded as gracefully as she did to the last minute change of plans that would send her to Minot, North Dakota for the winter! /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/11170703

Sister Margie Schmidt and the Mythical 20 Sisters 09/08/2019

Sister Margie Schmidt and the Mythical 20 Sisters Sister Margie Schmidt is the first person I've interviewed who is part of the Monastery, but is still living out in the broader community doing work on behalf of the Monastery. She's a hospital chaplain, and we met in her office where you will hear the occasional creak of her comfortable rocking chairs as we chatted. Her perspective as someone who hasn't lived on site at the Monastery for many decades was eye-opening to me about how many different ways a person can be deeply committed to a relationship. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/11170436

Father Meinrad Talks About Home 08/19/2019

Father Meinrad Talks About Home If you’ve attended a Mass at the Monastery, you’ve probably seen Father Meinrad, because he’s been the chaplain for the Sisters for most of the last 20 years. Or you might have seen him at the hospital in Cottonwood, where he is also a chaplain, or just visiting one of the ball games at the high school next door. In this part of the interview, Father Meinrad discusses his ideas and memories of various homes, from his home Monastery, to his feelings of home at St. Gertrude’s, to his childhood home. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/10918951

Sister Maria Elena Delivers some Mattresses and Avoids A Riot 08/01/2019

Sister Maria Elena Delivers some Mattresses and Avoids A Riot As I’ve talked to more and more of the Sisters at this Monastery, I’ve been struck by how the religious life gave these women a chance to find and share their gifts in a way that might not have been possible in any other way. I am struck by Sister Maria Elena’s amazing capacity to manage and remember every detail of the logistics of what she was doing to help the poor people in the parishes where she worked. And as always, I’m struck by her bravery. You’ll know the part I’m talking about when we /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/10733435

Frank Finds A Place 07/15/2019

Frank Finds A Place Frank was a long-time volunteer who lived on site for a few years. He had come to volunteer for a relatively short period of time, and to hear him tell it, he just never left. He woke up each morning finding something to help with, and he just kept doing that every morning, and in his words, “they never asked me to leave”. One of the things I was most curious about was his experience as a man living long term in a women’s religious community. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/10530545

Special: Long Form Interview with Sister Jeanette 07/10/2019

Special: Long Form Interview with Sister Jeanette Sister Jeanette passed away unexpectedly on June 6th. She was 72 years old, and had been a Benedictine sister for more than half of her life. I feel very fortunate to have sat down with her not long ago for a long interview, and this episode is that interview in its entirety. We met in one of the suites in the Inn on site at the Monastery, at the kitchen table. Sr Jeanette is an animated speaker, occasionally even pounding the table for emphasis which you’ll hear in the recording. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/10465901

Sister Carol Ann: The Value of Prayer 06/04/2019

Sister Carol Ann: The Value of Prayer Today’s episode starts out with a story from Sister Carol Ann about how she came to be at St. Gertrude’s and what her life was like before that. From there we take a detour into some deep insights into the value and meaning of prayer, from the recited but heartfelt prayers of her parents, to the 2000 year history of Benedictine community prayer. Her explanation helped me to understand much more deeply what prayer means to this community, and I hope it brings you insight as well. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/10047803

Episode Six: Sister Jeanette Finds a Place 05/02/2019

Episode Six: Sister Jeanette Finds a Place This is the 4th episode in our 4-part series exploring some of the ins-and-outs of how a few different people came to be at the monastery. In this episode, we’ll hear from Sister Jeanette who has a completely different story of how she came to be a part of the Monastery of St Gertrude than any of the previous 3 stories. While recording these 4 episodes, I learned that there are probably as many different ways to be a part of this community as there are people in the community! /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/9615059

Episode Five: Sister Chanelle Gets Her Name 04/16/2019

Episode Five: Sister Chanelle Gets Her Name This is the third episode in our 4-part series exploring some of the ins-and-outs of how a few different people came to be at the monastery. In this episode, we’ll hear from Sister Chanelle. You heard her sing some songs from her chaplaincy in an earlier episode. Today, she’s going to tell you a little about how she came to be connected to the community here at St. Gertrude’s as a teen, and how she came to have her current name. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/9411857

Episode Four: Sister Teresa Moves To Idaho 04/01/2019

Episode Four: Sister Teresa Moves To Idaho Other people in the community have used the word “visionary” when they describe Sister Teresa’s role in the community, although I’m sure she would object to the term. But for right now, she’s going to share a little about how she came to find herself in a monastic community is the tiny rural town of Cottonwood Idaho. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/9213026

Episode 3: Sister Mary Forman 03/15/2019

Episode 3: Sister Mary Forman In this first episode of this 4-part series, we’re going to hear from Sister Mary Forman, the current prioress of the Monastery. One of the things I was very curious about was how does someone become the prioress. I didn’t know if there were elections or appointments, or what it means to be prioress. Sister Mary gave me, and hopefully you too, some great insights into how she found herself in that role and how her relationship to the community and her educational history has helped her to be successful. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/8993132

Episode Two - Sister Chanelle Sings A Song 02/21/2019

Episode Two - Sister Chanelle Sings A Song In this episode you’ll hear from Sister Chanelle. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to stay at the Inn at St. Gertrude’s you probably met Sr Chanelle there. Our conversation ranged widely and this episode is a few minutes from that conversation that I hope is as moving to you as it was to me. I don’t want to give away too much, so I’m going to let this episode just speak for itself. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/8738270

Episode One, Sister Maria Elena in Colombia 02/21/2019

Episode One, Sister Maria Elena in Colombia This week is our very first episode, and we’re going to start right off with a story from Sister Maria Elena. She has so many extraordinary stories that it was really hard to choose one to highlight today. She was a missionary in Colombia for many years, working with the very poorest people, helping them to connect with much needed physical resources, and also praying with them to connect them to spiritual resources. /episode/index/show/stgertrude/id/8734430

Monastery of St. Gertrude's Podcast

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