Sisters of The Good Samaritan

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“I am grateful to be reminded of the beauty and simplicity of Benedictine prayer.”

Sister, seminar participant

The Sisters of the Good Samaritan have a special presence in their midst: in person,
Sr Theresa Schumacher OSB; in essence, her presentation on the Liturgy of the Hours.

In welcoming Sr Theresa on her first Australian visit, Sisters in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are reaping the benefits of the insights and wisdom she has gained from a life-long interest in, and study of, liturgy and in particular, the psalms.

As members of the Benedictine tradition within the Catholic Church, the Good Sams pray the Liturgy of the Hours – the Divine Office – twice a day in community. It has been a feature of each woman’s living since she immersed herself in religious life.

Time and regularity take its toll, as can factors such as aging and changes in life styles.

Sr Theresa, through her three-day workshops, is re-igniting enthusiasm and offering refreshing new insight into how the prayers can be prayed meaningfully and faithful to the tradition but in a changing religious environment.

After laying solid foundations about the history of the prayer and its theology on the first day of the workshop, she spends the remaining days on the practical implications that flow from those foundations.

Gestures such as bowing and making the sign of the cross are looked at, as are other externals to see what their origins are and how they can be used meaningfully and beautifully within the religious communities as they are today.

In speaking with The Good Oil, Sr Theresa gave the example of many communities not having a chapel space.

“So we looked at how to work at developing a sacred space for this prayer so that there is this sense of the church gathering, and of being united with the whole church in this prayer.”

She said, too, that Sisters expressed appreciation for her talking about the roots of the traditions contained within the prayer, as understanding where it came from opened doors so that its meaning might be reclaimed.

“Meaning is really quite deep and strong once we look at it again,” she said.

“What does a bow mean? What does it say about myself? about God? about others?
There are multi-level meanings. On the surface it is simple but if you go into it, it can be something quite profound.”

Sr Theresa (left) with Sr Carmel Pattinson

Sr Theresa, a liturgist and musician most of her life, has “specialised” in the Liturgy of the Hours. The prayer speaks to her about “our being one with the entire Church throughout the world at that time”.

She said: “You stand for everyone in the world. You stand for them and give voice to their cries and their joys.

“It’s a kind of way of serving the needs of people who don’t even know they need it.”

She acknowledged a “contemplative bent” within herself. And while admitting that prayer was not always easy, she said she was very grateful to be called to this kind of work - prayer for other people and for the Church.

She is based at the large St Benedict’s Monastery at St Joseph, Minnesota (near the US border with Canada). As a child she would visit her aunt who was a nun there. Playing and picnicking in the grounds and later as a pupil at the attached boarding college, she became very familiar with monastery life, often joining the nuns in prayer.

“And you know, I really loved to pray. I found their life of study and work, and of attending to beauty, made me very happy.”

And now she is making her Benedictine sisters on the other side of the world very happy.

Feedback to The Good Oil has been very positive …

“This workshop has been a real ‘shot in the arm’.” … “These days have been a reminder as to what we are about when we are doing the prayer in common.” … “This workshop was like a retreat for me.” … “I feel renewed after these days and I have a new energy for our communal prayer.” … “Theresa has helped us to make our prayer together more reflective.”

The Sisters have found Sr Theresa very engaging with a gentle and appealing teaching manner underpinned with respect for where they are in their practice of this common prayer.

Her own spirituality – formed by her study, love and praying of the psalms, which are the basis of the Liturgy of the Hours – has shone through.

Sr Diane Law during a liturgy or recommitment

As The Good Oil goes live, Sr Theresa has given the workshops in Melbourne and Brisbane, with workshops still be held at Glebe and Pennant Hills, Sydney. When she returns to the United States, she will have been in Australia for six weeks.

see also:
Dawn, Day, Dusk, Dark – Liturgy Down Under

photos: 
with thanks to Sr Liz Wiemers