Selected Publications
Trauma-informed spiritual directors help create the safety required for healing.
I recently had the opportunity to lead an in-service for spiritual directors sponsored through the Spirituality Center of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict. The subject of our gathering was trauma informed care. Read my refection in the Central Minnesota Catholic here.
Undoing the Knots: Saint Mary's Clinical Pastoral Education Center
In clinical pastoral education (CPE), I assumed I would be trained in visiting hospital patients, responding to traumas, and recording information in the hospital's computerized record keeping system. What I did not anticipate was the life-change inner work I would complete within the safety of my CPE group. Read more here.
New Emmaus Course Emphasizes Accompaniment in Formation of Youth
When Rocio Meza-Barajas first heard about Emmaus Institute during a Bible study, she thought, “Four years is a long time.” But after making the commitment to attend, she never regretted it. Read the story here.
Benedicta Riepp: An Analysis of Structural Elements in Her Life
Mother Benedicta Riepp struggled at a great personal cost for autonomy on behalf of North American Benedictine women. Her efforts ultimately led to the reshaping of the Benedictine tradition for women in the United States. This paper analyzes some of the most significant structural elements in Mother Benedicta’s life.
New Monastery Oblate Director Shares in Benedictine Sisters’ Mission to Listen and Respond to Needs of Church and World
When Mary Stommes was named the first layperson to serve as oblate director for Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph in June 2023, she reflected on the surprising nature of the unfolding call. Read the story here.
The True “New Eve”: Ben Wildflower’s Magnificat and the Second Creation Story
Images of the Virgin Mary have provided comfort to Christians for almost two thousand years. Many of these images have depicted the Mother of God as gentle, demure, pure, and obedient. Ben Wildflower’s woodcut, Magnificat, imagines another side of Mary’s story. This paper considers the second creation story, “New Eve” typology, and church teaching about current social and environmental issues to demonstrate why Magnificat is an ideal portrait for the true “New Eve”.