Who We Are

As a Benedictine community, we seek to follow the Lord in the particular charism of the Benedictine religious order. We strive and pray that our life together will become an echo of the Benedictine motto, "ora et labora," or pray and work. Our monastery is the centerpoint for community life, and other pursuits, such as offering retreats and working in the pro-life apostolate. See "Our Mission."

Here are various ways that each of us live out our Benedictine calling.

 Benedictine Living Experience 

Single women are invited to join the Sisters in their life and work. Read more.

 Sisters 

Our community of Sisters considers accepting into our common life women who may have a divine calling to religious life. This is a process of friendship, prayer, and discernment. It is good to seek the advice of a spiritual director. When you make contact with our community, you begin a friendship that will help you discern whether you are called to our life together.

Incorporation into our community of Sisters involves the traditional process used in religious orders of postulancy, novitiate, temporary profession of at least three years, and finally permanent profession.

If you feel called to religious life as a Benedictine Sister, email Sr. Nancy.

 Oblates 

Benedictine Oblates are lay persons who wish to incorporate Benedictine values in their own lives. They share in the graces God generously gives to our order. We initiated the formation of oblates in 1997 and to date have been blessed with more than 60 lay associates of our monastery. One of the values that they aspire to is the deepening of their prayer life through meditation on the Word of God with the desire to live it fully and faithfully.

A recent activity among the oblates has been studying and reflecting on the words of our late great Pope John Paul II in the Gospel of Life where he exhorts us to transform our culture into a “civilization of love.” His words have resonated deep in our hearts and this has brought about a great desire to impact our society with Gospel values concerning the sanctity of human life, from natural conception to natural death.

Oblates also keep in touch with our community in Starr County, working and praying with us. They have helped construct our adoration chapel and monastic residence, as well as become involved in our pro-life apostolate, for example.

Becoming an oblate involves a year of formation where candidates study and reflect on the Rule of St. Benedict. Candidates are gradually incorporated into the community and then make a final oblation during the annual oblate retreat. Oblate formation can be done in either Spanish or English.

 Friends and Benefactors 

We welcome friendship and depend on the help of others. If you would like to donate to our work, please get in touch with us by clicking Contact Us.