BLESSING OF THE LAND FOR THE NEW CONVENT! Saturday

Vol 34 No 3 Aug 2013
THE GREENING OF THE NEW CONVENT
From the onset of planning for the new convent, the sisters of Saint Helena have been
committed to responsible stewardship of the
natural resources of the North Augusta land.
As we build the new convent, we’ll cut down
very few trees during construction. We’ll be
planting organic vegetable and herb gardens
that will be watered by a spring and small
pond. We hope the water features and the
trails in the woods will serve as places of tranquil reflection and spiritual contemplation.
The buildings will be designed for care of the
environment and the comfort of our guests by
taking advantage of “passive solar” energy, as
well as in their geographic orientation and use
of materials. Our long-term vision is to install
solar panels on the roofs of as many buildings
as possible and for all buildings to be “solar
ready.”
The Future Guest House
BLESSING OF THE LAND
FOR THE NEW CONVENT!
The Rt Rev J Neil Alexander
Bishop Visitor to OSH, presiding
Saturday, October 26, 11:00 am
414 Savannah Barony Dr, North Augusta SC
RSVP: 706-798-5201 ext 1
or augustaconvent@comcast.net
Architects’ renderings of the new chapel and refectory,
spaces we hope you will share with us:
the chapel wall with cross and large window face east,
the left window wall of the refectory faces west.
What views! We hope you’ll be fed – in body, mind and spirit.
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PROGRAMS, EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Convent of St Helena, 3042 Eagle Drive, Augusta GA 30906-3326
706-798-5201, ext 1
augustaconvent@comcast.net
Blessing of the Land for the New Convent!
http://www.osh.org/events.html
Zen tradition and draws on all great spiritual traditions. We watch and reflect on one DVD at each gathering, from 9:30 – noon, closing with a time
of silence. Upcoming dates: Sept 14, Oct 12, Nov 9, Dec 14. Please contact Sr Linda at the phone number or email printed above. Also see
www.adyashanti.org.
The Rt Rev J Neil Alexander
Bishop Visitor to OSH, presiding
Saturday, October 26, 11:00 am
414 Savannah Barony Drive, North Augusta SC
RSVP: 706-798-5201 ext 1 augustaconvent@comcast.net.
REGISTRATION FOR PROGRAMS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
Festivities will include a Service of Blessing followed by refreshments. Come
celebrate with us as we give thanks and glory to God for this next stepping
stone in our journey. The new land is in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina,
just 20 minutes from our location in Augusta Georgia. Rooms are available in
our guest house for those who wish to stay for the weekend. RSVP to the
phone number or email printed above.
Register for events and overnight accommodations through our website
www.osh.org, or email augustaconvent@comcast.net, or phone 706-7985201 ext 1. Accommodations: $60 per night per person, in addition to program costs. Deposit of 50% of total program and accommodation costs
confirms your reservation. Remainder of payment due on arrival. Deposits
are nonrefundable but transferrable unless otherwise stated.
WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, GROUPS
Payment: Secure credit card payment available via PayPal when registering through our website. Visa and MasterCard accepted by phone. Checks
payable to “OSH” accepted by mail c/o Guest Registrar. Please note: If a
check is returned, it may be re-presented in an electronic manner. Writing
a check to OSH authorizes any service charges and processing fees, as
permitted by law, to be debited from the same account by paper or electronically at our option. Payment by check will be recognized as acceptance of our electronic check recovery system.
An Icon Workshop led by Fr Abbot Damian Higgins. Full; waiting list. Wed,
Sept 18, 7:00 pm – Sun dinner Sept 22. Program cost: $390. Introduction to
Iconography on Wed evening open to anyone: $15. Accommodations: separate expense.
Advent Retreat: Season of Hope, Justice, & Joy with Sr Ann Prentice, OSH.
Fri, Dec 6, 5:00 Vespers – Sun dinner, Dec 8. Program cost: $80. *Are you
Waiting in the Womb of God? *Are you Waking Up and Putting on the Armor
of Light? *Are you Yearning for the Water of Justice to Revive Your Parched
Places? *Are you Abounding in Hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit? *Are
you Longing to Sing for Joy? *Are you Welcoming “the Other” as Christ Has
Welcomed You? Come and be with us as we prepare to receive the greatest gift of Love!
Overnight accommodations include three meals daily; day programs include lunch. See our website for additional guest information, directions to
the convent and schedule of chapel services. Guest house is open most of
the year from Tue noon through Sun Vespers. Please arrange arrival and
departure within this timeframe. Prior to making flight arrangements, check
for room availability.
2014 Lenten Retreat with Sr Ellen Stephen, OSH. Fri Mar 7, 5:00 Vespers –
Sun dinner Mar 9. Program cost: $80. Reserve early for guest house room.
A personal retreat for you? Are you looking to refresh your heart and soul?
To wrap yourself in holy silence? To relax and refresh? We welcome you
for a personal retreat. Recent guests have commented about their time at
the convent: “Everything was such a blessing – each sister I met, the
grounds, the chapel. Thank you!” “I felt cared for in many ways. Just what I
needed.” “Your hospitality is warm, loving and God-graced.” “This was an
anointed time and I was blessed by the sisters’ friendly hospitality.”
CO-EXIST: Contemplative Prayer for Peace and
Justice. Group Leader: Sr Linda Elston, OSH.
Interior “veils” block us from accepting ourselves
and one another – they close us to the truth that
we all belong to the one family of humankind.
You are welcome to spend one or more days with us. Spiritual direction is
available, and guests are invited to join in the corporate prayer of the
sisters. The courtyard garden and woods with labyrinth offer spaces for
contemplation and reflection. Our chapel is open to you at all times.
Where: Convent Reception Room. Dates: Sept 28,
Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 21; 2014 dates tba. Time:
9:50 gather in reception room,10:00 – 10:35 readings, simple chant and prayer. Beverages and
conversation follow until 11:00. Bring: your friends,
prayer mat if desired. Prerequisites: ability to sit (or lie) silently for 20 minutes,
courtesy of promptness. RSVP to the phone number or email printed at the
top of this page.
Looking for meeting space? Need a comfortable meeting space for a group
retreat or a board/vestry meeting? Overnight accommodations for your
group? OSH has a meeting room as well as ten single rooms available in
our guest house. Morning, afternoon, evening or all-day use of meeting
space is available.
Wisdom Group continues its monthly gatherings at the convent, working with
recorded material by Adyashanti, a spiritual teacher who emerged from the
CONVENT OF ST HELENA
3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326
Phone 706-798-5201 Fax 706-796-0079
augustaconvent@comcast.net
http://www.osh.org
Continues page 4
Thank you for your prayerful responses and financial support of our ministries.
And thank you for an annual contribution in support of the newsletter’s publication. Please mail checks made to “OSH” c/o Sr Linda Elston. If you would like to
begin receiving the newsletter or if your contact information changes, please
write to the convent or email us at augofficemgr@comcast.net.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Convent of St Helena, 3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326. saint helena (USPS 487-590)
is published four times a year by the Order of St Helena, 3042 Eagle Dr, Augusta GA 30906-3326. Periodical postage is paid at Newburgh NY.
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The Sisters of Saint Helena
Mission statement:
2. Hospitality
We offer an oasis of welcome for guests,
both individuals and groups.
The mission of the Order of Saint
Helena (Episcopal) is to show forth
Christ through a life of monastic
prayer, hospitality and service.
3. Service
We minister and serve where our gifts
meet the world’s needs.
Core values of OSH:
4. Tradition and Innovation
We are women living communally under
a vow of monastic poverty, celibate
chastity and obedience to God. From
Benedictine roots, we discern new ways
to interpret traditional monasticism,
striving to grow in diversity and
inclusivity.
1. Prayer
We celebrate the Holy Eucharist and
pray the Divine Office daily. We practice individual prayer, intercession and
meditation.
Continued from page 3
ARE YOU A MATH WHIZ?
Host a sister in your parish. Part of the work of OSH sisters is to bring the
Good News to others through teaching and preaching. Just in the last year,
we have been spotted in GA, LA, TX, CA, NC, WA, and SC. We have sisters
who will lead a quiet day or retreat for church groups, who could be part of
your Advent or Lenten series, who will speak about monastic life in the Episcopal Church. That’s right, we will come to you!
Welcome to one of Sr Benedicta’s “simple” math puzzles. Each letter in
the long division problem below represents a numeral 0-9. When you
know what numeral a letter represents, write that letter over its numeral
(s) on the dashes below the problem. When the puzzle is completed, the
letters will spell a Biblical quotation. (Hint: do not confuse the letter “O”
with the numeral zero.)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PS: if you get the answer, write Sr Benedicta at sisters@osh.org. We’ll
print the answer in the next issue.
Jane Henry, formerly Sister Grace, has chosen to leave the Order. The sisters are grateful for her years with us and send our blessings with her.
Contribute online to OSH: We appreciate and prayerfully steward your contributions to the Order, which are used to help support our guest and outreach
ministries, chaplaincy work, spiritual direction, parish involvement, and care of
our buildings and grounds. You can donate easily: go to our web link printed
below, press the “Donate for Good” button and follow the directions. If you
wish, you may designate your gift for a specific purpose. See
http://www.osh.org/contributions.html.
eBreviary and ePsalter: We
are offering a CD of The
Saint Helena Breviary: Monastic Edition and The Saint
Helena Psalter as a gift in
appreciation for your donation of $25 or more. Go to
our web link printed below
and check the box indicating
you would like to receive the
CD. These files are in PDF
(Portable Document Format)
and readable on a PC or
Mac with Adobe Acrobat
Reader or other electronic
readers (such as iBook). See http://www.osh.org/contributions.html.
After three decades, The Margaret Hall Foundation has brought to a close its
work of awarding grants for secondary education. It has been a rewarding
experience for the sisters to participate in the work of the Foundation.
“Like” us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OrderofSaintHelena.
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ASSOCIATES COLUMN
This story told by Sr Miriam Elizabeth
in a recent sermon captivated the sisters
and deserves a wider audience. It’s about
a young boy, 6 years old. Every Sunday
in church, the rector saw him sitting next
to his dad, and at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer they would turn to one another and “high five”. One Sunday the
rector asked the little boy what this was
about – every Sunday, high five. The boy
eagerly replied, “Oh you know, at the
end of the prayer, it’s when we all say,
‘I’m in!’ Right? Everyone says, ‘I’m
in!’” Well, yes we do! Amen. “I’m in!”
I’m in, too, with all those gathered at
that moment in that place. I’m in!
Sr Ann Prentice, Sister for Associates
Grace Baugh, special guest of the sisters
during the month of June, made her Commitment as an OSH Associate prior to
moving to Florida. “I’m in!”
Associate Mary Lou Waterfield visited
the convent during July and made her
Re-Commitment before returning to her
home in Florida. “I’m in!”
ASCENSION DAY 2013
Just in case you are wondering, we will celebrate Ascension Day in May 2014 at the
convent in Augusta. It will be our last Augusta celebration of the founding of the current
convent and chapel; we surely hope you will join us!
The Rev
Jason
Haddox,
Presider
and
Preacher
GUESTS, above
and below
OSH
sisters,
“Side 2”
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PERIODICAL POSTAGE
PAID AT
NEWBURGH NY
AND OTHER OFFICES
The mission of the
Order of Saint Helena (Episcopal)
is to show forth Christ through a life of
monastic prayer, hospitality and service.
Vol 34 No 3 Aug 2013
“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.”
O God, who created all things,
it is you also that established
this Order and created each
of us: Bless this Order of
yours, be with us and guide
us, as you always have till
today, so that we make our
decisions and steer this Order
to do your work and proclaim
your glory among us and in
the world; in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sr Faith Anthony, OSH
Row 3: Sisters Mary Lois, Miriam Elizabeth, Barbara Lee, Ellen Stephen, Ann Prentice, Ellen Francis
Row 2: Sisters June Thomas, Ruth, Benedicta, Carol Andrew
Row 1: Sisters Linda Elston, Faith Anthony
Present in Spirit: Sisters Rosina, Cintra Pemberton, Elsie
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