June 12, 2009
Philanthropy circle being established for Ferdinand monastery
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
There’s a new philanthropic circle currently forming which will support the mission and work of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand.
It’s called Women of the Rule, and its members will have opportunities for personal enrichment through programs centered on Benedictine spirituality and values.
Benedictine Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz is the director of the mission advancement office at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. She explains that a woman becomes a member of the philanthropic circle by making an annual gift of $1,000. This year, the charter members will gather for a Women of the Rule spirituality program on Nov. 7 and they will also be invited to the mon-astery in the spring of 2010.
Ninety-nine percent of their gift will “directly support present and future endeavors of the Sisters,” Sister Barbara Lynn said. Of that amount, 80 percent will be awarded using proposals chosen by the members, and 20 percent will be allocated to the Women of the Rule endowment.
Kathy Kleindorfer worked with the Benedictine Sisters in structuring the Women of the Rule program. She said the Sisters wanted the program to combine their spiritual ministry with what people want in the twenty-first century, and they wanted to find ways to financially sustain the monastery.
“It was a blending of two things. They also wanted the people who give to be involved in the decision-making process” about how their money is spent. Because of that, the members will make decisions about how the money is used, in accordance with the Sisters’ strategic plan.
“There is the sense that as women’s roles have changed, they have more opportunity to guide their donated money, to make choices on how this money is spent. More and more, women are making their own financial decisions — and family financial decisions.”
Kleindorfer said the Benedic-tine Sisters were also interested in “giving back to the women.” This means inviting the members to special events “on the hill,” and making possible the opportunity for women to meet in small groups to focus on their spiritual lives, if they are interested.
“They want to provide ways to be connected to the Benedic-tine community, if they want to be.”
Sister Barbara Lynn said she hopes there will be 100 women who are charter members of the group.
On Saturday, June 20, a meeting will be held at the monastery. It’s open to women who have already committed to the program and to those who want to “discern what the program is all about.”
For additional information, call (812) 367-1411, ext. 2649.