by Velma Rice
Community of Hope (COH) is grounded in Benedictine Spirituality which is grounded in the Divine Office. The COH Annual Conference was grounded in worship, including Morning and Evening Prayer, a Taizé service and Holy Eucharist Worship. There were presentations for the entire group as well as workshops. There was time for reflection, individually and together, and of course, time for fellowship.
The theme, “Wellsprings of Wellbeing”, began to shape each participant immediately upon registration when we were asked to reflect on two questions. First, “What hope do we entertain of becoming persons who die so that life may be abundant?” Second, “What would such hope look like on a day-to-day basis?” Sister Adeline O’Donoghue, Director of the Ruah Center at Villa de Matel, was the keynote speaker. Isaiah 12:3 provided the thread for her presentation: “With joy we will draw water from the springs of endless life. With joy we will draw water from the living well of God.” In day to day life COH chaplains provide living refreshment for others, even as we ourselves need refreshment.
Brother Michael Galllagher, a Benedictine Monk at the Holy Cross Monastery in Beaumont, Texas, spoke on “Living into Benedictine Spirituality”. Brother Michael reflected about the motives of living as a Benedictine person. Benedictine balance in today’s world is more about self image and how we view others than about how busy we are. The question then is: “Do our lives reflect what we say we believe?”
Community of Hope is international and ecumenical as well as functioning in a variety of settings including hospitals, assisted living facilities, congregational ministry, and prison ministry. It is refreshing and stimulating to participate in a ministry where Southern Baptists, Latter Day Saints, Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics come together to share their stories and learn from each other.
“He does not want people in positions simply to get a job done. He wants people in positions who embody why we bother to do the job at all. He wants holy listeners who care about the effect of what they do on everybody else. Imagine a world that was run by holy listeners.” The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages, Joan Chittister, O.S.B. Pg 42.