Pope Francis designated 2015 the year of consecrated
religious life. The first of his three stated aims is for us to look to the
past with gratitude. Gratitude is what I experience as I celebrate this
Jubilee.
I am grateful to my parents, John and Aileen and my
siblings for the love and life lessons I learned and experienced in belonging
to the Bankemper family. I feel especially blessed and grateful to God for
calling me to the community at St. Walburg Monastery and giving me life among
such wonderful women. I have so much appreciation for the members of the
community both living and deceased, who have loved, mentored, challenged and
forgiven me over these many years.
My first profession was in 1965, the year the Vatican
II Council ended. It was a time of change and huge changes were on the
way. In light of the Gospel and
contemporary times all religious were called to study their origins, examine
the meaning and purpose of their lives and update practices for present times.
As Benedictines we were founded “to seek God in community, to live under the
Rule of Benedict and a prioress.” Along
with countless communities our community heeded the Council’s call and since
that time has engaged in examining every aspect of our lives; through ongoing
in depth study of the Rule of Benedict, reclaiming our monastic heritage,
revising our psalter (prayer books) even to the right sizing of our tables in
the dining room to allow everyone the opportunity to hear and participate.
Throughout the many changes, a commitment to ministry
has been a mainstay. My own involvement in meaningful ministry continues to be
a priority. I love my work as a psychologist and the many persons I have had
the privilege to serve. I feel especially blessed for the past twelve years of
facilitating groups at Cancer Support Community and the Women’s Federal Prison
Camp in Lexington.
It is difficult to describe how much these groups have
influenced my life. They bid me to appreciate the one precious life with which
I and all of us have been gifted; to recognize that it is an accident of birth
to the families and situations into which one is born: that all of us make
mistakes, some serious, yet all of us need forgiveness and healing. Pope Francis designated 2016 as a year of
mercy. I hope his message will seep
deeper into my being and allow me to walk in the shoes of those who suffer,
particularly with the women in prison.
The color and beauty of my life would be less without
the richness and fidelity of friends. I am thankful for their fidelity in both
the good times and the difficult ones. I feel especially blessed and grateful
to God for calling me to St. Walburg Monastery and giving me life among such
wonderful, giving women.
Sr. Aileen Bankemper, OSB
