Presentation for the Benedictine Sisters in Ferdinand, Indiana for the Ongoing Formation Program. Given in July 2014.

1. Culture Shifts:
Sustaining Monastic Life
in Challenging Conditions
Sister Edith Bogue, O.S.B.
Monastery Immaculate Conception
Ongoing Formation
July 24, 2014

2. 2
Prayer by Michael Leunig
PrayerfromACommonPrayerbyLeunig.ISBN0-85924-933-6
Image:TheWorldthatNobodyOwnsbyMichaelLeunigfromTheAge
http://www.theageshop.com.au/the-world-that-nobody-owns-by-michael-leunig

3. 3
a little about me
SisterEdithBogue,O.S.B.MemberofSt.ScholasticaMonasteryandAssociate
ProfessorofSociologyattheCollegeofSt.ScholasticainDuluthMinnesota.
Online:@edithosbhttp://edithosb.wordpress.com

4. 4
Plan for the Day
• Culture
– Culture, Stereotypes, Ethnocentrism
– Current monastic cultures
• Contemporary Cultures
– Demographics of religious life, Catholicism
– Challenges
• Sustaining Monastic Life
– What we have that the world needs
– What we can do to carry it forward

5. 5
CULTURE
• Cultures and Structures
• Current monastic cultures

6. 6
What is culture?
ThewholeworldinacrystalballphotobyNeilGallopat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28289142@N00/474392091/

7. 77
“Culture is the
shared knowledge and
schemas created by a set
of people for perceiving,
interpreting, expressing
and responding to the
social realities around
them.”
Culture
Lederach,J.P.(1995).PreparingforPeace:ConflictTransformationAcrossCultures.Syracuse,NY:Syracuse
UniversityPress(p.9)
Image:DiegoRivera,FlowerVendorfromhttp://galeriadarte.wordpress.com/category/diego-rivera/

8. 8
TheCultureIceberg,fromhttp://blogs.brighthorizons.com/saw/tuition-
assistance-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/

9. 9
“Shaped by social realities”
We might see things one way
from a monastery descended
from Mother Benedicta Riepp’s lineage
or the other sisters who came from
Europe to teach or nurse in the late 1800s…

10. 10
“Shaped by social realities”
PhotobyS.MaryAgnesPattersonofMountSt.Scholastica,Atchison,KS
… but quite
differently from a
monastery
founded by the
Missionary
Benedictines
in rural Africa …
Sisters Susana, Imane, and Presentasia are thrilled with
the new dam that brings electricity to their monastery in
Chipole, Tanzania

11. 11
“Shaped by social realities”
PhotobySisterEdithBogueattheAbbeyofSt.Walburgain
VirginiaDale,Colorado.
… and still differently
from the viewpoint of
other monasteries in
America founded from
European abbeys in
the 20th century.
Sisters measuring rain water near the garden at
the Abbey of St. Walburga, Virginia Dale, CO.

12. 12
We cannot see our own cultures without
contrasts or input from outsiders

13. ‫ָה‬‫ל‬ֶ‫ס‬
Selah
Pause…Think…Not
e
A woman thinking by ÁWá at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_woman_thinking.jpg

14. 14
Generalizations & Stereotypes
PhotosbySisterEdithBogue,OSB

15. 15
Stereotypes and Ethnocentrism
• Stereotypes
– Mental shortcuts
– We need them
– Not always right
• Ethnocentrism
– Evaluation of the
“other” way
– Judgment
– Rejection
PhotobySisterEdithBogue,OSB
15

16. 16
What is ethnocentrism?
• “Making false
assumptions about
others’ ways based
on our own limited
experience.”
• False assumptions
may be either
positive or negative
• EVERYONE IS
ETHNOCENTRIC
16
Barger,,K.(2008)Ethnocentrism.
http://www.iupui.edu/~anthkb/ethnocen.htm

17. 17
Cultures in the Monastery
• Each generation’s vision is
shaped by
– Dominant culture of the era
– Church & Catholic dynamics
and issues in early years
– Formation / tradition received
– Lived experience in early years
• Cultures are also related to
social class, ethnicity,
education, urban or rural
family, different ministries
and professions.
ChapelWindow,SacredHeartMonastery,Yankton,SD.
PhotobySisterEdithBogue,OSB
17

18. 1818
• Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum
Cultures within a Charism

19. 19
WHAT STEREOTYPES CAN YOU
REMEMBER HAVING RECEIVED?
WHAT STEREOTYPES ARE YOU
AWARE OF HOLDING?
19
‫ָה‬‫ל‬ֶ‫ס‬
ThewholeworldinacrystalballphotobyNeilGallopat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28289142@N00/474392091/

20. 20
Culture surrounds us like a bubble…
ImagefromLivinginabubble:Photographerwhoseestheworldthroughsoapy
shotsathttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311000/Photographer-Richard-
Heeks-captures-incredible-images-world-reflected-bubble.html

21. 21
The bubble of the familiar
• Religious women
• Benedictines
• Our monastery
• Our group

22. Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
The Beginning:
1867: 4 sisters

23. 1870: 5 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24. 1880: 36 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

25. 1890: 74 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

26. 1900: 96 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

27. 1910: 134 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

28. 1920: 177 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

29. 1930: 249 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

30. 1940: 326 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

31. 1950: 371 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

32. 1960: 476 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

33. 1970: 437 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

34. 1980: 303 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

35. 1990: 264 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

36. 2000: 226 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

37. 2010: 168 sisters
Teens 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

38. 2014: 156 sisters
Teen 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

39. 39
This pattern is common in US
CenterforAppliedResearchontheApostolateFrequentlyRequestedStatistics
http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/requestedchurchstats.html
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1965 1975 1985 1995 2000 2005 2012
Thousands
US Religious Men (Priests + Brothers) US Religious sisters
70% decrease
52% decrease

40. 40
MichaelLeunig,postedinAustralianCartoonistMuseumat
http://theaustraliancartoonmuseum.com.au/projects/speech-and-thought-balloons/bubbles-007/

41. 41
CHALLENGES TO OUR
MONASTIC FUTURE
Demographics
Consumerism and the Economy
Faith and Family
41

42. 4242
• Data and
analysis are
plentiful and
sophisticated
• BUT change can
be sudden and
extreme
When to believe predictions

43. 4343
Children per woman (2013)
Singapore 0.79
Japan 1.20
South Korea 1.24
Russia 1.30
Poland 1.32
China (Mainland) 1.55
European Union 1.58
Canada 1.59
Thailand 1.66
Australia 1.77
Brazil 1.81
Iran 1.86
United States 2.06
Mexico 2.25
Bangladesh 2.50
India 2.55
Becoming a Child-Free SocietyLast(2013)WhattoExpectWhenNoOne’sExpecting.
Film:DemographicWinter
43
Replacement fertility:
2.1 children per woman

44. 44
Young & Old in America
Fromthefilm"DemographicWinter"
4
4

45. 45
1 in 3 Young Adults is a “None”
Percent by Age Group
AggregatedfromPewResearchCenterSurveysJanuary–July2012
https://twitter.com/pewforum/status/337618956355518467/photo/1
9
15
21
32
90
84
77
67
0 20 40 60 80 100
65+
50-64
30-49
18-29
AGEGROUP
No religious affiliation Any religious affiliation

46. 46
Face of Catholicism is changing
• Generational
change in cultures.
• More than half of
all Catholics under
40 are Hispanic or
of other non-
European groups
• How ready are our
communities to
welcome them?

47. 47
Shifting Demographics of
American Catholics
U.S.Catholics:KeyDatafromPewResearch
http://www.pewresearch.org/2013/02/25/u-s-catholics-key-data-from-pew-
research/#popchange
78
70
60
47
44
61
66
16
24
32
47
47
32
15
5
7
8
7
9
7
19
0 20 40 60 80 100
65+
50-64
40-49
30-39
18-29
All Catholics
US General Public
White Hispanic Other

48. Planning for
a world with
many elders &
few babies:
Idea of a
Dependency
Ratio

49. 49
WHAT SURPRISES YOU ABOUT THIS
PICTURE OF YOUNG ADULTS?
TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY A FEW
WORDS AT YOUR TABLES.
49
‫ָה‬‫ל‬ֶ‫ס‬
ThewholeworldinacrystalballphotobyNeilGallopat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28289142@N00/474392091/

50. 50
Modern Western Culture
• Few social theorists or commentators have
positive views of modern culture.
• Even the most successful people speak of
feeling empty or shallow
• We have more than any group in history.
(Nero couldn’t blow-dry his hair, and
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the Summa
without a computer…)

51. 51
Affluenza
(deGraaf&Wann(2001)Affluenza:TheAll-ConsumingEpidemic)
5
1
affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted
condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from
the dogged pursuit of more.

52. 52
Consumerist Desires Balloon
http://10steps.sg/wp-content/uploads/article89/12.jpg

53. 53
Knowledge of
environmental
damage has not
slowed its
progress.
Owen,D.(2012).TheConundrum:HowScientificInnovation,IncreasedEfficiency,andGood
IntentionsCanMakeOurEnergyandClimateProblemsWorse.RiverheadTrade.

54. 54
Inequality: Greater in 2013 than any
time since 1929.
TheStandardofUr.FromUr,southernIraq,about2600-2400.BC.BritishMuseum.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/t/the_standard_of_ur.aspx
An ancient Sumerian art piece shows awareness of social classes …
The nobles, priests, and warriors at the top…
Below them, merchants and artisans …
The serfs and slaves who performed manual labor on the bottom.

55. 55
Koyaanisqatsi
• Koyaanisqatsi: Hopi term for
“chaotic life” or “life that calls
for another
way of living” or “unbalanced”
• “The economy” has
become a force on its own.
• Family relationships and
life are complex and
increasingly uncertain.
• Life is fast, pressured,
scheduled, controlled.
• Human dimension is lacking.
KoyaanisqatsiandPowaqatsi
http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/powaqqatsi.php

56. 56
New Economics
• Modern economies
founded on growth.
• Growth often founded
on borrowing and debt.
• Can this persist in an
aging world?
• Steady State Economics
SacredEconomics:Money,Gift,andSocietyintheAgeofTransition2011byCharles
Eisensteinhttp://sacred-economics.com/
Daly,Herman.1991.Steady-StateEconomics,2ndedition.IslandPress,Washington,
DC

57. 57
Family Life
57

58. 58
Media
5
8

59. 59
Religion is not respected
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/image_galleries/ale_porter_chocolate_gallery.shtml?9
59

60. 60
Negative Views of Religion Increasing
60

61. 61
Anti-Religious Atrocities

62. 62
THE BIGGEST CULTURE SHFIT:
FAITH MATTERS.
REALITY MATTERS.
• What does the world need?
• What does our monastic culture offer?
62

63. 63
Arctic Expeditions

64. 64
The Two Ways (Psalm 1)

65. 65
The Two Ways (Psalm 1)
65

66. 66
Philosophy & Science Sought
Knowledge of Ultimate Truths
66

67. 67
MONASTIC CULTURE
Heritage and Promise
67

68. 68
What does monastic culture to modern
society? How to we nurture it?
CindyCornettSeigle.FromtheBottomoftheHill.OnFlickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy47452/2876659809/

69. 69
Mission
"Our mission is to use ambitious wilderness expeditions to
inspire people to approach the challenges of life with
optimism, humility and responsibility."

70. 70
Values: Optimism

71. 71
Values: Humility

72. 72
Values: Responsibility

73. 73
Maintaining focus.
CindyCornettSeigle.FromtheBottomoftheHill.OnFlickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy47452/2876659809/

74. 74
What do we have as our unique
gifts to carry into the future?

75. 75
"Your way of acting should be
different from the world's way."

76. 76
A focus on praxis, on living the monastic
way of life, on practices that can be
learned, taught, and passed on.

77. 77
Enclosure:
A form of simplicity
— guard of the heart
— limits the
accumulation of stuff
and frenetic
activity and
connection

78. 78
"Try to be the first
to show respect to
the other…
…as if they were
Christ in person"

79. 79
Bear with one another’s
weaknesses of mind, body,
and spirit
Joseph,K.(2013).Re-focusingtheBenedictineTradition.
BenedictinesLXVI:1Spring/Summer2013
79

80. 80
Preserving and
transmitting the
“technology” of
community:
skills of stability, love,
neighboring,
commitment, bearing
with, and fidelity.

81. 81
Monastic Life will certainly be
different and diverse in the future
• Life-long monastics will be fewer in number,
but important for the mentoring of others.
• New forms of monastic life may flourish.
There will be “virtual monasteries” online
• The focus will not be on the work that we do
(teaching, healing) but on the practices
and experiences we can bring to the world.

82. 82
LifeachebyMichaelLeunig,from
http://www.leunig.com.au/index.php/cartoons/cartoons

83. 83
Choosing not what
she judges best for
herself but what is
best for the other.
Can monasteries
revitalize a sense of
the common good?

84. 84
What in our current way
of life is most important
to carry into the future?
What identities or
emphases might we be
willing to leave behind?
What are we able to leave
even if we aren’t willing?
St.KateriTekakwitha.DoorsofSt.Patrick’sCathedral,NewYork.

85. 85
"Prefer nothing
whatever to
Christ, and may
he bring us all
together into
everlasting life"

86. 86
"Prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may
he bring us all together into everlasting life"

87. 87
"Prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may
he bring us all together into everlasting life"

88. 88
Prayer by Michael Leunig
PrayerfromACommonPrayerbyLeunig.ISBN0-85924-933-6
Image:TheWorldthatNobodyOwnsbyMichaelLeunigfromTheAge
http://www.theageshop.com.au/the-world-that-nobody-owns-by-michael-leunig

89. Culture Shifts:
Sustaining Monastic Life
in Challenging Conditions
Sister Edith Bogue, O.S.B.
Monastery Immaculate Conception
Ongoing Formation
July 24, 2014