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Benedictine Charism

Benedictine Charism

Last updated on: October 6, 2026 at 1:33 pm by Rob Giannamore

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Benedictine Charism 2026-10-06T13:33:58-04:00 Rob Giannamore

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This is a guest post from my Benedictine community written by Sister Peg Pilewski, I was granted permission to share this from Sister Peg. This is her talk in it’s entirety with only one small section italicized by me:

Reflections on Charism for Oblates Sept 18, 2026 – Sister Peg Pilewski

Good morning I would like to share some personal journeys and reflections on our

Charism: To seek God in community and to respond in prayer and ministry.

Many thanks Rosie for your excellent presentation and really, I could say ditto and sit down but I said yes so here is my perspective on our charism.

Seek God

That seems like a tall order, yet that is what drew me to this community.

I can say that now but as a 17-year-old making a life decision to community I only knew that this was where God wanted me to be. I’ll get to the specifics later on.

I am called daily to turn my heart toward God to experience the closeness of this presence/ energy if you will….

Early on I learned to pray when I needed something—nice weather so we could go on our school picnic, so that my Dad would get better from his sore feet, and my Mom would give birth to a baby sister.

There were prayers too of thanksgiving but mostly in my youth personal prayer was self-centered. When I entered community and started to pray the Divine Office, I found that my experience of God grew. There was this awareness of something Beyond my comprehension and a desire to get to know God. Who are YOU? I found myself having conversations with God like a friend someone sitting across from me sharing a glass of Coke or sipping on wine. Getting to know you and not just asking for things. I have found that this is a continuous journey a daily journey one that causes me to learn about God experience God through Scripture—lectio. Talking honestly to God sharing my frustrations and anger and thanks and joy for all that is gifted to me and this world. Daily we pray O God open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. Seeking God is a lifelong journey.

Community

Community is the primary ministry of the monastic. So, for me—my first community was my family a group of 11 people 6 brothers 2 sisters Mom and Dad and me! Tied by a familial bond one that shaped my early formation as a human

As the oldest child I learned to be part of a group—making space for another

To teach, to care for, to be with, to do, not always getting my way or what I wanted. There were some negotiations and many times—obedience to a parental authority. Now I was the oldest of 9 and according to my younger siblings I got more but that was the material side (I didn’t realize that we were poor but we had what we needed).

The action that bound us as a family was our prayer life. Blessings before every meal, Daily recitation of the rosary and of course weekly attendance at Mass. There was a rhythm –a stability and love in our household. I knew at a young age that I might want to be a sister but was God really calling Me?

When I went to high school—St Benedict academy I experienced a different kind of community. One where relationships were fostered. One where the adult in the room listened thoughtfully not giving answers but listening and very often followed by a question –What do you think? When I shared my decision to enter this community with a sister from another community she asked me, “Why are you choosing a monastic community?” I didn’t know what that word meant. I felt a love and care from the sisters—it felt like family I knew that I wanted to be part of that

I wanted my life to be one with this group of women seeking God. So, I entered in 1965—Later I realize that I was seeking God. I chose community with God’s help.

Now living with other like-minded women has challenges of its own but the search for God with the Rule as our guide makes so many things possible. What a group of people can accomplish is amazing. So, for me Community is our main ministry. Attention to the other. Openness to the other. Sharing with others. But this is not a closed system. We are not gifts, talents, wisdom to keep to ourselves. All of us are called daily to act and be like Jesus and we learn that lesson through prayer

Prayer

Our monastic prayer is the Liturgy of the hours. We gather daily to pray the psalms

To celebrate feast days and ordinary time.

Our lectio deepens our relationship with God as we pray with a phrase of the psalm or Scripture – Sitting- being with the word of God, the light of our life—the indwelling of the life of God filling us. We are the unrepeatable gift to the world made in the image of God.

However, we pray—in our heart—out loud—joining our voices with the cry of the poor and marginalized—just being—walking on the beach—feeling the air brush our face. All of this and more is experiencing the love of God that she has for us—that he has for us. This immeasurable energy that surrounds us and calls us out of ourselves to risk a move forward, to embrace what challenges us and enables us to say yes to let go and BE who God calls us to be. And in this prayer, we respond, we reach out, we take into our being our homes and others who God gifts to us through ministry.

Ministry

Please teach me. Please listen to me. Please walk with me. Be with me.

And when active ministry calls us to another path, when our feet cannot move, we listen with the ear of our heart, we hear:

I will listen to you. I will be present to you. I will study with you

I will pray with you. I will be with you. I will understand you.

I will love you with the first love that encircled me.

I will no longer be I, but We.

We will be united in prayer seeking God. No matter what good work we choose the end result is the same. We do all in God’s name. We do not accomplish anything without God, and if we are fortunate enough to find like-minded souls then rejoice.

We can travel this road together.

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