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We Live, Pray, and Grow Together
We are Simply Benedictine
Our Mission
Seeking God in our life together and enlivened by daily prayer, we, the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, respond to the needs of the people of God in a spirit of hospitality, simplicity, and reverence for one another and all creation.
St. Scholastica Prayer Requests
If you have a special intention, please let the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery know by filling out this online prayer request form. Your intention will not be listed online, but will be placed on the monastery prayer board. Each sister checks the bulletin board daily and remembers those prayer requests in her personal prayer time.
Stand by the roads and look, ask for the ancient path, which the way to good. Walk on it and find rest for your soul.
Jeremiah 6:16
Weekly Reflection
Weekly Reflection - May 29, 2026
Outside my Window
Sister Macrina Wiederkehr
There's a poem outside my window
that refuses to be written down.
Having no need to be published,
It desires rather to be taken in,
Utterly received, tenderly integrated,
lovingly included in my life.
It summons me
to behold it in silence,
cradling its healing graces,
enjoy its magical aura,
keep it secret
except for those
who notice it on their own.
It does not wish to be proclaimed, named or analyzed;
It desires rather to be slowly revealed,
honored and absorbed.
As it shyly releases its energy
it wants to enchant me, entrance me,
drawing me into the miracle
of being in the quiet
mystery of its company.
Look out your window!
There's a poem waiting for you, too.
St. Scholastica Monastery
A Community of Benedictine Sisters in Fort Smith, AR
Ways To Help
We at St. Scholastica Monastery are grateful for everything you, as our contributors, do for us. You can contribute to St. Scholastica by prayer, participation, volunteering and donations.
The Journey
Take the first step. If you are interested in our community, we invite you to contact us.
Stories
Everyone has a story to tell. Listen to the vocation stories of some of our Benedictine Sisters.
Come & See
Ever wonder what monastic life is like? Come and discover the possibility of all that monastic life has to offer!
Is This Your Calling?
From the Pen of Sister Laura Cathcart
The Very First Advice Column
According to the New England Quarterly (vol. 98, Issue 3, Sept. 2025), the very first advice column ever written appeared in 1691. The Athenian Gazette, or Casuistical Mercury (often shortened to Athenian Mercury was founded by John Duton. This periodical set out to answer questions submitted by the readers. According to the article, Mary Beth Norton, author of “I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer”,…