The title of this post might be a
bit of a misnomer—as Dominicans, we follow the Rule of St. Augustine, not the
Rule of St. Benedict. But there are some basic commonalities in the monastic
family (and, frankly, the human family), regardless of rule, and one of those
is the necessity of work.
As contemplatives, our primary work
is, of course, offering a continuous sacrifice of praise to God through the
liturgy. Still, just as Jesus did not spend his entire earthly life in the Temple or synagogue, but
"devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual
work at the carpenter's bench" (Laborem
Exercens Ch.6) , we also work with our hands to cook, clean and
take care of the needs of the monastery and our beloved guests. Some sisters
sew and mend our habits; others manage the finances or coordinate the liturgy;
others take care of the archives, work in the print shop or manage the library.
In the summer, we also plant, weed and harvest fruits and vegetables for the
table. Each person is called upon to serve according to the talents and
abilities God has bestowed upon her through both nature and training.
We are privileged enough, though,
to have the time and resources to engage in work over and above the basic
household chores and necessities of life. Thus, some sisters make handmade
candles and natural soaps; others bake delectable treats to-order; others write
sacred icons, or write books in various genres.
Since February, one of our resident
craftswomen, Sr. Mary Magdalene, has been so good as to welcome the novitiate
into the workshop to teach us two of her (many) specialties: pottery and wood
carving. Sr. Elizabeth Marie is learning the way of the chisel and gouge;
meanwhile, yours truly is attempting to become more centered (pun absolutely
intended) on the pottery wheel.
Sr. Elizabeth Marie can speak to
her carving experience at a later date, but for me, I know that it's interesting
to learn the ways of working with a material that I have absolutely no
familiarity with. Turns out that trying to knead (or "wedge") the
clay like bread is the absolutely best way to work air bubbles into the lump, rather than out of it like you're supposed to. Not a
few times I've scrambled hurriedly up the hill from workshop to Vespers, only
to realize that I used too much water when spinning and am now covered in clay
freckles.
And the experience of trying to
wrestle four pound lumps of clay into (hopefully) vertical creations has also
led me to interpret Isaiah 45:9 in a way that the original author probably did
not intend:
"Does
the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?'
Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?"
In my case: yes, all the time!
So, here are some pictures from our
work in the workshop—including a special appearance from a certain furry
non-artisan.
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| Lotti being...well, Lotti. |
