Judy Russell: Coming full circle with ‘The Cloister Walk’ and writer Kathleen Norris
Sometimes, either through chance, circumstances, dumb luck or the nudging of the Spirit, we find ourselves where we never expected to be.
So it was with me in recent days after I read a Reflection on one of the scripture readings for that day in Lent. The Reflection was written by writer/poet Kathleen Norris. Norris, a Benedictine oblate, is the author of many books, including “The Cloister Walk,” “Dakota,” “Amazing Grace” and “Acedia and Me.”
About six or seven years ago, on a day trip with cousins to Door County, I bought a copy of “The Cloister Walk” for 99 cents at a thrift store. For some reason, I had always been intrigued by the title and what the book might disclose. The book ended up on a table in my living room, untouched until the past week. Seeing that Reflection again reminded me of Kathleen Norris, and that now must be the time God wants me to read “The Cloister Walk.”
The book, first published in 1996, held me in its grasp from the first page. Norris, “raised a thorough Protestant,” applied to attend the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and then spent two nine-month terms there. She first came to St. John’s in 1991.
She had often heard Benedictines refer to their Liturgy of the Hours (also called the Divine Office) as “the sanctification of time.” But, Norris writes that she “had not much idea of what this could mean until I attended the liturgies at St. John’s on a daily basis for many months.” So the monastery and the Liturgy of the Hours became a focus for her. The monastic, we learn, “welcomes time as a gift from God, and seeks to put it to good use rather than allowing us to be used up by it.”
The Benedictines, Norris tells the reader, insist that there is time in each day for prayer, for work, for study and for play. How her time and her experiences in the monastery affected her personal, spiritual, writing and marital lives makes a good, inspirational and sometimes humorous, read. For me, it has been a page-turner.
There was another tie-in to Kathleen Norris when I read that First Congregational Church in Oshkosh has a group that has been reading and discussing her book, “40 Day Journey with Kathleen Norris.”
Check out these upcoming area church and religious events in the Oshkosh area:
Oakhaven Church at The Barn in Oshkosh hosts its annual chili cookoff Feb. 25 immediately following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. According to Pastor Larry Mudd, several different chilis, ranging from “Most like Mom’s” to exotic versions from around the world will be featured, along with side dishes and desserts. The public is welcome to take part, free of charge. Oakhaven meets in The Barn, 2175 Witzel Ave.
St. Raphael Parish, 830 S. Westhaven Drive, Oshkosh, offers a Tuesday Soup and Study series during Lent, using the theme Growing in Friendship with Jesus through the Saints. The sessions are from noon to 1 p.m. in Good Samaritan Hall. The remaining sessions and speakers are: March 5, Sister Anne Marie Lom; March 12, Father Quinn Mann; and March 19, Sara Scheunemann.
St. Jude Parish in Oshkosh offers Soup and Stations on Tuesdays and Fridays during Lent. Stations on Tuesday start at 5:30 p.m. at the Sacred Heart site, 519 Knapp St. The soup supper is at 6 p.m. in Leannah Hall. Free child care is provided on Tuesday nights. Stations on Friday start at 12:15 p.m. at the St. Vincent site, 1225 Oregon St. Soup lunch is at 12:45 p.m. in Bastian Hall.
Some items are in low supply at the Day By Day Shelter in Oshkosh. Some of the needed items are backpacks, 13-gallon garbage bags, laundry detergent, sugary cereals and snack foods. The shelter is at 420 Ceape Ave. Donation hours are 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, or by appointment, 920-203-4536. Enter the parking lot off Broad Street.
Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Oshkosh offers a Lenten Wednesday Evening Prayer Series, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at its St. Mary worship site, 605 Merritt Ave. The evenings include prayer, witness speakers, healing and adoration, “and offer you an opportunity to help you pray to identify attachments and heal spiritual hurts.” The remaining dates for this series are March 6 and March 20. All are welcome.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh choral music will be the featured entertainment for the next free First Tuesdays offering in the sanctuary of First Congregational Church in Oshkosh, on March 5. The program, which begins at noon sharp, will be followed by a luncheon in Fellowship Hall. There will be an added musical bonus for those who can arrive early at the church, 137 Algoma Blvd. At 11:40 a.m., singer Zoe Bossart, a songbird in her mid-20s and back in Oshkosh for a few months before work in Maine, will entertain the crowd. Pianist Joanne Peterson will be the accompanist. For the luncheon, which includes two soups, four kinds of homemade bread, salad and dessert, a donation of $10 per person is suggested.
"All Rise!," the Northeastern Wisconsin Passion Play, which celebrates the life, death and resurrection of the Lord, is in its 17th season. The production, deemed appropriate for all ages, will be given at various times March 21-24 at the Xavier Fine Arts Theatre in Appleton. For more show information and/or tickets, visit newpassionplay.org, or call the box office, 920-733-8840. Open hours are from noon to 3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, one of the great spiritual writers of our time, is away in Ireland on her annual writing trip. She celebrated the Feast of Saint Scholastica Feb. 10 with her friend, Maire Hickey, OSB, abbess of Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore is the only women’s Benedictine community in Ireland, famous for its natural and castle-like monastery. Sister Joan and Mother Maire, visionary leaders, have known one another since the early days of the international network of Benedictine women.
Thought for the Day: “Excessive penance, a hallmark of negative spirituality, makes God some kind of ghoul who delights in seeing the glories of life rejected, destroyed and diminished.” — Sister Joan Chittister
Judy Russell of Oshkosh writes about happenings at area centers of worship. To submit news for her consideration, email [email protected] with the subject “Church news.” Deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Lenten Reflection reminded me to read 'The Cloister Walk'