A group of Benedictine nuns in Sweden have set up their community to be a spiritual refuge for anyone who is in existential need and struggling with life in modern secular societies.
Residing at Heliga Hjärtas Kloster (Sacred Heart Convent) since 1997 – a convent originally founded by a group of evangelical sisters – the Benedictine nuns are “welcoming all those who are searching, the weary and those who long to draw near to God”, reports Vatican News.
“We want to bring Jesus into the world like Mary,” says Sister Katharina, Abbess of the Benedictine Monastery of Omberg. The abbess sums up what drives her community as a life lived in the footsteps of Christ, marked by silence, hospitality and a profound spiritual foundation.
“Our goal is to seek God in people, in the world, wherever we go,” says Sister Katharina, noting that the monastery welcomes guests.
For many years the Sisters have run a “House of Silence", in which they welcome individuals and small groups, including people with no religious links, but who share a desire for spirituality.
“Many do not know what they are searching for, but they find something here that touches them,” notes Sister Katharina. “People often say that come to rest and listen to prayers.”
Demand is high and greater than the monastery can accommodate. There are 18 guest rooms, three of which are cloistered and reserved for priests and religious. The monastery is intentionally small in order to leave room for personal conversations and spiritual guidance.
“Many of our guests work in healthcare or education. They are exhausted and feel empty,” says Sr. Katharina. “They say, ‘here, we can talk about the important things.’ It’s a great gift.”
The Monastery is described as “young” and with a special history: its origins date back to the Marientöchter Evangelical Community of Sisters, a Swedish-founded community; in the 1980s, several Sisters began to explore the monastic tradition more closely.
“The deeper we delved, the more it became clear to us: these are our roots,” says Sister Katharina.
In 1988, the community united with the Catholic Church after a process that took almost 10 years.
“We wanted to live in reconciliation and love. There should be no divisions,” Sister Katharina emphasises.
By 1997, the sisters had outgrown their previous home and moved into a newly built monastery in Heliga Hjärtas. It was a conscious decision to follow Saint Benedict’s rules.
“We visited many monasteries, especially those in Germany, to learn from the people who are already leading this life,” recalls the abbess.
The sisters received special support from a monastery near Gütersloh, in the Archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany, and with which they still share a close relationship, notes Vatican News.
There are currently 14 nuns aged between 40 and 85 living at the monastery, most of whom are Swedish, with the exception of a Polish-born Sister. Their daily lives follow the Benedictine rhythm of prayer, work and communal life.
The Sacred Heart Convent is well-known to other religious communities. Sisters from Denmark, the Netherlands and other small monastic communities across Scandinavia regularly come to visit.
The Benedictine nuns of Omberg also share a connection with the Benedictine monastery of Alexanderdorf that is near Berlin, the German capital, in a network of spiritual bonds that extend well beyond Sweden, says Vatican News.
Currently there are no novices, though Sister Katharina remains hopeful that young women will continue to show an interest in monastic life. As such, she says that her task is to bear witness, not with grand gestures, but in simple everyday life.
“We don’t have to do great things,” she says. “All there is to do is to live with Christ and radiate Him through our lives.”
Photo: Sr. Katharina at the Sacred Heart Convent in Sweden. (Credit: Vatican News.)
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