by Darren Diekmann
Two dozen local people have been meeting at St. Benedict’s Monastery since Aug. 14 every other Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. to pray for their community and the world.
The bi-weekly gathering is called “Stations in the Grove” and continues Sunday, Sept. 11 and 25.
Central Minnesota Catholic Worker is organizing the event along with members from the Church of St. Joseph. Those associated with the two monastic communities of St. John’s and St. Benedict’s are also participating.
Though the meeting has a Catholic signature, the organizers are intentionally inclusive.
“Everyone is welcome,” said Molly Weyrens, the lead facilitator of the event from the Central Minnesota Catholic Worker, who is also a former staff member of the Church of St. Joseph.
Weyrens is encouraging participation from various age groups and from all denominations and perspectives. Organizers provide chairs for people who have difficulty standing.
The group has numbered about two dozen and gathers every other week. They pray at the west end of the monastery grounds, beyond the yellow barn, along a narrow, tree-lined gravel road between two fields.
Signs starting at the entrance to St. Benedict’s Monastery direct the way to the meeting.
Each week the group focuses on three issues. The first week it was Ukraine, climate change and gun violence. Other topics will include sex trafficking, mental health, civic unrest, racism and poverty.
Each station is unique and covers a single topic. The stations can include readings, music, posters and symbolic objects to illuminate and emphasize the issue.
The trees arching over the road give a cathedral-like feel to the open space where the three stations of the week are placed about 100 feet apart. The distance is deliberate so the walk between stations, accompanied by instrumental music, will invoke the movement of Christ between the Stations of the Cross and serve as a time of reflection.
The idea for the event was born of concerns over decreased church attendance and participation, Weyrens said. She said she believes attendance to be down more than 20 percent.
“It actually started as a conversation with folks at St. Joseph Church talking about the post-pandemic church and what a struggle it is to re-engage people,” she said. “There’s a lot going on in our world right now, and there’s the question of how we can come together as a community and offer some prayer and hopefully even create some community among folks.”
Anita Fischer of St. Joseph said the intent also is to generate hope in an atmosphere of increasing pessimism.
“It’s a way to create something positive rather than sitting around talking about what’s wrong,” Fischer said. “Action brings us more quickly into hope.”
The organizers expect this is a first step to continued prayer and conversations that will lead to action.
“This could lead to say more conversations on homelessness and how to help people be more aware of it,” Weyrens said, “to advocate that our officials as well as local people get involved, to want to help create places for people to live.”
The last meeting of Stations in the Grove this season will be Sept. 25.
