Doing physical work, making a living are tough for aging Benedictines

Published: 2007-05-01

BRANFORD, Conn. (CNS) -- The Benedictine nuns at the Monastery of the Glorious Cross arise each morning by 6:15 to devote the day to prayer, work and silence, just as they always have done. They're nowhere near as able to do it as they used to be, though. They are getting old, and physical work is harder. For the 18 Benedictines of Jesus Crucified at the monastery, all 65 to 85 years old, the Benedictine motto "ora et labora" ("pray and work") is now more like "ora et ora." "With the increasing age and diminishing strength of a lot of the sisters here, prayer is the one thing that all can do -- at least try to do," said Sister M. Zita Wenker. Age is not the only problem. The nuns are members of a religious community that, since its beginning, has welcomed women with disabilities. Failing eyesight, arthritis and other age-related conditions only compound problems some already had, such as heart conditions or painful impairments.

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