We, the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, believing in the sacredness of all creation, claim monastic stewardship as our corporate witness.
As a community of monastic women with a contemplative vision, we are impelled to preserve, cherish, and nurture all that is touched by the Creator’s hand.
Out of our sense of reverence, hospitality, & responsibility, we commit ourselves in a spirit of peace to conserve, use, & share our gifts, resources, & heritage.
Through our prayer and our service, through our hospitality, compassion and mercy, and in all of our ministries, we hope to foster in our world a greater respect for the divine dignity of all people.
A YouTube series of reflections, prayers, and interviews hosted by Sister Kathy Persson, OSB.
We are grateful that all the Sisters at our monastery remain corona-virus free. Our liturgies are now open (please see the protocol below) and our Guest House is open subject to certain restrictions. Please contact Sister Kay (kfitzgerald@osbva.org) if you are interested in a space.
Let each of us continue to do what we can to help prevent and recover from the spread of the virus, fear, and despair.
God is with us in all times — all shall be well!
Hospitality is both a ministry and a way of life of every member of our monastery. Our lives, our work, our prayer — everything we do and proclaim must be infused with and supported by a holy welcome of all whom we encounter. Our monastery grounds are purposefully designed to preserve the beauty of God’s creation and to welcome visitors who come seeking respite. Our guest house is available for anyone seeking a place of quiet reflection and refuge. Our door is open to anyone seeking a listening ear, advice, encouragement, support. Our schools welcome all, our programs welcome all, our liturgies welcome all – here we hope to truly be an example of the unconditional acceptance of Christ himself.
In the fall of 1922, Linton Hall School began as an all-male military boarding school. In the 1980s, the Sisters discontinued the military program and embraced a co-educational K-8 model based on modern praxis and Catholic, Benedictine values. A full-day Pre-K was added in 2010 and expanded in 2013 to become the Little Sprouts program, completing the Linton Hall School family.
Benedictine Educational Assistance Community Outreach to Neighbors (BEACON), a literacy program for adults, began in 1992. BEACON works primarily to meet the educational needs of adults in Prince William County, e.g. English as a second language (ESL) and Citizenship. Trained volunteers work with individuals and small groups at our partners’ sites in the greater Manassas area. BEACON also provides life-skills workshops on topics such as health and safety, nutrition, financial literacy, parenting skills, and community resources.
In seeking ways to be of service to our Northern Virginia neighbors, we discovered a need for interment space for the cremains of loved ones. In response, we established the Place of Peace Columbarium, a sacred ministry for those in immediate need and those who want to pre-plan. Situated amid beautiful and quiet gardens, the Columbarium invites solitary contemplation as well as being a welcoming space for gatherings of family and friends. To be able to walk with those preparing for eternal life and to extend Benedictine peace and comfort to those who are grieving is a privilege we hold dear.
The Benedictine Pastoral Center (BPC), established in 1983, seeks to embody those ideals and qualities that are at the heart of the Benedictine tradition: reverence for God and all creation, respect for learning, and the shared experience of prayer, community, and hospitality. Devoted to building the Kingdom of God, BPC passes on the Benedictine spirituality practiced by the Sisters’ community. The Monastery conference rooms and chapel are the setting for prayer and learning, days of recollection, spiritual direction, and retreat programs for individuals and groups. In addition, our Saint Cecilia Guest House is available for individuals or groups desiring a day or longer place of retreat.
In 1922, Saint Edith Academy, a boarding school for girls in Bristow, Virginia was closed and the high school was transferred to Richmond, Virginia. Sister Gertrude Head, OSB, served as the first principal, and with a three-member faculty began the educational program that is now known as Saint Gertrude High School. An award-winning, highly esteemed all-girls Catholic high school, SGHS has served the educational needs of young women for almost 100 years. In 2019, Saint Gertrude High School and Benedictine College Preparatory (a Benedictine, all-boys high school), collaborated to form The Benedictine Schools of Richmond. The two schools retain their distinct identities, sharing resources on a beautiful campus in Goochland.
nedictine Counseling Services (BCS) began in response to the local community’s need for counseling and consultative services that would be available to people in the area on a sliding scale. BCS expanded over the years to provide school counseling for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Arlington until (1992-2013), and specific counseling and case management services, particularly for women and children who were homeless within Prince William County (1995-2012).
Today, Sister Kathy Persson, O.S.B., LCSW continues this ministry. She is available for individual, couple, or group counseling, and offers workshops and consultations for organizations of all sizes. She can be contacted at kathyperssonosb@gmail.com.
