Self-Portrait
I’m a Benedictine sister, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota. I’ve been at the monastery for more than a decade now.
I also teach sociology in a wide variety of courses – family sociology, statistics and research methods, social issues and social change, the death penalty, conspicuous consumption, and environmental sociology in the last few years. Sometimes I teach in an Honors Program as well.
In my pre-monastery life, I was a teacher of English historical (country) and contra dancing, a statistical and research consultant with a variety of projects in sociology and nursing, a practicing oncology social worker, a Board member for several small non-profit traditional music and dance organizations, and one of the worship coordinators at a student parish, among other things.
Hobbies. I have always been an avid reader and, since its first day on the air in 1971, a National Public Radio fan – probably because of I’m just as “full of ‘satiable curiosity” as the Elephant’s Child in my favorite Rudyard Kipling children’s story.
In the last few years, I’ve taken up a few new hobbies. I always wanted to try photography – but could not bear the thought of the environmental waste and cost of learning with film. The gift of a digital camera a few years ago opened a new world, and a few online courses helped me get started. That also led me into a growing fascination with computer graphic design and publication layout.
Blogging. I really didn’t know much about blogs when I overheard two friends talking about writing them – but soon had the first edition of Monastic Musings up and running in July 2004. When it died a sudden and unexpected death at the hands of malware and Google’s quarantine system, I mourned for a day – and decided to start again. I write about whatever interests me – sometimes religious, sometimes secular, often off-the-beaten track.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Monastic Musings Too.
