Environment & Religion 30 Oct 2007 04:22 pm
Conversatio Morum and living with the earth
I was reintroduced to the Rule of St. Benedict recently by a photoessay done by a PSR colleague, published this month in Ochre Journal. It’s a great view of a Benedictine monastery in Idaho, the Monastery of St. Gertrude. One of the most interesting aspects to me of Benedictine spirituality is the concept of Conversatio Morum - which basically means that one is always on a journey of conversion - there isn’t just a moment of conversion. The nuns at St. Gertrude have an interesting interpretation of this:
This promise is a commitment to change within a tradition that is often viewed as static. The balancing of the promise of stability with that of continual change has produced gradual adjustments in the sisters’ understanding of their responsibility to the land. It is also a powerful alternative to the rapid and destabilizing shifts that mark much change in the world today. … True to the process of conversatio morum, the sisters’ focus on the land was not a sudden decision, but a gradual conversion. Building on their history with the land, they realized that their retreats, land stewardship committee, gardens and orchards, and interactions with neighbors built a foundation of care and concern for the land.
It has wonderful photographs, and it’s a great read. Check it out.