Community connections
The brothers and sisters of Saint Brigid of Kildare Monastery welcome you to our community connections page. Here you will find our community blog, where once a month, a member of our community reflects on the question of what it means for them to live their Benedictine call in the world. You will also find links to the webpages, blogs, and ministries of many of our members. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into our community.
Community Blog
About the author
Tim Bonney made initial oblation on February 1, 2022 on the Feast Day of St. Brigid of Kildare. Tim was raised in the St. Louis metro area and is the Lead Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Indianola, Iowa where he has served for five years. Tim is an Elder in Full Connection in the Iowa Annual Conference UMC. His interest in Benedictine spirituality developed through his love of praying the daily office and opportunities he had to attend retreats that were hosted at Benedictine monasteries. While those retreats were for other organizations and on other topics, he found opportunities to experience the prayer life of Benedictine communities and the joy of a life centered in Ora et Labor (Pray and Work.)
May 2022
I am a very new participant in the monastic community of St. Brigid of Kildare. I made initial oblation in February of this year after a time in the community as a postulant.
As someone who has been pastoring local churches for most of my life, I have a lifelong interest in worship. I lead public worship often several times a week. But the part of my worship life that has always been a struggle is the consistency of my own personal worship and prayer life.
For many years I have used one form or another of the Daily Office. The Daily Office is a series of prayers said at different times during the day, having its origins in monastic communities who spend much of their day in prayer. But for me, praying as a solitary individual, something was always lacking for me in praying alone.
Over the years I also have attended a number of retreats that were held in the retreat centers of monastic communities. In these times I found opportunities to connect with the prayer life of the monks. On one such retreat I was to gather with some colleagues at the guest house at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. I arrived early for some personal reflection. Suddenly the weather changed, and Atchison had an ice storm. My friends could not get to the retreat and, because of the weather, I couldn’t leave either. So, I was invited to join the monks for meals and prayer over the next four days. I found the experience powerful, meaningful, and enlightening!
I found the thoughtful unhurried commitment to prayer by the monks to be spiritually uplifting. Their prayers were never rushed. They seemed to be fully present with God in their prayers. Prayer was not just an afterthought; it was the work of their lives!
After several such experiences, I began to consider the idea of becoming an oblate with a Benedictine monastery. But as a United Methodist pastor who, as part of my ministry, may move to another appointment in any year, I was not sure which monastery I could affiliate. It was at this time I ran across the website of St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery, a dispersed monastic community with roots in the United Methodist Church.
This geographically scattered but spiritually connected group of Christians seeking a more disciplined spiritual life feels exactly like what I have been searching for!
As Christians all of us must find ways to balance our work, personal life, service to God and our devotional life. As a novice in this community, I feel that St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery is helping me do that.
Tim Bonney made initial oblation on February 1, 2022 on the Feast Day of St. Brigid of Kildare. Tim was raised in the St. Louis metro area and is the Lead Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Indianola, Iowa where he has served for five years. Tim is an Elder in Full Connection in the Iowa Annual Conference UMC. His interest in Benedictine spirituality developed through his love of praying the daily office and opportunities he had to attend retreats that were hosted at Benedictine monasteries. While those retreats were for other organizations and on other topics, he found opportunities to experience the prayer life of Benedictine communities and the joy of a life centered in Ora et Labor (Pray and Work.)
May 2022
I am a very new participant in the monastic community of St. Brigid of Kildare. I made initial oblation in February of this year after a time in the community as a postulant.
As someone who has been pastoring local churches for most of my life, I have a lifelong interest in worship. I lead public worship often several times a week. But the part of my worship life that has always been a struggle is the consistency of my own personal worship and prayer life.
For many years I have used one form or another of the Daily Office. The Daily Office is a series of prayers said at different times during the day, having its origins in monastic communities who spend much of their day in prayer. But for me, praying as a solitary individual, something was always lacking for me in praying alone.
Over the years I also have attended a number of retreats that were held in the retreat centers of monastic communities. In these times I found opportunities to connect with the prayer life of the monks. On one such retreat I was to gather with some colleagues at the guest house at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. I arrived early for some personal reflection. Suddenly the weather changed, and Atchison had an ice storm. My friends could not get to the retreat and, because of the weather, I couldn’t leave either. So, I was invited to join the monks for meals and prayer over the next four days. I found the experience powerful, meaningful, and enlightening!
I found the thoughtful unhurried commitment to prayer by the monks to be spiritually uplifting. Their prayers were never rushed. They seemed to be fully present with God in their prayers. Prayer was not just an afterthought; it was the work of their lives!
After several such experiences, I began to consider the idea of becoming an oblate with a Benedictine monastery. But as a United Methodist pastor who, as part of my ministry, may move to another appointment in any year, I was not sure which monastery I could affiliate. It was at this time I ran across the website of St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery, a dispersed monastic community with roots in the United Methodist Church.
This geographically scattered but spiritually connected group of Christians seeking a more disciplined spiritual life feels exactly like what I have been searching for!
As Christians all of us must find ways to balance our work, personal life, service to God and our devotional life. As a novice in this community, I feel that St. Brigid of Kildare Monastery is helping me do that.
A Few of Our Community Members' Websites and Ministries