Nearly sixty people attended an event in Lisle, Illinois, hosted by the Saint Benedict Education Foundation.

Foundation Board Member Sister Judith Ann Heble, O.S.B., former Prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery, and current Moderator of the international conference of Benedictine women, Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum (CIB), took on much of the planning for the Lisle event. Father Becket Franks, O.S.B., Director of Abbey Advancement as well as Assistant to the Abbot at Saint Procopius Abbey, also played an important role in planning for the affair.
The two Benedictine communities in Lisle, a suburb of Chicago, are “neighbors.” Saint Procopius, a community of Benedictine men, and Sacred Heart, a community of Benedictine women, hosted a wine tasting and dinner social.

Sister Judith Ann arranged for space at Villa Saint Benedict, a continuing care retirement community on the campus of Sacred Heart Monastery, to hold the event, and she and Father Becket arranged the guest list.

The evening started with Vespers, including a flute performance by Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, O.S.B., who traveled from Rome to take part. A social hour and dinner followed. Guests partook in a delicious five course meal that complemented the flavor of the various wines paired with each course. Throughout the meal, the attendees were addressed by four speakers who told the story of Sant’ Anselmo, and the importance of the Education Foundation’s mission in support of that goal. The speakers included Abbot Notker, Sister Judith Ann, Dr. Stephen Butler, chairman of the Foundation Board, and Mr. Paul Whiteside, Saint Benedict Education Foundation Director of Development.

Sister Judith Ann stated that “the five chefs in the kitchen certainly outdid themselves. The Executive Chef at Villa Saint Benedict is anxious to do an event like this again. The wait staff, chosen from student servers at Villa Saint Benedict, were most gracious and attentive to everyone’s needs. This allowed the meal to flow in an orderly and professional manner.
“Folks are still talking about the event,” she added. “We enjoyed hosting the event. When you have a lot of good people in place to carry it off, it isn’t much work at all.”

“The funds raised through ticket sales were almost entirely donated to the Education Foundation and subsequently to Sant’ Anselmo,” Whiteside said. The guests were delighted with the food, wine, prayers, and music,” he noted, adding that “they are looking forward to doing it again.”