“I am in this role as a servant leader, which has grace
in office, so God’s grace makes up for a lot of my own
inadequacies,” she said. “Often, that happens through other
people assisting.”
If there’s a need of any kind in the monastery that she is
unable to do herself, there is somebody else who can, she
said.
“There’s a whole community of women assisting me in many
ways,” Bingham said.
Becoming prioress was something Bingham had never
envisioned for herself.
“I’ve never seen myself as a leader,” she said. “I’m more
comfortable in the background or the sidelines.”
She didn’t let that deter her from being considered a candidate
for the prioress role. Since then, she has found herself
being “stretched” in situations she otherwise wouldn’t have
found herself, which strengthened her confidence and her
appreciation of prayer.
“We build our days around prayer-time,” she said. “I have
come to realize how essential it is for our community and me
as a person.”
Her role as prioress has enabled her to learn about the
community in a way she hasn’t before.
“You get to know the sisters’ needs, like if they’re going
through a joyful or hard time in their lives,” she said. “That’s
a very tender role to have and it’s a very precious part of the
journey to share with other sisters.”
The uncertainty of not knowing what could happen on a daily
basis kept things interesting, as well as challenging, Bingham
added.
“We have a number of sisters in our care center and
infirmary who are wonderfully cared for, but you never know the
day you’ll be invited to sit with a dying sister,” she said.
She also attends public and church events as a representative
of the monastery community. She is also on the Mount Marty
College Board of Trustees.
“The college tries to embody the values we live out,”
Bingham said, adding that other sisters also sit on the board.
“We try to be good role models and influence those values.”
Bingham is also responsible for appointing people to certain
job positions in the monastery, like assistant prioress and
business manager. Any fully-professed sisters can be elected
for these roles.
She will be appointed to a different role in the monastery
community once the new prioress takes over.
“I don’t think I’m going to miss being prioress in the sense
that, I felt good about being able to serve in my community, and
this role, for six years,” she said. “I’ve grown to be very aware
of God’s grace pouring through prayer and other people. I’ve
become more grateful for all the goodness.”
vBy Reilly Biel
Everyone has a story and the
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