Our Story

Simply paying attention to life is a spiritual discipline. It is sustained by the companion spiritual discipline of listening carefully. . . . Benedictine Wisdom finds its early expression in the Rule of Benedict, a document written in 6th century Italy. The Rule offers ordinary ways of learning how to pay attention and listen and is the source of the living spiritual tradition that informs the lives of Benedictines in North America and beyond.¹

The House of Bread Monastery was founded in 1974 when Bishop Remi DeRoo asked the Benedictine Sisters to return to Vancouver Island. Jean Ann Berning and Augusta Raabe, Benedictines from Mt. Angel, Oregon responded to his request and established a Benedictine presence in the community of Nanaimo. Within the first months, their home became a gathering place for scripture discussions and spiritual journeying.

Thirteen years later, as an extension of the established spiritual traditions of those early years, the Bethlehem Retreat Centre was founded under the leadership of Jill Aigner, also a Benedictine Sister. With the help of individuals and groups of many faiths, and other organizations, the Benedictines purchased the Centre from the Diocese in 2002 so that the Bethlehem Retreat Centre could continue to address the spiritual needs of persons on Vancouver Island.

1 Conference of Benedictine Prioresses (2006). Wisdom from the tradition. Atchison, KS: Mount St. Scholastica.