Creating the first Scroll of the Rule of St. Benedict | Michaela Hedican & Mary Bruno | TEDxStCloud

Quick Overview

Sister Michaela Hedican and Mary Bruno discussed their collaboration in making the 1980 English translation of the Rule of St. Benedict accessible, noting that the Rule's wisdom regarding humility, community, and service leadership remains deeply relevant today despite being written for a monastic context centuries ago.

Key Points: Sister Michaela Hedican and Mary Bruno collaborated to make the 1980 English translation of the Rule of St. Benedict accessible to a wider audience. The Rule, written by St. Benedict in 480 AD, is described as having immense depth, teaching humility, glory, and grace. A key takeaway is that the Rule's principles—such as living in community, forgiveness, and servant leadership—resonate strongly even in modern contexts like business schools and messy print studios. Mary Bruno initially panicked when asked to work on the project because she was unfamiliar with the text, but the collaboration with Sister Catherine Howard and Sister Michaela helped clarify its relevance. The Rule's focus on humility, kindness, working hard, and taking care of each other provides stability and clarity in today's chaotic world. St. Benedict, born in 480 AD, lived during the fall of the Roman Empire, making his focus on stability and community particularly poignant for the modern era.

Context: This segment features a conversation between Sister Michaela Hedican and Mary Bruno at a TEDxStCloud event, focusing on their joint effort to interpret and disseminate the wisdom contained within the Rule of St. Benedict, a foundational text for monastic life written in the 6th century by St. Benedict of Nursia.

Detailed Analysis

The discussion centers on the collaboration between Sister Michaela Hedican, an artist, and Mary Bruno, who initially felt overwhelmed by the task of working with the Rule of St. Benedict. The interviewer prompts them about their experience working together, leading Bruno to explain her initial panic when confronted with the ancient text, comparing it to being asked about Marvel movies. Sister Michaela highlights that the Rule, written by St. Benedict around 480 AD following the fall of the Roman Empire, offers profound lessons on humility, community, serving others, and servant leadership. She emphasizes that these ancient principles remain incredibly applicable today, even in modern, chaotic settings like monasteries or print studios. The Rule provides a 'guidepost' or 'railing' for living well, offering hope and stability, and teaching people how to live together in peace and community. Sister Michaela holds up the red, 1980 English translation of the Rule, emphasizing that its wisdom is timeless, not outdated, because it speaks to fundamental human needs like kindness and working hard.