“Beguine” is pronounced as in Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine”. But there the resemblance ends. We are a small, ecumenical religious community who call ourselves The American Beguines.
Who We Are
We are a small, inter-denominational religious community of lay women who take as our source of inspiration the Beguines of thirteenth century northern Europe. We are creating a Beguine model for today. We are a non-canonical religious community which means we are not affiliated with, sponsored or supported by or fall under the authority of any church.
The Community consists of married, widowed and single women who follow various religious traditions and faiths. Some of us live together in what we call a modern day “beguinage” (beg-i-nawshz). Others live separately. Most of us are members of the Association of Contemplative Sisters.
The “Beguines”, in our incarnation of them at least, aren’t something you join; it’s something you do. Hence, our motto: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). To this end, we each develop our own ministries, attend individually or jointly to the work which comes out of those, and get together either online or as a group when the need arises.
Some of the outreach activities of the American Beguines:
- Regular weekly lunchtime Taize services for women working in a downtown neighborhood. Click the “Taize” link on the sidebar menu to find links for information about Taize as well as notes on how we hosted and structured the lunchtime Taize services. American Beguines assist as musicians for established Taize services, help introduce Taize to local churches, and compose new songs in the style of Taize music.
- Providing food and transportation to cancer patients.
- Teaching English to Spanish-speaking health care workers.
- Computer support for churches and small businesses in the Bay Area.
New and expanding ministries:
Some American Beguines are developing and expanding several online ministries including “Memo to Martha” and the S.W.A.T. (Spirituality While Alive Taskforce) team led by the inimitable “Sistertech”. And soon we’ll be relaunching the online ministry “Pray the News” started by Carmelite Sisters of Indianapolis. We’re calling this new incarnation “Praying the News”.
Links to Memo to Martha, Sistertech, and Praying the News are located on the sidebar. On each site, you’ll find the mission statement for each of these ministries, how to receive updates about the launch dates, and ways to collaborate with us. Facebook groups will be formed as well so stay tuned.