I asked one of the sisters,

“What mostly do you do here?”

She replied,

“Mostly…we eat, and we pray.”

​

 

Overcast skies and dark monastery rooms make for poor light conditions. This 1,100-mile road trip aims to clear my head and push myself out of my comfort zone, so I shoot digitally and in color instead of my usual black and white. Because the premises are private, photographing the sisters isn’t possible without obtaining 26 release forms. My movement is limited as many of the rooms and sections of the building are off-limits. The snow picks up, and walking outside requires winter gear, which I’m unprepared for. My options are limited.

 

Time to pause. Silence is observed from 9 pm to 9 am. Embrace this monastic living, this still life. Join the sisters for daily prayer. Share meals three times a day. We eat, and we pray, which is now my mantra. Stop wandering. Stop seeking. Stop projecting. The answers aren’t out there. Break bread in this dining room. At this table. This place. Right here. Now.

 

Monastery of St. Gertrude, Artist in residence, January 2020, Cottonwood, Idaho