At prayer house, meet up with vegetables

According to directors Sister Lillian Needham, SSJ, and Sister Mary Ellen Curtin, CSJ, a Thanksgiving meal at the retreat center would more likely feature a large squash hollowed out and filled with apples, raisins and nuts.

"Sweet potatoes would be nice, too," Sister Lillian added.

Pass the vegetables

Founder Sister Sylvia Rosell, OP, was "very much in touch with the earth," said Sister Lillian. "She did not believe you need meat."

The two current directors agree. "There are grave abuses in meat production -- the raising of cattle, pigs, chickens," said Sister Mary Ellen. "Eating vegetarian is to eat at the lowest level of the food chain; because when we get into the cost of grain to feed cattle, it's astronomical."

Recipes for success

"It takes creativity to create a meal without the focus being on a meat product," explained Sister Lillian. "It's amazing how many things you can do without meat. I'm a very plain cook; I love when we do steamed vegetables."

Typical meals at Still Point start with a green salad topped by bean sprouts or chick peas. An entree might be Sister Mary Ellen's spicy baked beans with carrots and peppers; pasta with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes; Spanish rice and baked potatoes; or pumpkins, which are filled with rice and baked.

Soup is a popular dish, from cabbage to lentil, pea, or vegetable. "We make wonderful soups," said Sister Mary Ellen.

Part of retreat

"None of our guests complain about Still Point," the directors boasted. "That's the truth! People are surprisingly happy to be so well-fed."

That claim was proven by guest Susan Jorgensen of Connecticut, who begged for Sister Mary Ellen's baked bean and acorn squash recipes, and raved about a recent meal of brown rice over vegetables.

"The food is incredible, exquisite, wonderful," the retreatant told The Evangelist. "I'm not a vegetarian and probably never will be, but I think about it. It's the way I want to eat someday."

Lasting effect

Another guest came on a Still Point retreat and realized that she not only felt better eating vegetarian; she was also beginning to lose the weight that she had always hoped to shed.

"She's still eating vegetarian!" Sister Lillian added.

Seasonal cycles

"I like the cycle of planting, eating and serving to people," said Sister Lillian. Although the director was not a vegetarian before coming to Still Point, she now swears that "I could never go back to meats and hamburgers. My system feels like it's been cleansed."

Winter makes a vegetarian diet a little more difficult. Lately, the retreat house has planned meals according to what vegetables are in the freezer rather than the garden. Stews, soups and ratatouilles are served more often in the winter.

Still, said both directors, even the frozen vegetables from their garden beat supermarket brands. "The difference between our broccoli and the broccoli you buy at the store is amazing," they stated. "The Brussels sprouts from our garden are incredible!"

Fed from garden

"We don't think about it," said Sister Mary Ellen. "It's just the way of life that we believe in -- that the garden will feed us and nourish us."

(Still Point House of Prayer in Stillwater offers year-round hermitages and retreats. Call 587-4967.)

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