Mount Benedict Monastery will join Minnesota monastery

Courtesy photo Mount Benedict Monastery

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The Sisters of Mount Benedict Monastery in Ogden will become members of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in Minnesota and join a community of 296 sisters.

OGDEN — The Sisters of Mount Benedict Monastery in Ogden will become members of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., in a private ceremony Saturday, Nov. 20. The rite of transfer will take place in Minnesota. Six of the eight Ogden Sisters will continue living in Utah to maintain a monastic presence.

“In the past few years, we have heard a concern in regard to the number of our sisters getting smaller,” said Benedictine Sister Danile Knight. “When we became independent and moved into the monastery in 1999, we were 11 sisters.”

Since then Sister Francis Forster, Sister Jeremia Januschka and Sister Judine Suter have died and Sister Virgene Marx transferred to a nursing home at St. Scholastica Convent in Minnesota. In 2009, Sister Marilyn Marks transferred to St. Benedict Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., and is now the director of faith formation at St. Wendelin’s Church, in Luxemburg.

This left six sisters in Utah. After considering all of these events, the Mount Benedict sisters last year asked Sister Joella Kidwell, from the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Ind., to come for a weekend to help with a discernment process. After that, they decided to look at a merger with another Benedictine community.

All of the Sisters from Mount Benedict Monastery entered religious life and received their formation at St. Benedict’s in St. Joseph, said Sr. Danile. “We know many of the sisters there. In May of this year, our leadership here at the monastery met with the leadership of St. Benedict’s and presented our request to be received by them and it was received favorably. In August of this year, I made a presentation to the entire community in Minnesota and they voted to receive us.”

Because of their deep commitment to the people of Utah, the sisters of Mount Benedict have requested to remain in Ogden as a mission of St. Benedict’s with a monastic presence for as long as they can, said Sr. Danile. “So, unlike other mergers where the sisters would transfer to another monastery immediately, we will be staying here. We are deeply indebted to the prioress and her council at St. Benedict’s for their understanding of our position here in Utah, and of our desire to stay here.”

This is the second monastery to merge with Saint Benedict’s in recent months. On Aug. 15, 28 sisters from Saint Bede Monastery in Eau Claire, Wisc., were received as members of the Minnesota community. The reception of the Sisters from Eau Claire has been a great blessing to the community and they anticipate the same with the reception of the Ogden sisters, said Sister Nancy Bauer, prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery. “The sisters in Utah were college and novitiate classmates of a number of the St. Benedict sisters,” said Sr. Nancy. “Sister Luke Hoschette, from Mount Benedict Monastery and Sister Rosemary Hoschette, from St. Benedict’s Monastery are siblings.”

With the reception of the Utah community, St. Benedict’s Monastery will have 296 members. Sr. Nancy does not anticipate another monastery will request to join St. Benedict’s. “Both Saint Bede and Mount Benedict were founded by St. Benedict’s and both have been reflecting on their future viability for some time,” said Sr. Nancy.

In 1944, Benedictine Sisters came from St. Joseph, Minn., to Ogden at the request of city and county officials to build and operate St. Benedict’s Hospital. Over the years, the sisters’ work expanded to include education, parish ministry and retreats. Since 1994, the sisters have continued their work through St. Benedict’s Foundation.