yankton benedictines · on march 16 and spent three days in prayer, discussion, and discernment...

One of the most important and sacred actions taken by a monastic community is to elect its leader. In the case of Benedictine women that person is the prioress. She is both the spiritual and corporate leader of the community and is seen as taking the place of Christ in the monastery as she serves and guides the community. In a Benedictine community all professed sisters are eligible to participate in the election process.

The Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery gathered on March 16 and spent three days in prayer, discussion, and discernment culminating in the election of S. Maribeth Wenzlaff OSB as the 14th prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery. S. Joella Kidwell OSB, President of the Federation of St. Gertrude, presided at the election. S. Kerry O’Reilly OSB, St. Joseph, MN and S. Kathy McNany OSB, Baltimore, MD were facilitators for the discernment process. (See picture above)

S. Maribeth Wentzlaff will be installed as prioress on June 3 and will serve a 6-year term. She succeeds Sister Penny Bingham OSB who is completing her term in office. One of the responsibilities of the new prioress will be to lead the community in achieving its direction statements of viability, vitality, and sustainability affirmed earlier in the year.

Volume XLIX, No. 1 Spring 2017

Since November 29, 2014, religious men and women worldwide have responded to Pope Francis’ letter to re-examine their life as religious and to reflect on the origins of their communities and the teachings of their respective founders and foundresses. In his message, Pope Francis stated three aims for the Year of Consecrated Life: to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope.

The Benedictines of Sacred Heart Monastery are grateful for the legacy of St. Benedict, who in 480 wrote his rule for monastic living. In the Rule, Benedict gives ample reference to Sacred Scripture to guide monastics in pursuing the teachings of Jesus in their daily lives. Benedict’s Rule first spread throughout Europe, and then was taken by missionary monks and sisters to the rest of the world. It was, as Pope Francis said in the Apostolic Letter to All Consecrated People, “like a seed which becomes a tree, each institute grew and stretched out its branches.”

In 1874, five sisters from Maria Rickenbach, Switzerland, came to Maryville, Missouri. Out of this mission grew the beginning of Sacred Heart Monastery in 1880. Bishop Martin Marty OSB, the Vicar Apostolic of Dakota Territory, soon visited the young community and asked the Sisters to assist him in ministering to the Native American people at Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Reservation in present day North and South Dakota. After moving their headquarters to Zell, Yankton, and Vermillion, they permanently settled on a hill west of the city of Yankton in Dakota territory. Despite their extreme poverty and language barriers, the sisters responded diligently to the ministry of spreading the gospel.

Years later, when Mother Jerome Schmitt became the fifth prioress in 1932, the community numbered over 200 Sisters. During her tenure

Mount Marty College was founded and the present Bishop Marty Chapel was built. The dedicated services of the sisters, living and dead, who served in the fields of education, health care, domestic or clerical work have benefited thousands of children and adults in the U.S. and South America.

Pope Francis states, “to tell our story is to praise and thank God.” In that spirit of gratitude, the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery celebrated their heritage and history with an Open House last March 15, where individuals and families were invited to visit our monastic home and learn about the Yankton Benedictines and their history. Tours were conducted through Marty House (the original residence of the first Bishop of the Dakotas, Martin Marty), the Sisters’ dining room, chapel (see photo in banner above) and gathering space. The tours culminated in the Chapter Room where Sisters and guests (continued on page 2) (continued from page 1) could spend time visiting over refreshments.

In living the present with passion, the sisters continue to share the fruits of their prayer and community life in loving service to others. In

Sacred Heart Monastery Celebrates Year of Consecrated Life

CHARISM We are Bene-dictine women of Yankton, South Dakota, sharing our gift of seek-ing God through our prayer, work, study and com-munity life. MISSION Rooted in our rural heritage and growing in relationship with God and one an-other in monastic community, we live a life of pray-er, work and lec-tio by which we serve God and God’s people in our time and place. CORE VALUES Christians fol-low Christ by bringing to life the values of the Gospel. We have gathered clusters of these values into these three: Awareness of God Community Hospitality

This choir window in Bishop Marty Chapel memorializes the early Sisters ministry to the Native Americans.

YANKTON BENEDICTINES

Volume XLVI, No. 3 Winter 2015

Biographical Sketch of S. Maribeth Wentzlaff, OSB

S. Maribeth Wentzlaff Elected As Fourteenth Prioress

“ Goodness of life and wisdom in teaching must be the criteria for choosing the one to be made prioress...”RB 64.2

S. Maribeth Wentzlaff OSB, daughter of the late Robert and Marivonne Wentzlaff, was born in Huron, SD and grew up in Miller, SD. She graduated from Mount Marty College in 1988 and received her Master’s in Pastoral Ministry at St. Mary University in Winona, MN in 2001. S. Maribeth made first profession at Sacred Heart Monastery on January 16, 1990. She made final profession on July 31, 1993. She was a teacher and campus minister at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls from 1990-1996

and has worked at Mount Marty College from 1996 to present. She is currently the Director of Campus Ministry and Mission Director at Mount Marty College.

Of her election, S. Maribeth says, “The election process is a very sacred time for a monastic community. It is truly a blessing to be called forth by my sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery and the Holy Spirit, to serve my community in this ministry. I am humbled by the affirmation of my sisters, and with their love and support, I feel empowered to journey with them into an exciting and joy-filled future.”

From left to right: S. Kathy McNany OSB, facilitator, S. Joella Kidwell OSB, President of the Federation of St. Gertrude, S. Maribeth Wentzlaff OSB, Prioress-Elect, S. Kerry O’Reilly OSB, facilitator.

April

May

June

2 – Adoration – 1:30-2:30 p.m.7 – 9 Spring Oblate Retreat9 – Palm Sunday/ Final Oblation of Oblates with

Midday Prayer/Reception 13-16 – Paschal Triduum24-27 – Spiritual Direction Residency

5 – 5th Grade Pen Pal Picnic7 – Adoration – 1:30-2:30 p.m.Vocation Discernment Retreat (date pending)29 – Memorial Day: 8:30 a.m. prayer, 5:15 p.m. prayer

1-2 – Chapter Meetings3 – Installation of Prioress4 – Solemnity of Pentecost; Adoration – 1:30-2:30 p.m.4 – 10 Directed Retreat — S. Emily Meisl22-29 – Federation Chapter Meeting23 –Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

2 – Adoration – 1:30-2:30 p.m.4 – Independence Day 11 – Solemnity of St. Benedict16-22 – Conference Retreat: Jerome Kodell OSB27 –Solemnity of the Dedication of Bishop Marty Chapel

2

Prioress 2011—2017

Reflections from the Prioress — S. Penny Bingham OSB Dear Friends, We continue to celebrate this Year of Consecrated Life, as noted in our lead story, looking to the past with gratitude, living the present with passion, and embracing the future with hope, as encouraged by Pope Francis. We also join in celebrating with our Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese as it ends a year of remembering its 125th anniversary. Many of our Sisters were able to be part of the final Legacy event in Sioux Falls in August, as we remembered and celebrated the legacy of faith that we share and which has been shaped by our Benedictine community. Remembering is such an important part of our lives, especially of our lives as Catholic Christians. Like the people of the Old Testament, we are encouraged to remember God’s deeds and actions; Scripture helps us recall God’s saving deeds

among the Hebrew people and in the early Church; our sacraments help us remember and experience, tangibly, God’s presence at work in our lives today. All of creation reminds us that our loving God accompanies us and attends to our every need. As you browse through this issue, as you live each day of late summer into autumn, may you remember what our God has promised: “I have loved you with an ever-lasting love. I am with you always.” Know too that we Sisters remember you in our prayer; thank you for remembering us in yours.

S. Penny

(continued from page 1) could spend time visiting over refreshments.

In living the present with passion, the sisters continue to share the fruits of their prayer and community life in loving service to others. In addition to professional ministries, many volunteer works are gratefully done by the Sisters. This may be tutoring students who live with a disability, helping to prepare meals for the annual Thanksgiving dinner served in the city of Yankton, or simply extending hospitality to people of all races and cultures by offering a listening heart. This fall the Sisters are planning to emphasize their service to the local community in Yankton by undertaking special projects to benefit the Yankton Homeless Shelter, the River City Domestic Violence Center, and assisting the residents at the Yankton Care as they move to their new rooms at Majestic Bluff.

Trust in the Lord is vital to embracing the future with hope. Basing that hope in God, the Sisters continue their faithfulness to prayer and will be inviting YOU to join us at a Mass in February 2016 to celebrate the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life. More information will be forthcoming in the Winter issue.

Life in today’s world presents challenges, not only to lay people living in the mainstream of society, but also to religious women, who must adapt their monastic lives to meet current needs. Pope Francis calls us “to practice the virtue of hope, the fruit of our faith in the Lord of History who continues to tell us, ‘Be not afraid…for I am with you.’ (Jer.1:8).”

Silent Personal Retreats You are always welcome to come for

personal retreats and spiritual direction! Contact us to arrange a time to fit your schedule.

Wednesday Scripture Study Groups

Starting September 23, 2015

The Gospel of Luke 10:00 – 11:45 a.m.

The Way of Peace and Justice 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Visio Divina—Praying with your Eyes

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Advent Retreat Saturday, December 5, 2015

Spiritual Enrichment Opportunities at the BENEDICTINE PEACE CENTER

Information on costs and registration at www.yanktonbenedictines.org/center

Or contact us at 605-668-6292 E-mail [email protected]

Dear Friends,

With this issue’s sharing the good news of the election of S. Maribeth Wentzlaff, our next Prioress, I reflect here on my own experience as Prioress these last six years. These years have surely been proof of “grace of office.” God’s grace has always been available to me, especially at times when I was most aware of my personal inadequacies or of my lack of knowledge or experience. I have learned anew that God’s gracious presence abounds, appearing in diverse ways – through another’s comment or question, a Scripture quote, help offered, a letter or an e-mail, a hymn at prayer, or an insight from nature – providing whatever was needed for that moment -- the perception, perspective, word, action, or stillness.

Hand in hand with “grace of office” is the “grace of community.” For, as we know, God’s grace is an “equal opportunity employer,” readily available to every community member. The Rule of Benedict in chapter 71 speaks of the members’ mutual obedience to one another, “since we know that it is by this way of obedience that we go to God.” In chapter 72 Benedict encourages their good zeal,

noting, “Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may He bring us all together to everlasting life.” As we seek God together in this community, we participate in a dance, in a mutually engaging and beneficial relationship of Prioress and community. With God’s grace we each serve God’s will as we serve the needs of one another. One cannot serve as Prioress without a community, and a community cannot easily serve God’s will without a Prioress; it is a mutual relationship, depending always on God’s grace.

As friends of our monastery, thank you for your support of S. Maribeth as she takes office on June 3 and for your continued interest in Sacred Heart Monastery. We so appreciate and rely on your prayer and friendship. I am deeply grateful for your prayerful support of me these last six years; please pray for me in the days ahead, as I will for you. And may God bring us all together to everlasting life.

Spring 2017 Schedule

Contact us to schedule your silent personal retreat And/Or Meet with a trained spiritual director.

Final Reflection from Prioress — S. Penny Bingham OSB

July

Find more information atwww.yanktonbenedictines.org/Center

[email protected]

Triduum RetreatApril 13-16, 2017

Contemplative Prayer3rd Saturday of each month

Renew Your Spirit at theBenedictine Peace Center

Your Sister in Christ, Sister Penny

S. Patricia Ann Toscano held a cross-stitch class on Saturday, Jan.7. Each student made a bookmark that says, “I love to read,” using a heart for the word ‘love’. Three elementary students attended, one from Crofton

and two from Yankton, and three adults also participated. S. Patricia Ann plans on having another cross-stitch class sometime in early summer. The project for this class will be a cross-stitch Christmas card. Beginners from fifth grade up are encouraged to join this class, as well as mothers and daughters, and grandmothers and granddaughters.

Sacred Heart Monastery hosted the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 p.m., in the Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel. The brass quintet played a wide variety of music from classical to jazz, from Bach to Ellington. The quintet is comprised of five fine art musicians: Robert Gibson, trumpet; Scott Olson, MMC Faulty, second trumpet; Michael Andersen, tuba; Michael Digitano, horn; and Joel Kilgore, trombone player.

About thirty men and women participated in the Lenten Retreat, A Season for Transformation on March 4. Jerry Mennenga, a participant and professional photographer, snapped some photos for the Catholic News Service.

NEWS NOTESNEWS NOTESSs. Jeanne Weber and Patricia Ann Toscano spent the weekend of Mar. 11-12 in Lisle, Illinois for a meeting of the planning team for the 2018 CIB (Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum) symposium in Rome. The team includes Benedictines from Erie and Rock Island, as well as two from the Philippines—led by Sr. Judith Heble of Lisle.

S. Jeanne Ranek taught on “Discernment” in the Journey to Emmaus spiritual direction ministry formation program at Annunciation Monastery in Bismarck March 10—12.

S. Clarice Korger was in Schuyler, NE on March 29 and 30 for the Archdiocese of Omaha Vocation Awareness Days with 6th graders. Sister Clarice kept other sisters and herself busy at the end of March and the first part of April. She arranged for presentations/talks at a number of places: Vocations Jamboree at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND – March 24—25; Vocation Awareness Days with 6th graders in Schuyler, NE – Mar. 29—30; presentation to three high school religion classes at O’Gorman in Sioux Falls, SD – Apr. 3rd; presentation to the National Religious Vocation Council’s Heartland Member Area meeting on meshing vocation work and campus ministry at the Benedictine Mission House in Schuyler, NE – Apr. 4; Junior and Senior girls religious ed class in Elk Point, SD – Apr. 5; and LAMB Catholic radio in Sioux Falls, SD – Apr. 20. She is also working on some visits to a few Newman groups at area colleges.

S. Jennifer Kehrwald attended the Midwest Archives Conference in Omaha, NE on Apr. 5-8.

Sacred Heart Monastery will be participating in LAMB Catholic Radio’s 2017 Easter Share-a-thon on Apr. 20 from 11-12 a.m. Please consider donating to the Lamb Catholic Radio on our behalf Apr. 19-21 for a chance for Sacred Heart Monastery to receive air time with them. Visit online at www.lambradio.com or call (605) 275-4659.

In our Prayers... remembering our loved ones

Sister: Ann Fasbender

Family of the Sisters:Leo Dangel, brother of S. Anna DangelSharon Korger, sister-in-law of S. Clarice KorgerMarivonne Wentzlaff, mother of S. Maribeth WenzlaffNathan Pieper, nephew of S. Virginia Pieper

S. Patricia Ann Toscano assisting a young lady with her cross-stitch bookmark.

SISTER JOELLE BAUER grew up on a family farm near Harrold, SD, and is second oldest of eight children of the late August and Vivian Bauer. She received the sacraments at St. John’s Catholic Church in Harrold. Community life, respect for all creation, and care for others both at home and in a small town community led her to monastic life at Sacred Heart Monastery. These same values are woven throughout the Rule of St. Benedict. Her first profession was June 29, 1967. After professing final vows at Sacred Heart Monastery June 30, 1973, she had the privilege of serving underprivileged children and teenagers for three summers in Memphis, TN. In the fall of 1972, she co-founded Hope Preschool for disabled preschoolers. Following these years, she was the director of Mount Marty College Bookstore. “When I entered community, the doors of renewal with Vatican II were just beginning to open. The Catholic Church and religious life changed in many good ways. I am grateful for the opportunity to have lived during the changes that energized our community as it evolved with

Vatican II during my early years of religious life.” S. Joelle then had the opportunity of ministering to the physical and material needs of her Benedictine Sisters and

serving her community as Procurator. St. Benedict tells the Procurator, “They must show care and concern for the sick, young, guests and the poor” and “to regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar.” (Rule of Benedict 31) In attempting to adhere to these directives, she was also active in several social agencies within the city of Yankton. Some of these included the Contact Center which was responsible for the Women’s Shelter at the time and the establishment of the Visitation Center for children and parents. She served on the boards of the Banquet and Homeless Shelter as they became realities and is currently a board member of Pathways: Shelter for the Homeless. S. Joelle was also the director of the Sacred Heart Monastery Oblates for ten years. Presently S. Joelle is the monastery hospitality coordinator and assists with a variety of other needs within the monastery. She is also on the monastery Social Justice Committee, currently focusing on ending human trafficking and the death penalty. With Jubilee joy she says, “As a Benedictine celebrating fifty years of monastic life, I am continually invited to deepen my relationships within the web of life, seeking God in everyone and everything, every day of my life and treasuring what has been.”

SISTER SHARON ANN HAAS is the daughter of the late Heinie and Margie Haas of Epiphany, SD, the second of six children. She attended St. Mary’s Grade School in Epiphany and St. Agatha’s High School in Howard, SD. After attending St. Joseph’s School of Practical Nursing in Mitchell she worked for one year at the hospital before entering Sacred Heart Monastery.

S. Sharon Ann states, “I had Benedictine Sisters in grade school as teachers and felt a closeness to them. They were friendly and always seemed to be happy. After I completed high school, practical nurses training, and worked a year; I still felt an attraction to the Sisters and their way of life. I believe my grandmother also had an influence on my vocation, as she prayed daily for me.” S. Sharon Ann entered Sacred Heart Monastery in 1965 and professed final vows in 1975.

S. Sharon Ann furthered her education in healthcare and graduated from Mount Marty College in 1970. She served as infirmarian and clinic nurse for Sacred Heart Monastery from 1970-74, staff nurse and director of nursing at St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City, CO from 1974-90 and home health and hospice nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital from 1993-94. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Nursing at Mount Marty College, having begun in 1994 and director of Initial Formation at Sacred Heart Monastery since 2012.

“Most of my ministry has been in healthcare. I’ve always felt it’s a privilege to care for the sick. In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict states: ‘Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ.’ As a nursing educator, I’ve tried to share the importance of this special ministry with my students. As Initial Formation Director, I journey with women who are discerning a vocation to our monastic community. It’s a humbling experience to guide them and share this monastic journey with them.”

Of her jubilee S. Sharon Ann shares, “I believe that God had a gentle, yet persistent way of calling me to religious life. I continue to be amazed at how God works in my life. I’m grateful for my family and these 50 plus years that I’ve lived this Benedictine way of life.”

“Everlasting is God’s Love” is the Theme Chosen . . .

. . . by 2017 Golden Jubilarians

SISTER ROSEMARIE MALY grew up on a farm near Constance, NE, the eighth of 12 children born to the late Hillard and Hilda Maly. As a student in Constance, NE and Yankton, SD she says, “I would say the most significant and foundational influence in helping me know my vocation was the strong and lived faith of my parents. Having Yankton Benedictines as teachers in elementary school was influential in helping me realize the call to live my vocation in the Benedictine way of life.” She entered the monastery in August of 1965 and made her monastic profession on June 29, 1967. Sister Rosemarie states, “I have been blessed many times over in these 50 years by the countless people whose lives have touched mine – in my Benedictine community and in my various ministry experiences. She ministered to families in parish ministry and with youth and young adults in the church for a majority of those years, which included ministry to the people of God in St. Therese Parish in Sioux Falls, SD; Blessed Sacrament in Grand Island, NE; St. Leo’s in Gordon, NE; and St. Elizabeth’s in Merriman,

NE. She served as Vocation Director for the monastery and for the last 24 years in campus ministry at the Newman Center at USD, Vermillion, SD, and at the Newman Center at UNK, Kearney, NE.

Of her Jubilee she says, “I am so very grateful for the abundant blessings that have been mine in these 50 years through the people who are part of my life in our Benedictine community, my family, and the people I’ve been honored and privileged to minister with and to. In our Benedictine community I have found support for personal and spiritual growth, encouragement to live the call to balance, and daily conversion in times of joy and challenge. I am grateful for the daily reminders to ‘seek God in everyone and everything everyday of my life.’ Jubilee for me is the celebration of God’s faithful love and presence in my life! It is with great joy and deep gratitude to God, family, community, and all with whom I have ministered that I celebrate this jubilee year!”

One of the organizations that offers great support to a prioress in this country, and in turn to her community, is the American Conference of B e n e d i c t i n e Prioresses, which meets annually in

late January or February. This year forty-eight prioresses and federation presidents from the US, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Canada gathered at a retreat center in Tucson, AZ, to pray, reflect, share information, and support one another. One important consideration of those gathered was approval of a statement on racism, in response to this on-going social sin and its effects.It is from the Benedictine practice of hospitality and respect for every person that the prioresses wrote this statement and now share it with others, to encourage awareness and to promote personal conversion and systemic change. Please read and ponder this important statement on Sacred Heart Monastery’s website under the “Who We Are” tab on the “Peace & Justice Education” page. There you will also find statements written by the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses in the last few years on immigration, gun violence, and human trafficking. While acknowledging differing views on contemporary social concerns, Yankton Benedictines share these statements with our readers to promote reflection, prayer, and dialogue about issues affecting all people in the United States and beyond our borders. In these days of great division and much uncivil discourse, let us pray for peace and work for understanding, as we engage in the social concerns of our time.

Two social issues to which we Yankton Benedictines have committed our focus are ending human trafficking and the death penalty. We have used community night presentations to learn more about these concerns, we include them regularly in our community prayer, and we collaborate with other groups to address these concerns. As Pope Francis reminds us, our world is always in need of mercy; let us strive to be merciful like the Father as we address the important needs of our day.

Benedictine Women Discuss Social Issues

S. Arthur’s Reflections on Community Rule of Benedict, Chapter 4: 77-78 The Instruments of Good Works

In the words of Sister Arthur Schramm, “The Yankton Benedictine Sisters have been an integral part of my life since my birth. Five women from my parish were in the monastery. The religious women cared for me during two of three health crises three years for a three-month hospitalization as a child - and supported my parents through numerous health crises. Yankton Benedictines taught us each summer in bible school. They were my instructors at Mount Marty High

School and later for my college nursing and anesthesia education. They were my mentors and support in the many missionary activities and now in my daily life among them. They are responsible for the many awards I have received.”

S. Arthur wanted to do missionary work bringing Christ to others, and through educational opportunities this has come to fruition nationally and internationally. She fulfilled her mission in life as a religious who cared for the sick and provided education to improve health care in the Yankton area, Mount Marty College, and Sacred Heart Hospital and throughout the US, Jamaica, West Indies, Guyana, South America, and Puerto Rico. She has been honored by her profession of nurse anesthetist by the granting of three awards: Helen Lamb for excellence in education, Agatha Hodgins for overall professional activities, and Living Legend for the 50 years of contributions. She holds emeritus membership in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and has seen over a 100% increase in anesthesia patient safety. She states that her goals could not have been accomplished without her community support and help of her colleagues.

“God has been with me through hardships. Various challenges have been before me, but God and my religious community have helped me fulfill them. With many religious sisters I could always find one who listened to my hopes and fears and encouraged me. This community allowed and encouraged me to take necessary risks to succeed. It has provided me with many opportunities.”

Having retired in 2005, she presently works at the monastery switchboard and continues research in the field of anesthesiology.

College Prayer PartnersBy Sister Clarice Korger, Vocation Director

In your wildest imaginings, could you ever see a bunch of college students giving up a free evening to join a group of nuns in prayer? On the evening of Monday, March 20th, that’s exactly what happened at Sacred Heart Monastery. Following prayer, the students and Sisters moved from the chapel to the chapter room for root beer floats.

It has been a long standing tradition at the monastery to have the Sisters be prayer partners with students at Mount Marty College, (the school the Sisters sponsor). The students are free to sign up for the program if they wish. They are matched with a sister who will be praying for them during the school year. The first meeting of the prayer partners is at Vespers (evening prayer) towards the beginning of the school year. How the prayer partners interact after that is up to them. Some Sisters occasionally invite the students for supper. Some Sisters will send notes to their prayer partner on special occasions. Others email back and forth. Some of these relationships have lasted well past the student’s graduation. Some have even developed into religious vocations. The students feel comfortable enough that they seek input from the Sisters when they are discerning where God is calling them. So imagine wildly, all things are possible with God.

Vocation Spotlight

Sisters Illustrated: An Adventure of a Lifetime!

And what the eye has not seen nor the ear heard, what things God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Cor 2:9)

“The workshop in which we perform all these works with diligence is the enclosure of the Monastery and stability in community.”

Rule of Benedict, Chapter 36“Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly

be served as Christ.”

Sisters Pictured left to right: Ss. Rosmarie Maly and Debra Kolecka

S. Ann Fasbender OSB, 86, died on Thursday, December 15, 2016. A wake service was held at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 18, and the funeral Mass was celebrated on Monday, December 19, at 10:30 a.m., both in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel. Burial was in the monastery cemetery.

Gertrude Ann was born November 6, 1930 at Hendricks, Minnesota to Ben and Florence (Davis) Fasbender. She was the third of five children. She attended country school near their farm at White, South Dakota for eight years, and attended Good Counsel Academy, Mankato, Minnesota and Mount Marty High School, Yankton, South Dakota. In 1966, she graduated from Mount Marty College, Yankton, South Dakota and earned a Masters from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota in 1969. In 1973, she studied in the Religious Education Graduate Program at Mundelein College in Chicago, Illinois. Ann entered Sacred Heart Monastery August 1948 and became a novice June 23, 1949. She made first vows on June 24, 1950 and on June 29, 1953 she made her final profession to monastic life.

S. Ann began her elementary education ministry at Sacred Heart School, Yankton, South Dakota in 1950. She also taught at Ipswich, Aberdeen, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While in Vermillion, South Dakota, she was the principal as well as a teacher. In 1974, she became the supervisor of the Mount Marty College Day Care Center, and she continued this work until May 1995. Her next eight years were spent in ministry to the Native Americans in Yankton, South Dakota, and in 2002 and subsequent years, she was a pastoral minister in Trenton, North Dakota and McLaughlin, South Dakota. S. Ann met life with her dry sense of humor and she appreciated the simple things of life. She found God’s beauty in the children she taught and cared for, and enjoyed sharing the wisdom that comes naturally from the mouths of pre-school children. She enjoyed traveling and camping under the stars with her sisters and baking bread when time permitted. S. Ann is survived by her Benedictine community, her sister Veronica Reilly, her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her sisters, S. Bennett, OSB and S. Veronica, OSB; and her brother James.

S. Jennifer Begins New Ministry as ArchivistS. Jennifer Kehrwald has recently been appointed as Sacred Heart Monastery’s

archivist. She succeeds S. Julie Peak who has been the archivist since 2006. Some may not be acquainted with archivists and their work in monastic communities. A visit with S. Jennifer Kehrwald helps to clarify its importance for our community.

What exactly does an archivist do?An archivist stewards the historical documents of the community and holds them

in trust for the future. An archivist is a gatekeeper between the past and the future of an organization. Archives are places of memory and storehouses of culture. The archivist selects records according to content and context, arranges and describes the records, ensures long-term preservation, and assists researchers in accessing records.

What are the daily tasks?The daily tasks can be described by the term “records management.” They involve review of materials received in the archives,

determining where and how the materials should be stored; describing, labeling, and cataloging the materials; and entering the access information in the computer.What is the value of archiving and keeping track of records?

It is important to keep any documents that tell the story of the community. Documents can include the autobiographies of all Sisters, letters, minutes, reports, correspondence, blueprints, photos and negatives, slides, DVDs, CDs, books and memorabilia commemorating significant events in the history of the community.Is digitalization a part of the archival work?

SHM archives is digitalized in a very small way currently. The issue is being explored by all the archivist professional organizations. Even though information may be available digitally, the archivist will never let go of the original document. SHM archivists have been active in professional organizations like the Archivists for Congregation of Women Religious, American Benedictine Academy, and the Midwest Conference and have attended meetings in the past. They will continue to be participants in these meetings. Presently, SHM houses the archives for our Federation of St. Gertrude, managed by S. Aidan Bourke.

Do you have any other Sisters assisting you in this role?S. Jennifer is being initiated in the role of the archivist by S. Julie Peak, and they will continue to work together. S.

Michaeleen Muhovich is currently assisting as a volunteer, and other sisters have worked as volunteers in the past.

Into Eternal Peace

Advisors, Writers, Photographers: Ss. Barbara Kowalkowski, Clarice Korger, Francine Streff, Marita Kolbeck, Mary Jo Polak, Mary Kay Panowicz, Penny Bingham and Virginia Pieper.

YANKTON BENEDICTINES Sacred Heart Monastery 1005 West 8th Street Yankton, SD 57078 http://www.yanktonbenedictines.org

Change Service Requested

This publication is circulated free of charge three times a year to families, friends and benefactors of the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, SD

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID POS

MORNING PRAYER Monday—Friday @ 6:30 a.m.

Saturday & Sunday @ 8:30 a.m. EVENING PRAYER

Monday—Friday @ 5:15 p.m. Sunday @ 5:00 p.m.

EUCHARIST Monday—Friday @ 6:55 a.m.

Sunday @10:00 a.m. Eucharistic Adoration, 2-4 p.m.

First Sunday of each month.

Social Media

Editor: Raelynn Coldwell [email protected]

If you hear his voice today, do not harden your hearts

(Ps 94 [95]:8)

8

Your Invited! @shmvocation@benedictineretreats@shmgiftshop

BE E NSearching?

Consider ourRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

We have an opportunity for single women to enhance their lives by sharing in the life,

prayer and ministries of our Monastery.

Prayer Community ServiceOne Heart, One Soul

SACRED HEART MONASTERYYankton, South Dakota

@YBshm

@shmvolunteer& shmvocation

@photos/yankton_benedictines/

@Yankton Benedictines

Visit us: http://yanktonbenedictines.org Volunteer Director Sr. Bonita @[email protected]

QR Code

Share your talents in a new way ... in a new setting!

communitybalance

Eucharist

Iden

tity

Experience

NEW

BE E NSearching?






@YBshm





QR Code


communitybalance

Eucharist

Iden

tity

Experience

NEW

BE E NSearching?






@YBshm





QR Code


communitybalance

Eucharist

Iden

tity

Experience

NEW

BE E NSearching?






@YBshm





QR Code


communitybalance

Eucharist

Iden

tity

Experience

NEW

Blog: http://yanktonbenedictines.org/sacred-heart-monastery-blog/

BE E NSearching?






@YBshm





QR Code


communitybalance

Eucharist

Iden

tity

Experience

NEW

You’re Invited!


@photo/yankton_benedictines/

@YBshm

QR Code

Social Media

MORNING PRAYERMonday-Friday @ 6:30 a.m.

Saturday & Sunday @ 8:30 a.m.EVENING PRAYER

Monday-Friday @ 5:15 p.m.Sunday @ 5:00 p.m.

EUCHARISTMonday-Friday @ 6:55 a.m.

Sunday @ 10:00 a.m.Eucharistic Adoration, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

First Sunday of the month

Advisors, Writers, Photographers: Ss. Clarice Korger, Cynthia Binder, Francine Streff, Jeanne Weber, Marita Kolbeck, Mary Jo Polak, Mary Kay Panowicz, Penny Bingham, and Virgina Pieper

Advisors, Writers, Photographers: Ss. Barbara Kowalkowski, Clarice Korger, Francine Streff, Marita Kolbeck, Mary Jo Polak, Mary Kay Panowicz, Penny Bingham and Virginia Pieper.

YANKTON BENEDICTINES Sacred Heart Monastery 1005 West 8th Street Yankton, SD 57078 http://www.yanktonbenedictines.org

Change Service Requested

This publication is circulated free of charge three times a year to families, friends and benefactors of the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, SD

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID POS

MORNING PRAYER Monday—Friday @ 6:30 a.m.

Saturday & Sunday @ 8:30 a.m. EVENING PRAYER

Monday—Friday @ 5:15 p.m. Sunday @ 5:00 p.m.

EUCHARIST Monday—Friday @ 6:55 a.m.

Sunday @10:00 a.m. Eucharistic Adoration, 2-4 p.m.

First Sunday of each month.

Social Media

Editor: Raelynn Coldwell [email protected]

If you hear his voice today, do not harden your hearts

(Ps 94 [95]:8)

8

Your Invited!

@SHMBenedictines

@yanktonbenedictines

A Blessed Easter to all of our readers!