Benedictine Sisters of Elk County
The Benedictine Sisters of Elk County is the oldest Benedictine women's religious order in the United States and is located in St. Marys, Pennsylvania at St. Joseph's Monastery.
The monastery was founded in 1852, when Sister Benedicta Riepp and two companions arrived from St. Walburga Abbey in Eichstätt, Bavaria. They had come at the invitation of Rev. Boniface Wimmer, who had determined a need in the small town heavily populated with Bavarian Roman Catholic immigrants for religious presence and support, as well as an opportunity for the sisters to teach the children of these immigrants.[1]
From these beginnings, and as the community grew, so too did the mission and size of the Sisters expand: it branched from being the first women's Benedictine Order in the United States to having over fifty monasteries who can trace their roots back to this historic community.[2]. Indeed, this monastery can be considered the backbone of the Congregation of St. Scholastica, which received its approbation in 1922 (later renamed the Federation of St. Scholastica in 1974). At that time, it consisted of ten houses in seven states; now, it encompasses 22 monasteries in 15 states and Mexico.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "History: Our Roots". The Benedictine Sisters of Elk County. http://www.benedictinesistersofelkcounty.org/history/history.cfm.
- ^ "History: Our Roots". The Benedictine Sisters of Elk County. http://www.benedictinesistersofelkcounty.org/history/history.cfm.
- ^ "History". Mount St. Scholastica. http://www.mountosb.org/federation/histories.html. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
[edit] External links
- Benedictine Sisters of Elk County Site of and by the Sisters.
- Benedictine Sisters of Elk County A secondary site dedicated to and by the Sisters. Recommended for slower connection speeds.
- St. Joseph Monastery Some photos of the buildings and surroundings that make up the monastery.
