The prayer intention for Annunciation Monastery’s monthly Day of Contemplation this month is the Federation of Saint Benedict and its future planning. We remember all the members of the Federation and ask the Lord to bless us as we discern what the future holds for each of our communities and the Federation. I
Author: snkunze
Prioresses gathered in Tucson for annual meeting
The Conference of Benedictine Prioresses are meeting at the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Tucson, AZ. At their business meeting, the conference approved a structural change. A chairperson will oversee the conference and have a four member committee that will work with her. Members elected Sister Jennifer Mechtild Horner of Our Lady of Grace Monastery (Beech Grove, IN) as the chairperson. Committee members will be elected on Saturday, February 4.
Prioresses from the Federation of Saint Benedict in attendance include: Nicole Kunze, Annunciation Monastery; Annie Thompson, St. Martin’s Monastery; Sandra Brunenn, St. Mary Monastery; Michaela Hedican, St. Benedict’s Monastery, MN; Beverly Raway, St. Scholastica Monastery; and Paula Hagen, St. Paul Monastery. Kerry O’Reilly, President of the Federation of Saint Benedict, was also in attendance.
Annunciation Monastery Year of Mercy Project
On November 19, 2016, the sisters of Annunciation Monastery gathered to wrap gifts and pack bags to be sent to two orphanages and a special needs home for teens and adults in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Sisters Hannah Vanorny and Idelle Badt and others from the Benedictine Volunteers program participated in an immersion mission trip this past May. They worked with Sister Ursula, a Benedictine Sister of St. Scholastica Monastery, Boerne, TX, who resides in Eagle Pass, TX. There was quite a buzz of activity in the community room as sisters sorted, wrapped, and packed gifts while others wrote notes in Spanish for the children and adults receiving the gifts. The project concluded the sisters’ ongoing formation study of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. 
Sister Stephanie, Sister Rita, and Sister Nicole
Sister Stephanie, Sister Rita, and Affiliate Krista
Annunciation Monastery update
The Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, ND, met on Saturday, October 22, 2016, to discuss and approve their four year plan. Work on the plan began in August 2015 and was helpful as they discerned and elected a prioress in April 2016. The five main areas of the plan are community life, leadership, membership, ministries, and sponsorship. 
The sisters are pictured in the community room of the monastery.
