Annunciation Monastery was established as an independent monastic community in the Diocese of Bismarck on March 24, 1947 by papal decree. 140 sisters had volunteered as founding members in 1944.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary, our community hosted a Vespers Service on March 24, 2022 in Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel at the University of Mary, our former monastery building. A social followed. Sister Kerry O’Reilly, President of the Federation of St. Benedict, was present.
Judith Valente, Benedictine oblate, author and journalist, published an article on Sister Thomas Welder’s life and legacy of servant leadership. Sister Thomas, who passed away June 22, 2020 from kidney cancer, was a member of Annunciation Monastery for nearly 60 years.
The Conference of Benedictine Prioresses held their annual meeting from January 28 – February 3, 2020 at Sacred Heart Monastery, in Yankton, South Dakota. The theme for the meeting was “Called To Serve”. In addition to the business meeting, the prioresses and presidents had two days of retreat with Sister Michaela Hedican of St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN. The topic of Sister Michaela’s retreat was the Sermon on the Mount and Leadership.
Sister Susan Rudolph, prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery, was elected to the CBP Coordinating Committee for a three year term. Sister Nicole Kunze, prioress of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, ND, completed her term on the coordinating committee and will continue to serve as treasurer for the group. Sister Aileen Bankemper, St. Walburg’s Monastery, Covington, KY was elected chair of the committee.
Sr. Kerry O’Reilly giving a presentation at the business meeting.
L to R: Nicole Kunze (Annunciation, Bismarck, ND), Sandra Brunenn (St. Mary, Rock Island, IL), Catherine Nehotte (St. Paul, St. Paul, MN), Kerry O’Reilly (Federation President), Susan Rudolph (St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN), Marva Coakley (St. Martin, Bahamas)
L to R: Sandra Brunenn, Marva Coakley, Nicole Kunze, Catherine Nehotte, Susan Rudolph, Michaela Hedican, Kerry O’Reilly
We await the arrival of the prioresses, delegates, and guests for the 26th General Chapter of the Federation of Saint Benedict. May the bell banner of Annunciation Monastery guide you to our front door!
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
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.
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
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.
The Monastic Congregation of Saint Benedict 