Mother Benedicta (Sybilla) Riepp, OSB

Foundress of Benedictine Women in America

Born in Waal, Bavaria, Germany in 1825

Came to Pennsylvania from St. Walburg Abbey in Eichstatt, Bavaria in 1852

Arrived in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1858

By the time of her death in 1862, Benedictine convents had been founded in St. Marys and Erie, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey, and St. Cloud, Minnesota; Covington, Kentucky; and Chicago, Illinois.

In 1852, Benedicta Riepp, along with two other Benedictine sisters came to the United States to educate immigrant children in St. Marys Pennsylvania. This is the key to the front door of their home, the first Benedictine convent in the United States.

Sister Rosalyn Tsai was elected prioress of St. Benedict Monastery, Taipei, Taiwan on June 25, 2022 and installed as prioress on Sunday, June 26, 2022.  The character on the banner next to her says Listen. 

Sister Angela Hoffman, a world-renowned researcher in things Chemistry, has been elected our new prioress.

The Sisters of St. Martin Monastery in the Bahamas discerned as a community and re-elected Sister Marva Coakley as Prioress.  Sister Linda Soler facilitated the election.

The Sisters of St. Benedict’s Monastery, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan discerned as a community and elected Sister Naomi Tanaka as Prioress on Monday, May 23^rd. 

She was installed on May 24^th and a grand celebration held on Wednesday, May25^th beginning with Eucharist and followed by a banquet. 

Saint Benedict’s Monastery will welcome two new members when Sister Bridgette Powers and Sister Laura Suhr make perpetual monastic profession on Monday, July 11, 2022, the Feast of Saint Benedict. Making perpetual monastic profession means that S. Bridgette and S. Laura will commit to a lifelong journey of seeking God according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict in community, including commitment to stability, the monastic way of life, obedience, celibate chastity, and monastic poverty. The public is invited to celebrate this joyous occasion with the monastic community. The Rite of Perpetual Monastic Profession and Eucharist will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. For more information, please call 320-363-7100 or visit http://www.sbm.osb.org

Sisters from six monasteries of the Federation of St. Benedict gathered with other Benedictines at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana.

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.