Benedictine Sisters of Elk County
Encyclopedia
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.
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.. 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.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
women's religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
in the United States and is located in St. Marys, Pennsylvania
St. Marys, Pennsylvania
St. Marys is a city in Elk County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,502 at the 2000 census. Originally a small, Bavarian Catholic town, St. Marys was founded December 8, 1842. It is home to Straub Brewery and the first Benedictine convent in the United States. In 1992, the...
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
Eichstätt
Eichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. They had come at the invitation of Rev. Boniface Wimmer
Boniface Wimmer
Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. was a German monk who in 1846 founded the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, Saint Vincent Archabbey, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh...
, 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.
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.. 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.
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.