March 29, 2024

St. John the Evangelist Parish in Ft. Pierre hosted a farewell Mass and supper reception for the Benedictine Sisters from Mother of God Monastery. Benedictine sisters from Mother of God, Watertown, and Sacred Heart, Yankton, have ministered in Pierre since 1893.

The sisters sold their convent, St. Benedict House, to Avera to use with their new cancer center in tandem with the local hospice to provide a place of respite for patients and their families. The Benedictines in eastern South Dakota began their community in Pierre, providing healthcare and education ministries, then branched out to Watertown and Yankton over the years.

Sister Barb Younger, OSB, said, “These women helped shape our country with courageous leaps of faith and creative risks in the fields of healthcare and education.”

Pictured top: Sisters Johanna Schumacher, Francis Schumacher, Jeremy Sitter, Eileen Brick. Pictured bottom: Sisters Ramona Fallon, Sandra Meek, Marietta Miller, Adel Sautner, and Mona Kirwan.