January 13, 2006

2006 Religious Vocations Supplement

Photos: Benedictines seek God in prayer and work

Benedictine sisters at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove and guests pray Morning Prayer on Dec. 12 in the community’s chapel. Daily life at the monastery involves a variety of works punctuated by communal prayer.Text and photos by Brandon A. Evans

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The Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove recently celebrated 50 years since its founding.

In that time, the Benedictine sisters who came from Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., in the Evansville Diocese, and those who followed them, have engaged in a myriad of ministries.

Among them are two that exist on the many acres of land owned by the monastery.

The St. Paul Hermitage prides itself as “a place to call home” for elderly people. Since it opened in 1960, more than 1,000 people have lived there—and the waiting time is about three years.

The facility offers apartments, residential living and 24-hour nursing care.

The Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center is an ecumenical ministry operated by the sisters to provide programs for spiritual, educational and physical growth.

The center is located at the former Our Lady of Grace Academy, an all-girls school that closed in 1978.

The sisters have communal prayer each day, and many of them are involved in ministries throughout the archdiocese.

Benedictine Sisters Norma Gettelfinger, Maureen Therese Cooney and Mary Carol Messmer pray Morning Prayer on Dec. 12 in the community’s chapel with other members and guests of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove .          Mary Pietz, left, a resident of St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove, poses near the elevator on Dec. 12 with Benedictine Sister Sharon Bierman, administrator of the facility that has cared for more than 1,000 elderly residents since its founding in 1960. St. Paul Hermitage is one of the main ministries of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.

Benedictine Sister Mary Luke Jones, administrator of the Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center in Beech Grove, does paperwork on Dec. 12 in the center’s Shop Inn Spired Books and Gifts. The center is an ecumenical ministry of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.          Morning light shines on Dec. 12 on a crucifix and other statuary in the snow-covered cemetery at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove. The Benedictine women’s religious community recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding.

(If you’re interested in learning more about life in the community, call Benedictine Sister Mary Nicolette Etienne at 317-787-3287, ext. 3032, or e-mail nicolette@benedictine.com, or log on to www.benedictine.com.) †

 

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