Celebration Planned for Oklahoma’s Benedictine Sisters

OKLAHOMA CITY —  A celebration to honor Oklahoma’s three communities of Benedictine Sisters is scheduled for Sunday, March 6, in Oklahoma City.  Men and women whose lives have been touched by the women of Red Plains Monastery, Piedmont; St. Joseph Monastery, Tulsa and Osage Monastery, Sand Springs will come together to show appreciation and reconnect with members of the three communities.  

The celebration will include a reception and a brief overview of the purpose and ministries of each monastery, followed by a prayer service.  It will begin at 3 p.m. at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church, 7336 W. Britton Road, between Rockwell and Council.

A group of lay women has organized the event, inspired by a similar gathering held in Tulsa last year.

Paula Hearn, chair, said “The influence these women have had on my life and the lives of so many Oklahomans is immeasurable,” said Paula Hearn, chair of the event. “We want to honor all they have done for us and for the Church in Oklahoma.”  

Benedictine women have been living and working in Oklahoma since before State hood.  In 1889 a community of Benedictine Sisters from Creston, Iowa moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory.  They established St. Joseph Convent and girls’ boarding school, established Benedictine Heights College in Guthrie, Monte Cassino School in Tulsa, opened a hospital and taught in parish schools throughout Oklahoma and at Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City.  In 1955 St. Joseph Convent and Benedictine Heights College moved from Guthrie to Tulsa.   Today,  the sisters of St. Joseph Monastery continue to operate Monte Cassino School and serve in various ministries in the Tulsa area, including the Day Center for the Homeless and Neighbor for Neighbor and in Adult Faith Development and Benedictine mission outreach at St. Gregory’s University, Shawnee.

In 1968 a group of 31 sisters from the Tulsa community established a new foundation, Red Plains Priory and relocated to Oklahoma City a few years later.  They served the local community and national and international Church as teachers, pastoral ministers, in religious education, in health care and in spiritual formation ministries and founded the Benedictine Peace House. In 1996 the sisters of Red Plains Monastery moved to the Piedmont area and established the Benedictine Spirituality Center, where they offer retreats and classes on spirituality throughout the year.  

By comparison, the Osage Monastery is new to Oklahoma.  Challenged by the Second Vatican Council to find new ways of living monastic life, a group of Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration wrote to 10 United States bishops asking about establishing a small contemplative community in their diocese.  Bishop Eusebius Beltran of Tulsa replied with a letter of welcome and an offer to help find suitable property.   Beltran is now  Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.  In 1979 five sisters from various monasteries of their Congregation formed a new contemplative community near Sand Springs, Oklahoma, inspired by the Shantivanam Ashram in South India founded by Fr. Bede Griffiths, OSB.   The Osage Monastery is situated on 45 acres of forested property and welcomes temporary members, retreatants and guests for the purpose of spiritual enrichment.

The Benedictines follow the Rule of St. Benedict, a fifth century Roman.  Benedict abandoned the decadent life of Rome and dedicated his life to God, living in a cave in isolation for three years.  He developed a following and founded monasteries, where men and women lived by Benedict’s rule.

One aspect of the Benedictine Rule that can be found at all three Oklahoma women’s monasteries is hospitality.  All offer retreats and spiritual direction to people of all faiths.  Hearn said she hopes the gathering will not only celebrate the past but also be an opportunity  to enlighten people on the present-day work of Oklahoma’s Benedictine sisters.  “This event will be a celebration of their life and work today.  They’re the best kept secret in Oklahoma, and we would like to change that.” she said.