News
Monastery No. 2 in ‘Best of Indiana’
Monastery Immaculate Conception continues to impress its visitors. The monastery was recently selected No. 2 for “Best Indiana Historic Destination” in voting by more than 24,000 Hoosiers. The nearby Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial was picked No. 1. Find more information about “Best of Indiana” winners at www.visitindiana.com. Voters also selected Indiana’s Best Fall Festival and…
Sisters to hold free Advent/Christmas Concert
All are invited to attend a concert of Advent and Christmas music as part of Christkindlmarkt weekend on Sunday, November 19, at 3:00 p.m. (EST) in Monastery Immaculate Conception Church, 802 E. 10th Street, Ferdinand, Indiana. The Sisters of St. Benedict concert choir, Stillpoint, the sisters’ handbell choir, and several sister-musicians will perform in this concert.…
Six Benedictine Sisters Celebrate Jubilee
Six Benedictine sisters celebrated special anniversaries of their religious profession on Sunday, October 29, at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. Sister Sylvia Gehlhausen marked the 75th anniversary of her profession of monastic vows. She entered the monastery in 1940 and made monastic profession in 1942. Sister Jan Youart, Sister Mary Agnes Sermersheim, Sister Mary Ann Schepers, Sister…
Candidates become new Oblates
by Sister Brenda Engleman On Sunday, October 15, three women and a man become Oblates of the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana. Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz, prioress, officiated at this ceremony. The new Oblates are Lisa and Bill Muller from Evansville, Indiana; Faye Bilskie from Vincennes, Indiana; and Robin Dugan from Newburgh, Indiana.…
Donor: ‘Sister kind of saved me from myself’
Rich Risemas believes two things saved him – basketball and the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand. Benedictine sisters taught him throughout his grade school years from 1951-1959 at St. Benedict Cathedral School in Evansville, Indiana, and he later returned to teach for 12 years at the school under the leadership of Sister Karlene Sensmeier,…
Ferdinand three to attend Oblate Congress in Rome
The 4th World Congress of Benedictine Oblates will take place from November 4 – 10 at the Salesianum just outside Rome. The international planning team represents 50 countries with monasteries that have Oblates. After days of discussion throughout this last year, the team developed the following theme: A WAY FORWARD- THE BENEDICTINE COMMUNITY IN MOVEMENT…
Sister Mary Emma wins Chamber award
Sister Mary Emma Jochum was recently honored with the Citizen Award at the 16th annual Perry County Chamber of Commerce Business Awards ceremony in Tell City, Indiana. She was cited for her decades of community involvement, and for her extensive and rich Perry County history. Sister Mary Emma, who recently retired after 24 years as…
Women of the Rule aid ministries
The annual awards luncheon of the Women of the Rule is a fulfilling day, as the 96-member group gets the satisfaction of seeing how their donated dollars help the Sisters of St. Benedict and their varied ministries. Jenny Schmitt, a four-year member from Evansville, Indiana, aptly articulated the feeling in her closing remarks at the…
In Memoriam: Sister Mary Alice Schnur, OSB
Sister Mary Alice Schnur, 94, of the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, died at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, August 19, 2017, in the monastery’s Hildegard Health Center. Sister Mary Alice was born October 5, 1922, in Cypress, Indiana, the second of eight children born to George P. and Alice E. (Heuke) Schnur. She entered…