Sister Anita Louise Lowe has been elected to a second term as Prioress.

Following several days of prayer and discernment, the Sisters of St. Benedict have elected Sister Anita Louise Lowe to serve a second term as prioress. Her installation ceremony took place at evening prayer on Friday, June 13. Sister Anita Louise’s first term began in July of 2019. Her second term will be for a period of four years.

The discernment process for the election of the prioress began weeks ago with the prayerful development of direction statements that would guide the Sisters of St. Benedict’s priorities over the next several years. These statements were refined, and for each statement, the Sisters identified the qualities that would be needed for a prioress to lead the community in the direction laid out in the statements.

The prayerful and deliberate discernment and election process was overseen and confirmed by Sister Jeanne Weber, president of the Federation of St. Gertrude and a member of the Benedictines in Yankton, South Dakota. Two other sisters served as facilitators for the discernment process: Sister Kimberly Porter (St. Walburg Monastery, Villa Hills, KY) and Sister Lynn Elisabeth Meadows (Sacred Heart Monastery, Cullman, AL).

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Sister Anita Louise earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in French, a secondary education certification from Brescia College, and a Master’s degree in Theology with a concentration in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame. Before becoming prioress, Sister Anita Louise taught English and French, served as the assistant Director of Communications, Public Relations Manager, Assistant Director of Vocations, Director of Vocations, and as Liturgist at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand.

Sister Anita Louise is also an accomplished harpist, and is often found filling the halls of the monastery with beautiful music. She noted that “the balance of prayer, work, and community life, as well as the down to earth quality of the sisters” is what drew her to this Benedictine community.