Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery (October 21, 1912). An enclosed cloister walk was constructed to connect the second level of the south side of the chapel to the second level of Teresa Hall at the college. An enclosed cloister walk connecting the second level of the north side of the chapel to Marmion Hall (formation house) was also in the plans. Because later photographs show this south court area without a cloister walk, it may be assumed that the construction workers had to remove the cloister walk shown in progress in this photograph, probably to give more space for the ensuing construction work. However, photographs of early 1914 show that the enlosed north and south cloister walks were added to the chapel immediately upon the completion of the chapel.
St. Benedict's Academy (1883-1909). As St. Benedict's Academy's enrollment increased, a larger study hall included a stage so that the study hall could serve as an auditorium when needed. The school year was enhanced with performances by the Drama Club, Choral Group, and enriching lectures by guest speakers. One guest speaker, Herman Zschokke, chaplain to the Austrian imperial court and ex-rector of the University of Vienna, later described his visit to Minnesota in a book, "Nach Nordamericka und Canada." As the academy became a college centered on the west campus, a large Benedicta Arts Building/Petters Auditorium was built; it not only serves the college and Benedictine community but also central Minnesota (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives; McDonald, pages 107-108)
Schools in north-central Minnesota (1871-1909). New Munich began with a few small buildings built by two men, Burns and Sutton, in 1855. They also ran a small "wayside" inn for the stagecoach that ran north-south through this part of the county. The town gradually settled around the church built by the German Catholics. In 1879 three sisters came to New Munich to teach in the district school at the request of the pastor. The trustees and the people did not agree with this decision and hired a lay teacher. The pastor then opened a parochial school in the church basement, but attendance was very small and leaders of the antagonism made it almost impossible for the sisters to live there. Despite the set-backs, the sisters won the good will of the people so that the following year the school opened with over 100 children enrolled (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives, Olsenius, page 120; Jaakkola and Frericks, page 77).
Schools in north-central Minnesota (1871-1909). In 1882, three Benedictine sisters opened a mission in Millerville and began teaching in the district school; 88 pupils were registered. However, after ten years of working in crowded and undesirable conditions, the sisters closed the mission. When the parish school, St. Mary's, was built in 1914, the sisters returned. High school classes were added for some time (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Early ventures in St. Joseph, Minnesota (1880-1890). In 1882 Cecilia Hall was completed as a combination convent-academy; the north half became St. Benedict's Convent and the south half housed St. Benedict's Academy. That same fall, the academy catalogue was issued and St. Benedict's Academy took its place with the best schools of the day. It was the only finishing school in the vast territory between St. Paul and the Rocky Mountains and drew students mainly from western Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, Utah, Idaho and some from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa. The pupils coming from a distance were always chaperoned by sisters as the Northwestern Chronicle, a Catholic newspaper published in St. Paul, announced in its August 23, 1883 issue, "The female Academy of the Benedictine Sisters at St. Joseph, MN, opens on September 5. Pupils will find a sister to accompany them to school." (McDonald, page102) That year 12 ladies were accompanied by Sister Alexia Kerst on the train from St. Paul to St. Joseph. Though in the 1890s St. Benedict's Academy lost its position as the only finishing school in its territory, by 1910 plans were already underway to add college courses to the curriculum. Thus, the academy planted the seed that would sprout into the College of Saint Benedict which today is unique in its cooperation with the men's university at St. John's in Collegeville (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives; McDonald, pages 100-108; Sister Grace McDonald, OSB, "A Finishing School in the 1880s," Minnesota History, June 1946).
Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, Minnesota (May 5, 1913). The closed-in porch link on the first and second level and the open porch of the third level (roof of link) made the chapel an integral part of the convent.
Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery (May 21, 1912). The outline of the foundation in this photo shows the extent of this new chapel. The extreme length of the chapel is 157 feet; the width of the nave 60 feet; the transept 110 feet. This view from the west also shows the proximity to Marmion Hall (upper right) and the infirmary (upper left).
Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery (June 14, 1912). The final contract for construction was made with the Butler Brothers from St. Paul.
Schools in north-central Minnesota (1871-1909). In 1873, Mother Antonia Herman, OSB, arranged to have the Sisters of St. Benedict purchase 10 acres near the church in Pierz intending to begin an independent Benedictine community there. When the new community did not materialize, the building was used for some years as an orphanage for girls because the convents in St. Joseph and St. Cloud were no longer able to house all 63 orphans (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Schools in north-central Minnesota (1871-1909). In 1886, St. Benedict's Convent built a small residence for sisters teaching at St. Mary's School in St. Augusta and by 1903, it required an addition. Fifty years later the parish voted to change the district school to a parochial school, but it took another 10 years before a new parochial school was built. Sisters still serve in the St. Mary's School and parish, having given this settlement over 120 years of service (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Schools in north-central Minnesota (1871-1909). Sisters first taught in a one-room parish/district school in Buckman in 1887. Later the district built a four-room school (which was also to serve as the parochial school) and St. Michael's parish built a convent (see photo) for the sisters teaching at this school. The parish's arrangement of sharing the public school, which occupied one or two rooms of the building, did not pose the usual problem for the Buckman community. The combined enrollment of public/parochial students rose to 150 and for some time included high school classes. The Benedictine sisters continued teaching there for next 100 years (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Sacred Heart Chapel interior, St. Benedict's Monastery. There were four side altars dedicated to the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and the Pieta. The Way of the Cross was mounted on the south and north walls of the chapel (two stations are shown midway between the side altar to the left and the Pieta nave to the right). These stations from the old chapel, were painted to harmonize in color and transferred to the new chapel in 1914. These stations had been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Majerus of St. Cloud. (In the re-decorating process in 1958, they were replaced by new stations sculpted by Peter Lupori.) The base of the corner granite pilaster to the left of the Blessed Virgin Mary side altar is the cornerstone. On its south side are engraved: "AD;" "MCMXII;" and a cross, and on its east side: "U.I.O.G.D." "Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus" -- That in all things God may be glorified (Chronicles, pages 144, 146).
Schools in St. Cloud (1869-1909); St. Benedict's Monastery (convent), St. Joseph, Minnesota. The exact location of the convent in this photograph is not recorded, but the Holy Angels Parish records show that it took 25 years for the parish to build a convent for the sisters who taught in Holy Angels Grade School in St. Cloud. "The sisters moved around like nomads. For the first 11 or 12 years, they lived in St. Mary's Convent near the site of the old post office. Then they lived in Captain Taylor's house on Seventh Avenue North for one year; next the Grundman house on Eighth Avenue North and in the (St. Clotilde's) Music Academy. They also lived for a while in the Munsinger Hotel" (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives, Voigt, page 54).
Schools in south-central Minnesota (1876-1909). By 1850, Stillwater, which owes its existence to the building of Fort Snelling in 1819, became the lumbering capital of the St. Croix River region. This soon brought pioneer settlers to the area. Though not the first white settlement in Minnesota, Stillwater claims the title, "Birthplace of Minnesota," because it was at this site that a convention was held to organize the Territory of Minnesota in 1848. The wealthy lumbermen built lavish homes such as those they had built before in the New England States. To this day, Stillwater maintains a characteristic historical atmosphere. One of these historic buildings was purchased by St. Mary's Parish in 1907 to be used as the convent for the four Benedictine sisters from St. Joseph, MN, who were teaching in the German parish school, St. Mary's (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives; Shifra Stein's Day Trips: Gas-saving Getaways Less Than Two Hours from Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul, page 105
Sacred Heart Chapel interior. The beautifully carved marble entrance, with its columns of white Italian marble was imposing, but it was not a public entrance. It opened to the convent corridor on the first floor of the main building. The doors were plush leather-covered as were all the side doors leading to chapel.
St. Benedict's Academy (1883-1909). The tradition of preserving records and items of historical importance is passed on from one generation to the next -- from the Benedictine community in EichstÃtt, Bavaria, to the Sisters of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. Now a large archives and a museum, "Art and Heritage Place," preserve the records and objects which have been collected over the years by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Joseph, MN, to depict their life and work here and abroad (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Expansion of Monastery (1880-1909). To enhance the solemnity of community worship, the sisters invested in pipe organs from 1904, when this organ was purchased for the chapel in Scholastica Hall, to the present time. Along with the restoration of Gregorian Chant, the Liturgical Movement became a primary focus of the community. For some of its members, in particular Sisters Urban, Cecile, and Gemma Gertken, it became their life's work (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery (June 24, 1912). Pouring the concrete ceiling of the first level of the chapel created the floor of the new chapel and prepared for the next step of erecting the walls on the second level (which is the main chapel). The two buildings in the center background are the power house and laundry (Loretto Hall). They remained in place for another seventy years and served multiple purposes.
Expansion of Monastery (1880-1909). As was the custom of Benedictine houses in the Old World, the sisters, from their beginnings in America, tried to be self-supporting. They maintained a farm, gardens, orchard, vineyard, chickens, turkeys, and bees. The laundry was an important service, not only for the sisters, orphans, and academy, but also for the monks of St. John's Abbey for whom the sisters did the washing and sewing. The first water works, a wooden water tank built in 1892, was a great boon to sisters who worked in the laundry. In 1899 an underground sewer was dug. New developments were soon added to meet the needs of the growing population on St. Benedict's campus and to help supply the village of St. Joseph. These developments included the first power plant and electric light plant (1906), a 60,000 gallon water tower (1907), and a large well in 1909 (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Expansion of Monastery (1880-1909). The heart of a Benedictine monastery is the chapel. Because of the very small chapel within the first convent complex, the sisters attended religious services in the parish church during their early years in St. Joseph. To sustain a strong daily community liturgical life of prayer within the convent, a larger chapel was built in the Scholastica Hall addition in 1892 to accommodate the sisters (and often the students) as they gathered several times daily for community prayer and Eucharist. Within twenty years, the sisters were beginning plans for a large church, Sacred Heart Chapel, to witness to the centrality of worship, not only for St. Benedict's campus, but for the surrounding area of Stearns County. (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Construction of Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict's Monastery (April 14, 1913). The dome, the link between the chapel to the convent, and the south cloister walk connecting the chapel to Teresa Hall were constructed simultaneously. This photo is taken from the roof of Teresa Hall and gives a clear view of the circular cloister walk that surrounds the chapel.
Expansion of Monastery (1880-1909). From 1882 to 1890 the membership of the Benedictine community at St. Joseph grew to almost 300 professed sisters. The enrollment in St. Benedict's Academy increased to 213 (132 grade school girls and boys and 81 high school girls). Therefore, the sisters added wings to Cecilia Hall (built in 1881-1882) as follows: Benedict Hall in 1883; Scholastica Hall in 1892; Gertrude Hall in 1898. Several factors accounted for this rapid growth: with larger enrollments in the academy, the number of candidates entering the religious community increased; as the Church became more stable when the Northwest Territory was organized as a Vicariate in 1875 and as the St. Cloud Diocese was established in 1889, more parishes developed throughout north central Minnesota; and as sisters went out to teach in more and more schools, the number of candidates from parishes increased. The religious community became more stable and accepted. By 1909, within its first 52 years, the membership grew to 452, and in the next 45 years, St. Benedict's Convent reached its peak membership of 1,278. (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
First 50 years of the College of Saint Benedict (CSB). The Sisters of St. Benedict opened a boarding academy (grade and high school levels) in St. Joseph, Minnesota in 1880. By the early 1900s, it was well established and thriving, with over 200 pupils.
Expansion of Monastery (1880-1909). St. Benedict's Convent Cemetery plot was laid out in 1884. Prior to that time, the first twelve sisters who died were buried in the parish cemetery (with the exception of Mother Benedicta Riepp, who was buried in St. Cloud). The grave markers attest to the exceptionally early age of death due to the toll of the rigors of pioneer life -- the scarcity of good food; the exposure to the cold and to epidemics; inadequate medical care; and the pressures of work and overcrowded conditions. During the first 57 years, 95 sisters died; the average age at death was less than 30 years. The grave markers are unique. The first were simple iron crosses. From 1890 to 1935, the community purchased a more elaborately designed cross with a plaque bearing the inscribed information of name and the dates of birth, profession, and death. Later the community purchased granite upright-markers; at present granite flat-footstones are used. In 1884 Mother Benedicta Riepp's remains were brought from St. Cloud to St. Joseph. The grave, marked with an iron cross, has been a place of pilgrimage, not only for the sisters of St. Benedict's Monastery, but also for other American Benedictine sisters and for citizens of Mother Benedicta's birthplace, Waal, Germany (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).