Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Encyclopedia
Congregation (catholic)
The term "congregation" has three usages specific to the Roman Catholic Church. One concerns the Roman Curia, the other two concern religious institutes.- Roman Curia :...
of nuns within the Benedictine Confederation
Benedictine Confederation
The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.-Origin:...
. The original monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
was founded in 1874 by a group of five nuns, led by Sister Mary Anselma Felber, O.S.B., who came from the young monastery of Maria-Rickenbach
Maria-Rickenbach
Maria-Rickenbach is a Benedictine convent above the village of Niederrickenbach in the center of Switzerland in the canton of Nidwalden that is accessible only by cable car....
(founded 1857) in Switzerland. Arriving in Clyde, Missouri
Clyde, Missouri
Clyde is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 74 at the 2000 census.It is home to the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration which houses 550 documented saint relics—said to be the largest collection in the United States.-Geography:Clyde is located at ...
, they founded the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration. This remains the motherhouse and largest community of the congregation. It houses 550 documented relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of the saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s—the biggest such collection in the United States.
The decision to come was sparked by the departure of a group of monks from the nearby Engelberg Abbey
Engelberg Abbey
Engelberg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Engelberg, Canton of Obwalden, Switzerland. It was formerly in the Diocese of Constance, but now in the Diocese of Chur...
, at a time when monastic communities felt threatened by political changes taking place throughout Europe. As with many other monastic groups, they looked to the New World for a place of refuge.The monks went on to found Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
in nearby Conception, Missouri
Conception, Missouri
Conception is an unincorporated community in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about eleven miles southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction, Missouri . Conception is home to Conception Abbey....
, and began to minister to German and Irish immigrants of the region.
The nuns follow a simple, contemplative way of life, formed by the Rule of St. Benedict. To this end, they supported themselves by such farming as could be done on their land. They also provide the printing of spiritual cards, as well as making vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s for churches around the country, and the baking of Altar Breads. To the usual monastic routine, they have added the practice of Perpetual Adoration in their chapels.
Never a large group, they went on to establish monasteries around the Midwest and the Southwest regions of the country. Apart from the motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
at Clyde, their only other large monastery was in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, which housed nearly one hundred nuns. That house closed in the 1980's. A small community was established in Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Sand Springs is a city in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 18,906 in the 2010 U. S. Census, compared to 17,451 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1911, by Oklahoma philanthropist...
in 1977. It was named Osage Monastery in recognition of the Native American tribe which predominates in that region. The monastery was built in the style of an Eastern ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
and the nuns of that community pursued inter-religious dialogue with Buddhist and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
monastics. The nuns left that house in 2008 and turned it over to a community of laypeople
Laypeople
Laypeople may refer to:* laity, members of a church who are not clergy* layman, someone who is not an expert in a particular field of study...
who endeavor to continue that way of life.
Current monasteries
The order has houses in:- Clyde, MissouriClyde, MissouriClyde is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 74 at the 2000 census.It is home to the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration which houses 550 documented saint relics—said to be the largest collection in the United States.-Geography:Clyde is located at ...
- Tucson, ArizonaTucson, ArizonaTucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
- Dayton, WyomingDayton, WyomingDayton is a town in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 678 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dayton is located at the confluence of the Tongue River and The Little Tongue River. It is on US Highway 14, just east of the Big Horn Mountains.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
Benedictine Sisters Monastery (Tucson, Arizona)
A landmark church and working monastery for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The building is widely acknowledged as a classic of mission styleMission style
Mission style may refer to the following:*Mission Style Furniture*Mission Revival Style architecture*American Craftsman, an architectural and design movement*Mission School, an art movement of the late 20th century...
architecture.
The Benedictine Sisters first came to Tucson in 1935 at the invitation of the local bishop, the Right Reverend Daniel Gercke. In 1940, they moved into the Spanish-Renaissance-style Benedictine Sisters Monastery, which was designed by architect Roy Place
Roy Place
Roy W. Place was a Tucson, Arizona architect.Born in San Diego in 1887, Place moved to Tucson in 1917 after working in Chicago and the Boston firm of Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge. Place partnered with John Lyman in 1919, together constructing over 20 buildings in Tucson. Place worked independently...
, who also designed the old Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Courthouse, Tucson's veterans hospital, and some notable campus buildings of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
Low gluten hosts developed by the group
The Sisters produce low-glutenGluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
host
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
s safe for celiac
Celiac
Celiac may refer to:* Coeliac disease* Celiac artery* Celiac lymph nodes* Celiac plexus...
s, which has been approved by the Catholic Church for use at Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. The hosts are made and packaged in a dedicated wheat-free / gluten-free environment. Gluten content analysis found no detectable amount of gluten, though the reported gluten content is 0.01% as that was the lowest limit of detection possible with the utilized analysis technique. In an article from the Catholic Review (15 February 2004) Dr. Alessio Fasano was quoted as declaring these hosts "perfectly safe for celiac sufferers."