Sisters Helping Sisters

Welcome to Saint Scholastica Convent!

At Saint Scholastica Convent, the retirement and assisted living facility for the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Cloud, Minn., sisters respond to Christ’s command that we love and serve one another. The more able sisters regularly reach out to the sisters receiving skilled care. At any time of day, sisters can be found pushing sisters’ wheelchairs, assisting them at the dining room table or attending to the unforeseen. 

A most recent project during the Christmas season evidenced this kind of caring. About 20 sisters signed up to assist with Christmas mail for individual sisters in Louise Hall. Activities ensued, such as enjoying the mail with the particular sister, sending a Saint Scholastica’s common letter to the writer, adding a note from her or about her or writing a thank you note, as needed. It is such a good way of keeping the sister who cannot respond connected with her family and friends.  Part two of this project meant that the return address and the relationship of the sender to the sister would be saved for database entry which, in turn, supplied printed out address sheets for the sisters’ files in the main office. Thus the task is complete until the next Christmas season.

Due to their need for more extensive care, a few of our sisters reside at next door's Saint Benedict's Senior Community. Sisters bring their mail and visit them often. Occasionally, one of those sisters is brought to Saint Scholastica’s for a meal, a visit and/or a prayer service. This is one welcome treat for the individual.

A third example of caring for each other relates to the sisters experiencing dementia issues. Having these sisters' do activities in the unit where they live is very helpful to them. Sister volunteers take turns serving this group one day a week. Directed by them, sisters residing in the unit have Eucharist streamed from our chapel each day, followed by a shortened form of Liturgy of the Hours (LOH). The same volunteers take turns leading the next two daily prayer times at the same time that the sisters pray in chapel.  

These are some of the ways that we at Saint Scholastica Convent respond to Christ’s command that we love and serve one another.

Janet Thielges, OSB