by Sister Nancy Bauer, OSB

Sister Margaret Michaud, who served as president of the Monastic Congregation of St. Benedict (then Federation of St. Benedict) from 1981 to 1991, died on Saturday, November 8. The Eucharist of Christian burial will be celebrated at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN, on Friday, November 21.

Sister Margaret was born in Eau Claire, WI, in 1935 and became a member of St. Bede Monastery, Eau Claire. She was prioress at St. Bede from 1972-1980 and 1996-2008. In 2010, the Wisconsin monastery was closed and all of the sisters transferred to Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, MN.

Sister Margaret served two terms as MCSB president during which she presided at four congregation chapters. When the new Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983, she led the congregation through revision of its constitutions which were approved by the Holy See in 1987.

As president, Sister Margaret focused on fostering the monastic identity of the congregation and its member monasteries. She led the congregation in articulation and clarification of Benedictine values. Her motto was, “Strive to translate Benedictine values into today’s language.”

During her terms as president, two monasteries were received into the congregation: St. Benedict’s in Japan and St. Benedict in Taiwan. Nonetheless, she recognized a new phase in Benedictine life based on a decline in vocations and noted that diminishing human resources posed the question of survival itself.

Sister Margaret was active in Benedictine life beyond the United States. In 1987, she attended the first International Symposium of Benedictine Women in Rome, which was a step in the formation of Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum (CIB). She also served as a board member of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (MID).

Sister Margaret was a lifelong student and teacher of the Benedictine charism. She wrote and spoke about the Rule of St. Benedict and monastic life extensively. She taught by word and example.    

Sister Nicole Kunze, Prioress of Annunciation Monastery, delivered the Founders’ Day Convocation reflection at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on November 21. The college also conferred an honorary degree to Sister Nicole at the ceremony. Saint Vincent College was founded in 1846 and is the first Benedictine college in the United States.

Benedictine Sister Lisa Maurer, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, Duluth, MN, is one of seven finalists for the 2024-2025 Lumen Christi Award, the highest honor given by the Catholic Extension Society. St. Scholastica is one of the ten member monasteries of the Monastic Congregation of St. Benedict.

Sister Lisa is an assistant football coach at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth where she shows up regularly for football practices and games. She encourages the student athletes to embrace four core values: hospitality, stewardship, respect, and justice. According to Dr. Barbara McDonald, the president of the college, “Many of the players consider Sister Lisa their prayer partner and spiritual advisor, and she makes it a habit of checking in with the young men, particularly those who may be struggling with personal issues.”

The Lumen Christi Award is given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. According to the Catholic Extension Society, “Sister Lisa Maurer coaches college players on football and faith.”

Sister Lisa is also the director of mission integration and formation for Duluth Benedictine Ministries, a Ministerial Public Juridic Person established in 2022 to sponsor the apostolic institutions of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery.

 The 2024 Haehn Museum at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN, is welcoming visitors to its exhibit. This year, we are featuring the works of four of our nature photographers:  Sisters Carleen Schomer, Karen Streveler, Linda Dusek, and Nancy Bauer. For many years, the beauty of the earth has motivated our sister photographers to use hours of patience and skill to capture the glory of God’s creation bursting gloriously all around us. The major message of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si also motivates the pictorial message of our artists, and quotes from that work and psalms accompany the photographs in the exhibit. It is arranged as a self-tour, so come and linger with us.