A Brief History of St. Paul’s Monastery & the Benedictine Center
Benedictine Sisters
St. Paul’s Monastery – St. Paul, MI
The story of St. Paul’s Monastery is rooted in a much larger Benedictine story that began in Eichstatt, Bavaria, Germany. In 1852, Mother Benedicta Riepp and two companions journeyed to the United States to serve German immigrants through education and monastic life. Five years later, Benedictine Sisters established Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, which would become one of the largest communities of Benedictine women in the world.
As that community continued to flourish, Pope Pius XII encouraged the creation of smaller, autonomous monasteries where Benedictine life could be lived more intentionally in close-knit communities. In response, on June 22, 1948, 178 Sisters established St. Paul’s Priory in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Though the early years were marked by limited resources and modest living conditions, the sisters remained steadfast in their commitment to prayer, education, hospitality, and service.
The growing community looked toward the east side of the Twin Cities and purchased land in Maplewood to construct a new monastery in 1965. Just a few years earlier, the sisters founded Archbishop Murray Memorial High School for girls, which later merged with Hill High School, founded by the Christian Brothers, to become today’s Hill-Murray School. The sisters’ ministries continued to expand beyond education into parish leadership, spiritual formation, healthcare, and service throughout the region.
Recognizing a growing spiritual hunger among lay people, Sister Veronica Novotny, OSB, founded the Benedictine Center, a retreat center within the monastery, in 1983. Her vision was simple yet profound: to share the wisdom of the Rule of St. Benedict with all who seek God. Since its founding, the Benedictine Center has welcomed thousands of guests for personal retreats, spiritual direction, educational programs, days of reflection, and contemplative experiences rooted in Benedictine values. Hospitality, prayer, silence, community, and reverence for all creation continue to shape every aspect of the center’s ministry.
The monastery itself also continued to evolve. In 1996, St. Paul’s Priory became St. Paul’s Monastery, reflecting its fully autonomous status within the Benedictine Confederation. In 2009, the sisters moved into a smaller monastery which was built across the street from their original Maplewood building. There they continue to embracea simpler way of life while preserving their commitment to prayer and welcoming others.
Today, St. Paul’s Monastery remains the only Benedictine monastery in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Together, the monastery and Benedictine Center continue to serve as a place of peace, contemplation, and welcome for people of every background. Through daily prayer, retreats, spiritual direction, educational programming, the Oblate community, partnerships with organizations such as Hill-Murray School and Maple Tree Monastery Childcare Center, and a deep commitment to Benedictine hospitality, the sisters continue to share a living tradition that has nourished hearts for more than 78 years.
Faithful to the Rule of St. Benedict and responsive to the needs of each generation, St. Paul’s Monastery, the Benedictine Center and the Maple Tree Monastery Childcare Center remain places where all are welcomed as Christ, where silence gives way to listening, and where lives continue to be renewed through prayer, community, and the gracious love of God.