Special to The Message
Three Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their monastic profession on Aug. 3 at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. The Jubilee Mass will be at 1 p.m. EDT in the monastery church. A reception for family and friends will follow in the monastery dining room.
The jubilarians, Sister Jane Michele McClure, Sister Joan Scheller and Sister Rose Wildeman entered Monastery Immaculate Conception in 1967 and professed their monastic vows in 1969. All three sisters were high school classmates at Mater Dei High School in Evansville.
Sister Jane Michele was born in Tell City and raised in Evansville. After a 14-year career in education, teaching speech and English, she served in several positions in development and public relations for the Sisters of St. Benedict and the Evansville Catholic Interparochial High Schools. Today, she serves as the major gifts officer for Habitat for Humanity in Evansville.
Sister Joan, a daughter of St. Joseph Parish in Vanderburgh County, taught elementary and special education, worked as a missionary in Guatemala, a staff member of Kordes Retreat Center, pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Parish in Evansville, subprioress for the Sisters of St. Benedict from 2003-2008, and served in Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Evansville. She presently directs the Latino Outreach and Immigration Services ministry at the monastery.
Sister Rose, a daughter of St. Philip Parish in Posey County, served as music teacher and liturgist at Sacred Heart and St. John the Baptist parishes in Vincennes; Christ the King Parish in Evansville and St. Joseph Parish in
Vanderburgh County. Sister Rose has served the community as formation director, assistant monastery liturgist, monastery coordinator and currently serves as subprioress for the Sisters of St. Benedict.
Founded in 1867, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand currently have 130 and serve in areas of education, parish work, health care, retreat and spirituality work, social services, and counseling in Indiana, Kentucky, and Peru.