Special to The Message
After accepting an invitation from Bishop Joseph M. Siegel, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles moved into the former Poor Clare monastery on Nurrenbern Road in Evansville this past May. The Poor Clares had departed the monastery in 2023, after the community had fallen below the minimum number of six nuns necessary to remain open.
The Benedictine nuns renamed the monastery the Monastery of St. Anne as the community has a special devotion to the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The nuns are a cloistered, contemplative order like the Poor Clares, meaning their lives are devoted to prayer and work, living apart from the world.
The nuns offer daily prayer and sacrifices for the sake of priests, the spiritual sons of Our Blessed Mother. It is part of their charism to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass and Divine Office, observing the directives of the Church. Father Jeffery Jambon, LC, serves as their chaplain and resides in the former rectory at the St. Agnes campus of St. Boniface Parish in Evansville.
“The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles are so blessed to have come to the Diocese of Evansville,” Sister Maria Battista, Superior, said. “We have been overwhelmed by so much kindness and generosity shown by the Catholic community here. On May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, seven of us Sisters embarked on this new adventure leaving our Motherhouse, the Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus in Gower, Missouri, to found a new house here in this Diocese, The Monastery of St. Anne. We moved into the former Poor Clare Monastery on Nurrenbern Road and have been trying to settle in slowly but surely. In the true Benedictine way of Ora and Labora (prayer and work), we chant the Divine Office seven times a day and once in the night, have Mass regularly throughout the week and intersperse this prayer with manual labor, whether it be sewing vestments for our priests, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and yes even trying to mow our own lawn!”
Sister Maria Battista shared that in August, some necessary renovations began in the chapel to provide for the nuns’ monastic style of prayer. The community humbly asks for assistance with the cost of the work. “Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated,” Sister Battista said. “As Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, we offer our prayers and sacrifices for our Priests, Holy Mother the Church, for all of you and so many souls in need!”
For those who would like to donate for this project, checks can be made out to Benedictines of Mary, and mailed to: Benedictines of Mary, Monastery of St. Anne, 6825 Nurrenbern Road, Evansville, IN 47712.
To learn more about the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, visit benedictinesofmary.org.