The Village of Harmony Hill
The Village at Harmony Hill provides a seamless continuum of care for every stage of senior living. From care-free, zero-maintenance independent living to high-acuity assisted living and innovative memory care therapy, we’re here for every unique season of life.
Childcare on Harmony Hill
Watch this video to xplore the critical state of child care in Child Care: Crisis or Opportunity? This insightful video dives into the challenges families and providers face in the Watertown community and how we are turning this crisis into a chance for meaningful change.
The Legacy Video
We’re so thankful to see the Sisters’ legacy alive and thriving through the community and care being provided to our seniors at The Village of Harmony Hill!
S. Adel Sautner, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1955
Date of Profession: June 1957
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator; Past Executive Secretary for American Benedictine Academy
Current Ministry:
Retired at St. Benedict House, Pierre, SD; Prayer Ministry, Selection of readings for Liturgy of the Hours
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Prologue v. 49-50
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
There are many joys that are integral to my life as a member of Mother of God Monastery. Specifically that the four of us who entered community together continue to be friends and try to spend a weekend together each year.
Prayer together with the sisters I live with is life-giving to me.
It is a gift to experience my sisters more and more becoming women who are gentle, compassionate, merciful, and peaceful.
S. Adrienne Kaufmann, OSB
Adjunct Professor at Mount Marty College
Date Entered Community: August 1956
Date of Profession: June 1958
Ministry Highlights:
Retired: Initiating Peace & Conflict Resolution Studies with Abdul Aziz at American University 1985-99
Current Ministry:
Adjunct Professor at Mount Marty College, Pastoral visits to our Sisters
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Prologue vs. 49: “When we have advanced in this life and in faith, we shall run on this path with hearts enlarged, and an unspeakable sweetness of love.” (I am old enough now to know this is true!)
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
God had a design for my life that was an incredible journey. My wildest imagination could not have dreamed anything this awesome.
S. Aurelia Palm. OSB
Community Librarian, Master Gardener, Community Organist
Date Entered Community: August 1958
Date of Profession: June 1960
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator, Parish Music Ministry
Current Ministry:
Organist for Liturgies, Community Librarian, Master Gardener
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“What can be sweeter to us than the voice of the Lord inviting us? Behold in his loving kindness the Lord shows us the way of life.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
To participate every day in the Liturgy. It is a privilege to be able to do the work of God.
S. Barbara Younger
Servant Leader; Dir. of Communications & Technology, Monastery Artist
Date Entered Community: August 2014
Date of Profession: October 22, 2016
Ministry Highlights:
Former Youth Minister; Director of Parish Faith Formation
Current Ministry:
Director of Communications & Technology, Monastery Artist, Prison Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?” I do!
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
To be surrounded by consecrated religious women, who seek God in all things, giving witness to the fruit of being in relationship with God and others.
S. Benedicta Long, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1961
Date of Profession: June 25, 1963
Ministry Highlights:
Working at the hospital both in Watertown and Lincoln, NE. Working in the parish with all of God's people, sharing God's love.
Current Ministry:
Parish Pastoral Minister at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Elkton, SD.
Favorite Verse in the Rule:
Love one another...Chapter 72
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
Living with all our Sisters and getting to know each one better by sharing God's love.
S. Clarice Schmidt, OSB
Volunteer, Immaculate Conception School
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator
Current Ministry:
Foster Grandparent at IC School in Watertown
S. Eileen Brick, OSB
Initial Formation Director, Spiritual Director
Date Entered Community: January 1979
Date of Profession: November 1980
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator in Polo & Pierre, South Dakota
Current Ministry:
Initial Formation Director; Spiritual Direction Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 4: 21 “The love of Christ must come before all else.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The Joy of being a Benedictine Sister in this community is seeking God together in our lives of prayer and work, celebrations and struggles, with the loving support of one another.
Contact:
s.eileenbrick@hotmail.com
S. Georgianne Imberi, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: September 1949
Date of Profession: June 1952
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary & High School Educator; Counseling for military families in Germany and South Korea
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
S. Gertrude Rolfes, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: September 3, 1960
Date of Profession: June 25, 1962
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary School Teacher; Pastoral Ministry in Medical Facilities; Pastoral Associate in Parishes; Former Oblate Director; Spiritual Director
Current Ministry:
Retired; Prayer Ministry
S. Ida Herricks, OSB
Master Gardener; Retired Educator
Date Entered Community: August 1959
Date of Profession: June 1958
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator, Missionary to Guatemala, Ministry to Immigrants
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry and Gardening
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Prefer nothing whatever to the love of Christ.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The Joy of being a Benedictine Sister in this community is to pray, work, live, and serve together.
S. Imelda Haag, OSB
Prayer Ministry, Gardener
Date Entered Community: September 1942
Date of Profession: June 1945
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Education & Sacramental Preparation
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry, Gardener
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 58: “Whoever is to be received in the monastery comes before the whole community in the oratory and promises stability, fidelity to the monastic way of life and obedience.” During the 69 years I have been a member of this community, this promise lived out by my sisters has been a daily bolstering and prodding incentive for my own commitment.
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
Seeking God is the very focus of our life together. The joy is that there could be no better focus for our lives.
S. Janette LaPlante, OSB
Elderly Caregiving
Date Entered Community: January 1978
Date of Profession: November 1985
Ministry Highlights:
Retired – Worked with at-risk youth and adults in Sioux Falls and Watertown through correctional facilities and the Dept. of Corrections
Current Ministry:
Elderly Caregiving
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“As we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The joy of being a Benedictine Sister in this community is that this has been my personal and "best way" of seeking God. This community has been a place where I have been affirmed and given unbelievable opportunities. This does not mean there were no struggles, but the support and friendship of my Sisters has always been there along the way, bringing happiness and gratitude for the way the Lord has called me to this way of Benedictine community life.
S. Jane Schoenfelder, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: January 1958
Date of Profession: June 29, 1960
Ministry Highlights:
Visiting and praying with parishioners in hospice and being present with them at the moment of death, surrounded by their family members, is a very rewarding experience.
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Rule:
"First of all, every time you begin a good work, you must pray to him most earnestly, to bring it to perfection." (Prologue v. 4)
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
As a community, I have experienced the Sisters bonding together as a family, supporting one another, assisting each other when needed, celebrating events together to remember and build community life, playing and relaxing with each other, and taking time to listen and be present to those who seek companionship.
S. Janice Iverson, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1959
Date of Profession: June 1967
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary & High School Educator; Athletics Coach; Cardiac-Pulmonary Rehab Program Director; Staff Member at Chemical Dependency Facility
Current Ministry:
Exercise & Fitness Therapy for our Elderly Sisters
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Steadfast in truth and the observance of good works, let us, with the Gospel as our guide, go forward on this path, that we may deserve to see His kingdom, Him who has called to us.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The joy of being a Benedictine Sister in this community is praying the Divine Office together, attending Eucharist each day, recreating together, and creatively serving one another, especially the elderly sisters.
S. Judeen Seeberger, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1959
Date of Profession: June 1967
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary & High School Educator; Athletics Coach; Cardiac-Pulmonary Rehab Program Director; Staff Member at Chemical Dependency Facility
Current Ministry:
Exercise & Fitness Therapy for our Elderly Sisters
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Steadfast in truth and the observance of good works, let us, with the Gospel as our guide, go forward on this path, that we may deserve to see His kingdom, Him who has called to us.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The joy of being a Benedictine Sister in this community is praying the Divine Office together, attending Eucharist each day, recreating together, and creatively serving one another, especially the elderly sisters.
S. Johanna Schumacher, OSB
Director of Hospitality
Date Entered Community: September 1955
Date of Profession: June 1957
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Hospital Pharmacist in SD & NE; Project Coordinator for the Construction of Benet Place; Staff Accountant at Mount Marty College
Current Ministry:
Director of Monastery Hospitality & Volunteer
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Listen, incline the ear of your heart.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The joy of being a Benedictine Sister is found in our common life – sharing and participating as a community in prayer, work, and leisure as a “family.”
S. Joyce Piatz, OSB
Secretary to the Prioress
Date Entered Community: August 1951
Date of Profession: June 1954
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator; Dietician & Food Service Director; Staff Member at a Drug & Alcohol Treatment Facility
Current Ministry:
Secretary to the Prioress
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Listen,” the first word of the Prologue
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The joy of being a Benedictine Sister is found in community, our friendships, and interactions with others. We love and support each other in good times and bad as we recognize how God loves each one of us.
S. Judith Fischer, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: November 1958
Date of Profession: June 1960
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator (Elementary through Graduate School); Hospital Chaplain & Pastoral Ministry; 5th & 8th Prioress
Current Ministry:
Pastoral Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 72: “They should each try to be the first to show respect to the other (Rom. 12:10), supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behavior, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another. No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead, what he judges better for someone else.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
A Benedictine community provides a good metaphor for any Christian community. Joy is found in seeking God together in acceptance, support, and love. As in every other vocation, joy comes with the emptying of self and, together, embracing the love of God that always surrounds us.
S. Marietta Miller, OSB
Pastoral & Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1949
Date of Profession: June 1951
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator & Principal for Elementary Grades
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 4: “Love God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
I have always had the love and support of my sisters in community. There has been someone close by to help and support me through challenging and difficult times. Praying, sharing meals, and recreation together are always a joy!
S. Marilyn Heck, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1953
Date of Profession: June 1958
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator & Principal; Parish Religious Education Director
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“To be in the school of the Lord’s service.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
It brings me great joy to know that we are always trying hard to meet the needs of the local Watertown community while living, praying, and working as a strong Benedictine community.
S. Marion Fischer, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1949
Date of Profession: June 1951
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator; Native American & Overseas Missionary
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“Listen. Pray. Work.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
I have been able to go places and help people, all while learning about myself and God in the process.
S. Marlene Minnaert, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1957
Date of Profession: June 1959
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary & High School Educator; Scripture Instructor; Parish & Pastoral Ministry; Prioress from 2011 to 2017
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear." (Ps 27:1)
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
What a joy to be in this community of loving women! Our communal life is fostered by striving to love God and one another. The “glue” of our life
S. Marmion Maiers, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: November 1945
Date of Profession: June 1946
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator & Principal; Parish & Diocesan Religious Education Ministry
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 72: “Let no one seek that which he accounts useful for himself, but what is profitable for another.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
We are large enough to be a community and small enough to be a family. So we share the joys and sorrows of each member.
S. Mary-Lambert Skalsky, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: November 1951
Date of Profession: June 1953
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator; Hospital Administration; Director of Catholic Social Services; Community Procurator
Current Ministry:
Sabbatical
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“We shall run the way of God’s commandments, with expanded hearts, with expanded hearts of love.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
I know that I am unique and “precious in His sight.”
S. Marva J. Hoeckelman, OSB
Prayer Ministry, Author
Date Entered Community: August 1991
Date of Profession: June 1998
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator
Current Ministry:
Community Archivist
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
All of Chapter 72: “The Good Zeal of a Monk”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
There are many aspects of monastic life that make living in this community a joy: sharing, forgiveness, flexibility, togetherness, Gospel, peace, companionship, prayer, work, play, study, freedom, journey, balance, life, support, and love…almost heaven.
S. Michaeleen Jantzer, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: September 1944
Date of Profession: June 1947
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator & Principal; Professor & Campus Minister, NDSU; Pastoral Minister at St. James Basilica, ND
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry & Writer of Letters/Correspondence
Favorite Verse in the Rule:
"Listen carefully to the master's instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart."
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
My joys have included celebrating and participating in the Eucharist and praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Sharing the Love of God and sharing in the faith journeys of people of all ages.
S. Ramona Fallon, OSB
Community Servant Leader, Oblate Director
Date Entered Community: August 1954
Date of Profession: June 1957
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator & Principal for Elementary Grades; 9th Prioress
Current Ministry:
Community Servant Leader, Oblate Director
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ps. 133:1 “How good it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live in unity."
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
The aspects of Benedictine monastic life that have brought me joy are living in community - sharing prayer, work, and leisure. Holding all things in common and knowing my sisters.
Contact:
Phone: 605.882.6631
Email: ramona.fallon@gmail.com
S. Rebecca Littel, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: September 1957
Date of Profession: June 1959
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Nurse; Foreign Mission Work; Pastoral Care
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry, Religious Education, Gardener
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
"The good zeal of monks..." (Chapter 72)
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
Having the Holy Spirit's inspirations and guidance.
S. Sandra Meek, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1956
Date of Profession: June 1958
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Nurse; Nursing Educator; 7th Prioress
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Ch. 4: “Love God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
It is a joy to be a member of this community because of the love and concern we have for each other and God.
S. Teresa Ann Wolf, OSB
Social Justice Advocate
Date Entered Community: August 1962
Date of Profession: June 1964
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Educator; Foreign Mission Work; Outreach to Native Americans
Current Ministry:
Member, Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
After many years of living away from community, I am grateful to live in community again - especially to be able to pray together. Our liturgical life is extremely rich and fulfilling.
Contact:
Phone: 605.878.2021
Email: srteresawolf@gmail.com
S. Theresa Hoffman, OSB
Prioress, Spiritual Director and Liturgy Director
Date Entered Community: August 2008
Date of Profession: July 2010
Ministry Highlights:
Former Parish Music & Liturgical Ministry, Catechetical Ministry, Director of Monastery Liturgy & Music
Current Ministry:
Prioress, Spiritual Director, and Liturgy Director
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
Prologue 46b: “We hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome."
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
What brings me joy as a member of this Benedictine community are the opportunities and the encouragement to grow, to develop talents and gifts previously hidden. As a result, I am being loved into wholeness.
Contact:
Phone: 605.882.6633
Email: prioress@watertownbenedictines.org
S. Veronica Haag, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1947
Date of Profession: June 1951
Ministry Highlights:
Retired Elementary Educator & Outreach to Native Americans
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
Favorite Verse in the Holy Rule:
“What you do to the least of my brothers you do to me.”
The JOY of being a Benedictine Sister in this community:
I have loved being a Benedictine sister because of our prayer life, time for quiet, and especially our outreach to the poor.
S. Yvonne Linster, OSB
Prayer Ministry
Date Entered Community: August 1955
Date of Profession: June 1957
Ministry Highlights:
Retired X-Ray Technician/CPE; Home Health Aide
Current Ministry:
Prayer Ministry
What is an Oblate of St. Benedict? 
Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian individuals or families who have associated themselves with a Benedictine community in order to enrich their Christian way of life.
Today, throughout the world, there are thousands of Oblates praying and working in spiritual union with Benedictine women and men of various communities and receiving spiritual strength and inspiration from their association as Oblates.
Oblates:
- Shape their lives by living the wisdom of Christ as interpreted by St. Benedict. Oblates seek God by striving to become holy in their chosen way of life. By integrating their prayer and work, they manifest Christ's presence in society.
- Oblates do not take on a new set of religious practices and are not required to say a certain number of prayers or engage in special devotions.
- They do not live in a religious community or take vows.
- The role of Oblates is to live in the world, do what they can to bring the world to God and share the values and teachings of Benedict. The purpose of a charism, a gift, is to give it away!
The Rule: A Guide for Oblates
Oblates promise to lead an enriched Christian life according to the gospel as reflected in the Rule of St. Benedict. In this way they share in the spiritual benefits of the sons and daughters of Benedict who are dedicated to the monastic life by vow.
After a time of preparation, which culminates in an Act of Oblation -- a rite approved by the Church -- the candidates become Oblates of St. Benedict. This promise affiliates them with a Benedictine community and commits them to apply to their lives the characteristic monastic principles.
- Oblates strive after stability and fidelity in their lives by regular worship with other Christians and by the support they give to the social and educational apostolates of their local parishes as well as that of the Church as a whole.
- In accord with the teaching of Benedict, Oblates practice moderation. This moderation manifests itself in the use of the goods of this world, an increasing concern to their neighbor, and in the way they temper and direct their desires.
- In the spirit of obedience, Oblates strive to discover and maintain their proper relationship toward God, their family, and the civil and religious society in which they live. Before God, Oblates must come to recognize themselves as creatures dependent on their Creator and as sinners before their Redeemer.
Oblate Spirituality
Benedictine Oblates seek God in association with a monastic community: as individuals and as members of a body, they grow in love of God, neighbor, and self. With the Rule as their guide, Oblates adopt values that are part of the very fabric of Christian spirituality, such as, spending time daily reflecting on the Sacred Scriptures; cultivating an awareness of the presence of God in silence; devoting time to the praise of God; performing acts of mortification. An acquaintance with these and other Christian values presented in the Rule of St. Benedict will enable Oblates to attain that special peace and joy that Christ came to bring and promised to all who follow him.
The Director of Oblates provides direction and instruction through letters or meetings. Conferences, group discussions, common prayers, and participation in the community's liturgical life afford Oblates the opportunity for spiritual growth. In offering this assistance to the individual Oblate, the guiding principle is that stated by St. Benedict in chapter 64 of his Rule: "Let the Abbot so moderate all things that there be something for the strong to strive after, and nothing to dishearten the weak."
(The text above was taken from a pamphlet prepared by the Directors of Oblates at the July 1982 meeting. Published by The Liturgical Press, Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321. A revised edition is mentioned next.)