Mount Welcomes Merger with Oklahoma Benedictines
October 28, 2008

The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison have accepted the request of a group of Oklahoma Benedictines to merge with the Mount. In 1968, a group of Benedictine sisters from Tulsa founded Red Plains Monastery, located near Piedmont, in the Oklahoma City area. (Read about the history of Red Plains Monastery) The community ministries include retreats, educational workshops and spiritual direction. Recently, they have been addressing the challenges which confront many small religious communities, such as fewer women entering and the retirement needs of the older members.

Upon completion of a five-year planning process, the sisters unanimously decided to affiliate with the Atchison community.” said Sister Jan Futrell, O.S.B., prioress of Red Plains since 2002.

The sisters chose to collaborate with the Atchison group with whom they felt compatible in spirit and in mission. According to Sister Jan, “We believe we have a good fit. Like us, Atchison has a long reputation for its commitment to spirituality and education, with a special focus on the needs of women.”

The doors of Red Plains Monastery will remain open and all current ministries will continue with, as Barbara Nichols, development director at Red Plains, noted, “the additional support of greater resources. There will be a sharing of personnel and administrative tasks between the two communities." Two sisters from Atchison are currently living with the Oklahoma group and others have gone for short periods to provide various types of expertise. As needed, Mount St. Scholastica will provide professional care for Red Plains’ elder sisters in Dooley Center.

Sister Anne Shepard, prioress of Mount St. Scholastica, expressed her community's feelings about the merger. "As Benedictines, these sisters have many commonalities with us. We both value communal and private prayer. We both value community-building both within the walls of the monasteries and among the people we serve. We both have a history of having sisters study and teach spirituality, theology and pastoral ministry, as well as having a strong commitment to social justice. From the first visit of our monastic council to Red Plains Monastery, we judged this group of women to be very holy and very much like us in our mission. We are blessed to have them join us."

The sisters will transfer their monastic profession on March 21, 2009, in a ceremony at Mount St. Scholastica.