Our Priories /Regions ... see all

• 

  TUTZING / Germany
  
  

• TUTZING MOTHER HOUSE

  Unsere Kongregation ist nach dem Ort Tutzing am Starnberger See benannt. Dort fingen die Schwestern ihre erste Gemeinschaft nach der Trennung von den Brudern in St. Ottilien an. Tutzing ist somit besonders bedeutsam fur uns. Hier sind die Wurzeln, aus denen heraus der weltweite Baum unserer vielen Gemeinschaften in aller Welt wuchs. Nach diesem Ort nennen sich heute rund 1.400 Schwestern in aller Welt.

• 

  PERAMIHO / Tanzania

• PERAMIHO PRIORY

  Our oldest African priory, PERAMIHO, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001. Out of the difficult beginnings and the blood of the first martyrs a flourishing native Church developed, richly blessed with many vocations. Native bishops, priests and religious continue the work of the German missionaries in their own culture. The large mission compounds include the towering church, monasteries of the monks and sisters, a hospital, diverse schools, workshops, business offices, farms and whatever is necessary to live and work in the African interior.

• 

  NDANDA / Tanzania

• NDANDA PRIORY

  The Ndanda Priory in Tanzania is our second oldest priory. Founded in 1908, it developed like Peramiho with hospitals, kindergarten, elementary and high schools, nursing schools, home economic schools, as well as workshops of all kinds.

  The large Mwena leper colony is famous through the years-long work of Sr. Lia Schwarzmueller. There was built a new Kindergarten.
  The AQUINAS SECONDARY SCHOOL in Mtwara could be constructed and blessed in 2008 with the help from a TV-program "Ein Herz fur Kinder" in Germany.
  Three of our doctors still work in Ndanda today. Here there is also a happy development of increasing native vocations. All the young Tanzanian sisters make their novitiate together in Peramiho.

• 

  OLINDA / Brasil
  

• OLINDA PRIORY

  (Oh, how beautiful!) the Portuguese sailors are supposed to have exclaimed when they first beheld this hill rising above the lush vegetation and the ocean. The name “Olinda” remains to this day, as well as the ancient colonial style “Misericordia Church” that belongs to our sisters and is visited by many tourists.
  The Olinda Priory, located in northeastern Brazil, was founded in 1903. The sisters devoted themselves to the education of youth and soon the St. Gertrude’s Academy (Academia Santa Gertrudes) rose on this hill. Many young Brazilians joined the sisters, making it possible to found nine more communities, several of them in the interior of the country. A university named FACHO (Faculty of Human Sciences of Olinda) also arose nearby.

• 

  SOROCABA / Brasil
  

• SOROCABA PRIORY

  In 1905, the first sisters sent from Olinda founded the southern Brazilian St. Scholastica Priory in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo. Today the priory has over 100 sisters and 10 houses. The sisters work in five elementary schools and four high schools. Furthermore, they run a kindergarten, a hospital, work in various parishes and take care of street children as well as many persons in the slums. Our two houses in Argentina belong to the Sorocaba Priory.

• 1995

   ARGENTINA
  

• ARGENTINA REGION 

  Five members of an Argentinian community in the Monasterio de la Epifania (Epiphany Monastery) in Buenos Aires began their novitiate on January 6, 1995, under the guidance of the Sorocaba Priory. They made their First Profession in 1998. In 2002, the sisters took over a guest house in Los Toldos, 186 miles (300 km) away.

• 

  MANILA / Philippines
  

• MANILA PRIORY (Tagaytay)

  St. Scholastica Priory in Manila, Philippines, with about 170 sisters and 19 communities, is the second largest priory in our Congregation. In the predominantly Catholic islands our sisters mainly established schools from kindergarten to college and a music conservatory in Manila. Today, about thousands of students are being taught in 25 facilities. The sisters also run a hospital. Filipina sisters are currently stationed in almost every priory world wide, thanks to many vocations in this predominantly Catholic country. In June 2014 Manila Priory has written a new page in their history moving the Priory House to Tagaytay for the better monastic ambience of the priory.

• 

  WINDHOEK / Namibia
  

• WINDHOEK PRIORY

  The priory house in Nubuamis, near Windhoek, is relatively new. The sisters's former seat was in the Catholic Hospital next to the cathedral in Windhoek. The incorporation of a large group of Namibian sisters into our Congregation necessitated a larger monastery that was built on dry, hilly land in Nubuamis. The novitiate is located here. The sisters also run a small kindergarten. A small community of sisters who work in the hospital remained in the city.

• 

  NORFOLK / USA
  

• NORFOLK PRIORY 

  The Norfolk Priory is located in the state of Nebraska in the midwestern USA. The sisters's apostolates are various. They've been engaged in education since 1923 and health care since 1931. Retreats, courses and meetings of every kind take place in the priory house. Many people come and go, seeking rest and peace and finding a spiritual home. In addition, the sisters work in the parish and school, help in a soup kitchen for the poor, and several devote themselves to service on behalf of the Mexican immigrants. Their fluent Spanish enables them to help in many ways. In Winnebago, a Native American Reservation, the sisters take care of the children and teach in the mission school. A special characteristic of the Priory is the large number of lay persons of all denominations who have joined the sisters as Benedictine Oblates. Although some live far away, many meet monthly for conferences and retreats in the priory house, and pray Vespers with the sisters. One of the sisters is the oblate directress. The Norfolk Priory has always been generous in hospitality towards co-sisters from all over the world who come for language studies, formation or education. American sisters have been sent to Africa, China and other parts of the world.. 

• 

  DAEGU / South Korea
  

• DAEGU PRIORY

  The Daegu Priory in South Korea, founded in 1951 by the sisters who fled from North Korea, is the largest priory of the Congregation today with 326 sisters and 33 houses. Out of the terror, suffering and death of the persecution, abundant new life flourishes here. The number of sisters grew so large that they decided to divide and found a new priory in Seoul in 1987. The sisters engage in manifold areas: they run the enormous 800-bed Fatima Hospital in Daegu, another 500-bed hospital, several rehabilitation centers for the handicapped, a high school with 463 students, Bible schools for adults, and a retreat center. They devote themselves to military chaplaincy and extensive ministries in 25 parishes. In addition, the sisters work in a home for needy TB patients and run a soup kitchen for the poor. In the monastery they make vestments. Several sister artists decorated the beautiful chapel with sculptures, made statues in the park, and created other objects

• 

  NAIROBI / Kenya
  

• NAIROBI PRIORY

  We all know the sad fate of Karen Blixen, the main figure in the movie "Out of Africa". The Nairobi priory house stands on the property of her former farm called "Karen". This is where our first native African novitiate was built for young women from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Angola. A retreat center was built in the beautiful area next to it. The ever increasing group of young sisters with a large novitiate is active in many fields such as parishes, groups, schools, kindergarten and clinics. A group of elderly persons is taken care of in the priory house. In 1984 the Generalate established the Nairobi Region, with the regional house in Karen, and stations in Ruaraka and Chesongoch. The first profession of a native sister from Uganda took place that same year. Sacred Heart Convent was dedicated in 1985. For many years initial formation members came from Peramiho, Ndanda, Uganda, Angola, Namibia and Kenya until they could receive formation in their own priories or regions. Nairobi became a priory in 1987 and a new priory house with a larger chapel was built in 1990. From the start, the Kenya foundations have been staffed with sisters of different nationalities. A second dispensary was opened in 1988 and the sisters began community based health care in the surrounding villages. "Subiaco Center", a retreat and guest house, was opened in 1995. It offers individual and group retreats, Christian courses and for religious communities, for Catholics and members of other churches.

• 

  SEOUL / South Korea
  

• SEOUL PRIORY

  The Seoul Priory was founded in 1987. 126 sisters work in 15 communities and engage in many kinds of socio-pastoral ministries. One of the houses is located among Korean immigrants in the United States.

  In addition to the pastoral work in 9 parishes, the sisters run 6 kindergartens and 1 significant kindergarten in the priory house compound. There is a school for deaf children (K-12) renowned for the first quality of Korea, a center for deaf mutes with a kindergarten for handicapped children, and two nursing homes (one of which is for deaf mutes). There is a children house who are temporary orphaned and can't live with their parent of any. They are also responsible for two soup kitchens for the elderly and unemployed. Two artistically gifted sisters work in their studios for sacred art and architecture. Recently many sister are being involved as professional coucilor's course which is on aim at the help of building healthy Family life and relationships and establishing right self-esteem. 

• 

  TORRES NOVAS /
  Portugal, Spain, Angola

• 1931

   ANGOLA
  

• ANGOLA REGION 

  1931-33: The first sisters came to the then Portuguese colony of Angola and founded the stations Galangue, Kuvango and Cuchi in the Kuando-Kubango Province, working with the Redemptorist Fathers. Only Cuchi remains today. 1967: Four new missionaries settled in Cazombo, in the Moxico Province located on the upper part of the Zambesi River, where they worked with the Benedictine missionaries from Singeverga, Portugal. 1972: The Serpa Pinta mission, today Menongue, was opened. But in 1975-77, all stations were given up in raging civil war. 1977: Three sisters returned to Menongue; Cuchi was destroyed and Cazombo couldn’t be reached. 1983: The sisters settled in the capitol, Luanda and, in 1998, in the totally destroyed Kuito Bié. Young Angolan women have since joined the community so today there is a promising novitiate in Luanda. The Angolan missions, once a region of the Generalate District, current belong to the Iberian Priory whose seat is in Portugal.

• 

  GENERALATE DISTIRCT: Bulgaria, Haus St. Benedikt, Uganda, India

• 

   ROME / ITALY: Generalate and Guest House

•  1920

   BULGARIA
  

• Zarevbrod in Bulgaria

  On January 10, 1914, four sisters were sent to Endjé, later called Zarevbrod. In the German emigrants community they were to take over school teaching, pastoral care and service to the sick. In 1948 all but two German sisters left the Communist Peoples' Republic to return to Germany after their work had become more and more limited. The other two remained with the Bulgarian sisters. They lived and worked in a home for mentally challenged people. In 1990, after the end of the communist regime, the sisters won back their freedom and new missionaries joined the brave community once again. They devote themselves mainly to the predominantly poor population.. 

•  1980

   Haus St. BENEDIKT
  in Tutzing / Germany

• Haus Benedikt in Tutzing

  For a long time the Generalate recognized the need to establish a home for elderly and ill German missionaries who wanted to return to their homeland or who could no longer be taken care of in the mission fields. Since the Motherhouse lacked sufficient capacity to receive these sisters, another possibility was sought. This was realized through the generosity of a Tutzing citizen, Frau Johanna Schwamm, who donated to the Congregation a large piece of property gloriously situated on the Bareislweg in Tutzing, Bavaria. On March 19, 1979, Frau Johanna Schwamm and our then prioress general, M. Gertrud Link, dug the first shovel on the property. The newly constructed home for the aged and nursing care was dedicated on August 15, 1980. Punalur / India  JINJA / Uganda 

•  1980

   JINJA / Uganda
  

• •  JINJA / Uganda
    
    Since 1993 our sisters have worked in Jinja, a station in Uganda, at the northern shore of Lake Victoria. They erected a clinic and kindergarten, and recently built an elementary school. The fertile land and moderate climatic conditions allow the sisters to mantain fruits- and vegetable gardens, as well as some cattle. 

•  1996

   PUNALUR / India

• • • • Punalur / India 

        After much prayer, study and discerning about beginning a ministry in India, the MissionaryBenedictine Sisters of Tutzing responded to the invitation of the Most Reverend Bishop MathiasKappil of the mission diocese of Punalur, Kerala. In November 1996, five sisters settled into atemporary residence at Villakudy.

        After a suitable location was found on the outskirts of the city ofPunalur, the monastery was constructed on one of the knoll in the Ghats Mountains.

        In January 2000, Shanti Nivas Monastery was blessed. One year later the chapel was dedicated by CardinalMeiser of Koln Diocese, Germany, a significant benefactor among other for the edifice. The community has grown to seventeen professed members who following the commonmonastic life with the Liturgy of the Hours.

        On July 11, 2009 the sisters could finally dedicate their new Convent.