The Ministry of
The Sisters of the Order St. Benedict in the Province of Alberta
1955 to 2011
In 1955 the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in Arborg, Manitoba responded to a call
to teach in the province of Alberta in the new R.C. Assumption School in the village of
Oyen. Since that grace-filled call, the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict have continued
to minister to this day in other areas of the province of Alberta.
Their call came on December 20, 1954, when Fr. Stephen Molnar, pastor of Sacred Heart
Parish in Oyen, Alberta wrote a letter to Rev. Mother Dorothea, O.S.B., prioress of the
Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in which he requested the services of two teaching
Sisters for the newly established Assumption R.C. Separate School District #5- (October
1, 1954) in Oyen, Alberta. The parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish had taken a great
leap in faith and courage when they had the first Separate School District established in
27 years outside the cities and towns of the Diocese of Calgary.
Thus, while the school district became firmly established, and plans were moving
forward for the construction of the school, the greatest need still had to be addressed
which was to obtain the services of at least two teaching Sisters who would pioneer this
brave venture.
To his grateful surprise, Fr. Molnar received a reply from Mother Dorothea dated March
3, 1955 which indicated that the Sisters would be willing to respond favourably to his
request pending the receipt of further detailed information and a site visit.
Following this hopeful response, Fr. Molnar quickly contacted the R.C. Bishop of
Calgary and plans were swiftly put into motion for the sisters to begin a canonically
established branch house, known as St. Benedict’s Convent in the village of Oyen,
Alberta.
As in all great plans and dreams, when the four Sisters arrived in Oyen, Alberta, on
August 24, 1955, they found that the new school and convent were not ready.
Furthermore neither would be ready till the following May. Sacred Heart Parish had
purchased a three-story home from a local Hutterite colony and made plans to have it
moved sometime in the future near the site where the school was to be built. In the
meantime, the Sisters would teach in the parish hall and church sacristy or wherever a
space for a classroom was available, and they would live in the parish rectory.
The first four Benedictine sisters (as they were commonly known) that arrived in Oyen,
Alberta were Sr. Cecilia Socha, superior and homemaker, Sr. Clementine Janicki, piano
teacher who would provide private music lessons to pupils in the village, Sr. Mathilda
Lucas, teacher and principal (grades 7-9), and Sr. Gerarda Pura, teacher (grades 1-6).
Besides teaching, the latter two Sisters took care of the sanctuary and altar linens at the
Parish church, prepared the children’s choir for both Low and High Masses, went to the
three Mission churches (Sibbald, Youngstown & Sunnybrook, Alberta) each Saturday
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and Sunday to provide religious instruction to the children. For the first couple of years,
these Sisters also provided the janitorial service in the school as the budget was not able
to handle the salary for a janitor.
Within a few years the school population grew and soon there was a need for more
teachers. By 1963 there were six sisters living in the convent and ministering where
needed. In all, 26 Benedictine Sisters continued their various ministries in Oyen and
surrounding areas until 1973.
Meanwhile, in 1963 Fr. Molnar was transferred to Calgary to start the new Parish of St.
Cecilia in the south west area of the city. Since he was so pleased with the missionary
spirit and cooperative work of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Oyen, Alberta, he dared again
to send a plea to the new prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Mother Clothilde Kolano. This time his request was for several Sisters to teach in the
two R.C. Separate Schools located within the parish boundaries, namely, St. Cecilia’s and
St. Matthew’s Schools. Initially, five Sisters were sent to establish a convent in Calgary
– Sr. Eleanor Grzymalowski (house superior & private kindergarten teacher), Srs. Lioba
Broda and Imelda Koldesk (teachers at St. Cecilia’s school), Sr. Gregory Koldesk
(teacher at St. Matthew’s school) and Sr. Christina Wenger (housekeeper).
Following the firm establishment of the second convent in the province of Alberta, the
ministry of the Sisters of St. Benedict continued to flourish over the years mainly in the
area of education. Their teaching in the two original elementary schools soon expanded
to teaching religion in various elementary, junior high and senior high schools in the
Calgary Catholic School system (St. Mary’s community school, Bishop Grandin, Bishop
O’Byrne, Bishop McNally, St. Rupert’s, St. Benedict’s, Bishop Kidd and Holy Cross) as
well as working as an itinerant teacher for the Calgary Catholic School Board with
special needs children in the area of visually impaired and developmentally delayed
students and as a consultant for the developmentally delayed students. Additional works
of the Sisters included ministering as Diocesan Liturgical Director at the Calgary
Diocesan Liturgical Office; Director of Religious Education and RCIA at St. John’s and
St. Patrick’s parishes; parish ministry as pastoral assistant at St. Patrick’s and St. John’s
parishes; as member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission; provision of adult religious
education in St. James parish, Okotoks and St. Michael’s parish in Black Diamond;
nursing at the Calgary General Hospital; serving as house attendant at Diakonos House
(residential house to provide refuge for first responders during difficult personal
circumstances) in Calgary and Diakonos House north in Edmonton; and providing
spiritual direction, directing retreats and training new spiritual directors at Providence
Renewal Centre in Edmonton .
Reflecting on the ministry of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in the province of
Alberta over the last 56 years, one can see that their response to a call to Alberta and to
the various ministries has come from their discernment to do God’s will as a community
and as individuals. Their mission to witness Jesus Christ is visible in their
contemplative living, provision of hospitality, a daily rhythm of community and personal
prayer and their reverencing ministry to all God’s people within and beyond their
community.
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