Mount Marty College students join their Sister Prayer Partners for Evening Prayer each semester.

When, how, why and where do the Yankton Benedictines pray?  These are frequent questions asked by visitors and others.

St. Benedict says in his Rule that “Nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God.”  By this he means that the prayer life of the community is their most important activity as members of a monastery.  They gather in the chapel in the morning and evening to pray the Liturgy of the Hours which consists of hymns, psalms, readings and petitions.  Noon Prayer and Compline, night prayer, are prayed together in the living groups.

S. Denette Leifeld enhances Easter Sunday Morning Prayer with Sacred movement.

Eucharist is central in the life of the community.

Every sister spends time each day in lectio, which is a prayerful, reflective reading of Sacred Scripture.  Sisters also have devotional prayer which they pray individually or with others.  For some sisters, especially those in the Care Center, prayer is their special ministry and they are often referred to as the “powerhouse” of prayer. 

A special prayer board lists many requests for prayer, some of which come via the monastery website.

Prayer partners are another aspect of the prayer life of the community.  Sisters draw the names of each other  every August and pray for their partner during the year.  College students and faculty who wish to have a Sister prayer partner are paired with a sister who prays for them and invites them to prayer and social events.  Many long lasting friendships have grown out of these partnerships.

S. Erin Colgan spends time in daily lectio, a prayerful, reflective reading of Sacred Scripture

The sisters pray for the needs of the diocese, its parishes and its seminarians, and for parishes in their home towns.  The sponsored institutions and all who work in them are remembered in prayer on a regular basis.  The needs of the broader world, especially the poor, are also part of the community’s daily prayer.

Several sisters minister as spiritual directors. S. Jeanne Ranek directs a 2-year program which trains spiritual directors of all faiths.  The presence of these groups in the monastery is an enriching experience.

Those who are looking for a place and time of quiet are frequent guests in the Peace Center, a retreat space within the monastery.  Groups and individuals of all faiths come to share prayer with the sisters, receive spiritual direction, and enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the monastery grounds and the nearby Lewis & Clark Lake area.