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The 58 sisters and 10 women in
initial formation who comprise the
Monastery of St. Gertrude are
members of the Benedictine order which dates back more than 1,500 years.
In the midst of 6th century social upheavals in Italy, Benedict of Norcia created a way of communal life that
provided its members with an environment of stability and creativity, continuous prayer for the church and
world, and an experience of the transformation that can happen when people
of diverse nationalities and economic and social strata live together in
unity.
The sisters of St. Gertrude's
continue to carry Benedict’s practical dream into the future. They
are modern monastics living a communal life focused on prayer, work, study
and leisure.
Their daily prayer includes celebrating the
Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharist together as well as having times for
personal prayer. From this deep commitment to prayer the sisters as
individuals and as a body respond to “needs of the times” through a
variety of ministries with and for the church, society and world.
This balance of prayer and service
continues to embody the challenges and discernment required of the three foundresses of the community
who arrived in the Northwest from Sarnen, Switzerland in 1882. The
community's road to Idaho spanned 25
years and meandered through Oregon and Washington. In 1907 they settled near
a new farming community called
Cottonwood where they transformed a frame home into a monastery. The
cornerstone of the present monastery was laid in 1920. |
Benedictine
Sisters, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho
