At her 50th Jubilee celebration, Sister Bernadette Weber stated, “The community has called me forth to be who I am and to recognize and share my gifts … open to any service needed.” Scanning her years in community, it is obvious that S. Bernadette held those words wholeheartedly and lived them devotedly. Undoubtedly, her upbringing in the large Weber family from St. Martin, Minn., where she was the fifth of 12 children, helped form her to live the Benedictine life. In her oral history, she notes that, “It was a faith-filled family,” one living the Benedictine values—especially of community, prayer and work.
Born December 7, 1929, S. Bernadette came to Saint Benedict’s High School in St. Joseph, Minn., in 1946. She entered the novitiate in 1949, making first vows in 1950. S. Bernadette then began a long ministry in the field of education with a focus on students with special needs. She graduated from the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and English and philosophy minors. In 1965, she began studies at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee, Wis., to earn a degree in special education. She received her master’s degree in 1971.
Working with developmentally challenged persons remained her special concern after being assigned in 1957 to teach with Sister Elizabeth Ann Widmer at St. Gertrude School in the Institute Building in St. Cloud, Minn. When the building was demolished in 1971, she taught her class at John XXIII School for two years. Seeing the need for Special Religious Education, S. Bernadette set up release time religion programs for them in the Diocese of St. Cloud, helping prepare both children and adults for Communion and confirmation. She also worked with persons who were hearing impaired, taking sign language classes to better engage them.
S. Bernadette’s varied ministries span several decades and include:
- Teaching parochial elementary education for six years.
- Teaching mentally handicapped students for 15 years.
- Serving as a diocesan consultant for Special Religious Education for 11 years.
- Heading the diocesan RENEW program for two years.
- Working at Mother Terese Home in Cold Spring, Minn., for 11 years.
- Writing columns for the St. Cloud Visitor, the diocesan newspaper, while working in the diocese. The columns, written intermittently during the 1980s and ‘90s, emphasized outreach to the mental and physically handicapped.
In 2020, age 90, S. Bernadette moved to Saint Scholastica Convent, our retirement community in St. Cloud. She had served in various roles there from 1997–2006; now she was ready for a change of pace but with desire for continued service. While her main task is managing the gift shop, she also embroiders dish towels and helps fold and distribute laundry.
Congratulations and thanks to you, S. Bernadette, as you continue living out your Benedictine values.
Jubilee profile written by Carol Berg, OSB
