Archives
Saint Benedict’s Monastery maintains a physical and digital archive for use by scholars, genealogists and the general public to learn more about the lives of Benedictine women in the 19th century to the present day. Inquiries should be addressed to sbmarchive@csbsju.edu.
The archive staff uploads videos to our YouTube channel. This is an ongoing project, so keep checking back to learn more about the community’s history. You can also view digitized films that have been submitted to Minnesota Digital Library (Minnesota Reflections).
Location
The Archives is located on the lowest level of the 1983 addition to Sacred Heart Chapel. A receptionist in the Gathering Place directs visitors to the Archives.
Hours
Monday – Friday: 8 – 11:15 a.m., 1 – 4 p.m.
Appointments are preferred.
For more information, contact:
Mariterese Woida, OSB
Archivist
(320) 363-7034
sbmarchive@csbsju.edu
Archives Collection
The Archives houses documents, photographs, sound and video recordings and motion picture film. The ongoing oral history program has, at present, approximately 600 transcriptions of audio tapes of interviews with sisters and lay associates.
The materials are descriptive of religious life and ministries of the sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery from the 19th century until the present. Although the sisters have had a presence in more than 100 places, those for which there are a significant number of records include the following:
From the Chronicles
“Sister Michael Kilmer was recently recognized for her volunteer work with FISH, an emergency aid organization to help people in need; she was awarded the Volunteer Certificate of Recognition for an outstanding citizen of St. Cloud and the State of Minnesota.”
Michael (Deborah) Kilmer (1914–1999) was born in New York City to poets Joyce and Aline Murray Kilmer. Her father was killed in France in WWI when she was 3 years old. She came to Saint Benedict’s hoping to become a missionary. Instead, she became a medical technician and spent 20 years in the St. Cloud Hospital lab while also teaching in the schools of nursing and medical technology. Later, she was administrator of nursing homes in Albany and Cold Spring, served in several capacities in the motherhouse and college and was active in volunteer programs. She was noted for insatiable curiosity. She was an avid reader and devoted to the legacy of her poet-parents.