The Benedictine Sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho, wish to announce the election of their new prioress, Sister Teresa Jackson, OSB.
The election took place during meetings held November 10-12, 2023, with the entire monastic community present at Spirit Center on the Center for Benedictine Life campus. Also present were Sister Jeanne Weber, OSB, of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota, who serves as president of the Monastic Congregation of St. Gertrude, and facilitator, Sister Jane Becker, OSB, of Monastery Immaculate Conception, Ferdinand, Indiana. The discussions included review and approval of direction statements, as well as a process of discernment prior to voting for the new prioress.
From the San Francisco Bay Area, Sister Teresa earned degrees in history, law and spirituality before entering the Monastery of St. Gertrude in 1997. She professed first vows in 2000 and final vows in 2003. She has ministered as a retreat facilitator, volunteer director and vocation director, and is a certified spiritual director. Since the death of the previous prioress, Sister Mary Forman, in April 2024, Sister Teresa has served as interim administrator of the monastic community. Her plans include continuing to broaden the Center for Benedictine Life's outreach, sharing the Benedictine charism and spirituality with all those seeking a deeper connection to God.
Sister Teresa’s formal installation as prioress will take place on December 3 at 1:30 pm in the monastery chapel. All are welcome to attend.
The Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of St. Gertrude is a community which encompasses the Benedictine Sisters, the Oblate Community of St. Gertrude, the Benedictine Cohousing Community, the employees, friends and benefactors. While offering healing hospitality, grateful simplicity and creative peacemaking to the world, this community shares the Benedictine charism and spirituality through in-person and online programs available at Spirit Center, along with the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude on the monastery campus, and the Inn at St. Gertrude, a bed and breakfast.
The Monastic Congregation of St. Gertrude (https://mcstgertrude.org) consists of 12 member monasteries and two affiliated ecumenical monasteries of Benedictine women, located from the Appalachians to the West Coast and from Arkansas to British Columbia. The congregation was established by the Apostolic See in Rome on April 14, 1937, with definitive approval received April 4, 1950. The member monasteries, while independent, support each other and collaborate on matters of governance as Benedictine life continues to evolve in the 21st century.