Benedictine Sisters In Ferdinand Have A New Prioress

At 4:15 last Saturday afternoon, residents in the small town of Ferdinand heard some news the old-fashioned way.

The Sisters of St. Benedict, up on the Holy Hill, had a new prioress, and in a centuries-old mode of communication, they were ringing the monastery bells to let everyone know.

They are a religious community of 158 members who follow the 1,500-year old Benedictine Rule, teaching, serving in parishes, offering retreats, providing health care, counseling, working with immigrant populations, and helping the homeless, the poor, and those recovering from addictions. They currently serve in Indiana, Kentucky, Italy, and Peru.

And, after spending part of last week together, the sisters had discerned a new prioress.

She is Benedictine Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz, and she will become their thirteenth prioress during a formal installation ceremony at Monastery Immaculate Conception on Saturday, July 13. She succeeds Sister Kristine Anne Harpenau, who has served as prioress since 2003.

The prioress is the religious community’s spiritual leader, chief administrator and official representative to the Church and to civic communities.

As prioress, Sister Barbara Lynn will lead the religious community in living out their vocation to seek God in the monastic way of life as articulated in their mission statement: “We, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, are monastic women seeking God through the Benedictine tradition of community life, prayer, hospitality and service to others. By our life and work, we commit ourselves to be a presence of peace as we join our sisters and brothers in the common search for God.”

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Sister Barbara Lynn, 58, entered the monastery in 1981 from St. Anne Parish in Highland, Tenn. She made her profession of monastic vows in 1982.

She has been director of mission advancement the past four years. She was parish administrator/pastoral associate at St. Mary Parish in Evansville from 2003 to 2008.

She served as business/financial consultant for Benedictine communities throughout the United States from 2002 to 2003. She was treasurer and business manager for the sisters in Ferdinand from 1989 to 2001 and business manager for Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand from 1981 to 1989.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Memphis State University in 1976 and a master’s degree in institutional administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1990.

Father Stephen Lintzenich is the pastor at St. Mary Parish. He said, “Our hearts are proud as we recall the many gifts that Sister Barbara left us at St. Mary Church.

“To hear of her discerned call to be prioress comes as no real surprise.  Her many gifts and talents are well known by all who meet her and love her. She epitomizes the expression: the wheels were down long before she landed.

“It seems like just yesterday that she interviewed for the position of pastoral associate at St. Mary Church. She had been the treasurer for a number of years at the monastery and was ready for pastoral work.

“She brought with her great skills in human relations, finances, stewardship and development.

“She was a household word in our parish family in the first six months.   In a couple of years she developed a new strategic plan for our parish and together we raised the first couple million dollars to continue the restoration of our sacred space.

“She along with a team of great musicians researched, traveled and interviewed organ builders, and oversaw the selection and installation of our new pipe organ. She was and still is a real worker.”

The pastor noted that the people of St. Mary Parish loved “her prayer and her presence. She attended all the Masses at St. Mary on the weekend.  She was a great witness for the Benedictine Sisters, and no job was too little or too much for Sister Barbara. She was a unifying force in the parish.

“Sister Barbara is a real people-person and a trusted friend, a true angel. On behalf of all the people of St. Mary Church, we will continue to hold her in prayer for the many new duties and responsibilities that will come before her.”