Who are we?
The Benedictine Sisters of Erie have lived and worked in Erie, PA, for 149 years.

We are dedicated to remaining an integral part of this community, with a special outreach to the poor and marginalized.

During 149 years in the Erie Catholic Diocese, we have provided:
  • education for young women and youth in Erie, Sharon, Oil City, Clarion and Fryburg
  • day care centers for poor and migrant children
  • a soup kitchen, Kids Cafe and food pantry for Erie’s hungry
  • job training and work placement programs for the unemployed and underemployed
  • a Neighborhood Art House for inner-city children and families
  • a recreational center for the disabled and disadvantaged
  • stabilization and expansion of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania
  • summer youth camp programs
  • environmental programs
  • a spirituality center
  • national leadership in the Catholic Peace Movement
    The Benedictine Sisters of Erie have always served segments of the population for whom services were largely lacking or advocacy was missing. We invite you to join us in our efforts.
    We are 117 women committed to the Gospel and to the vision of life practiced by Saint Benedict and his sister, Saint Scholastica.

    We live together in community at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery on the shores of Lake Erie.

    We gather three times a day to pray for the change of heart, the depth of spirituality needed for such a world.
    We work in a wide range of ministries to build such a world.

    We lead an ordinary lifestyle of prayer and work, but do so for an extraordinary reason:
    • We want to change the world. We want a world that is more compassionate, just and forgiving.
    • We want a world where children can grow up without violence and guns.
    • We want a world where there are no hungry and no homeless. 
    • We want a world where all people are treated with dignity and respect, where all creation is seen as sacred.
    • We want a world that is centered in God.

    Our Corporate Commitment

    As a community we have adopted a corporate commitment for peace.

      A corporate commitment is a vision or goal that we agree to promote as a community and as individuals no matter where we are or in how many diverse ministries we might be engaged

      The corporate commitment of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie is:

    To model the Benedictine charism of peace, PAX,
    by working for disarmament,
    ecological stewardship,
    and social justice
    in solidarity with the poor and oppressed,
    especially women.