Benedictine Sister Paula Reiten, 94, died March 2 at St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. March 8 in the Sacred Heart Chapel at St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph. Burial of cremated remains will be in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, at St. Scholastica Convent or for a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. on March 8 until the time of the funeral.
Sister Paula (Mary Catherine) Reiten was born Oct. 26, 1924, the second of ten children, to Nelson and Lillian (Andrews) Reiten in Petersburg, North Dakota. She attended Petersburg grade school and Petersburg High School there. On September 13, 1945, she entered St. Benedict’s Monastery, was received into the novitiate June 19, 1946, taking the name Sister Paula, made first monastic profession on July 11, 1947, and perpetual monastic profession on July 11, 1950.
A graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Sister Paula received a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in biology and philosophy. She earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota, a doctoral degree from Columbia University, New York City, New York, and, in 1980, a master’s in library science. She also studied at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana; University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and Fordham University, Bronx, New York.
She served as an educator at Cathedral High School, St. Cloud, and at the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph. After completing her teaching career, Sister Paula served in the library of the College of St. Benedict and then as director of the monastic library, retiring on Dec. 31, 2007. From 2008, Sister Paula worked with memorabilia for St. Benedict’s Monastery. She moved to St. Scholastica Convent in 2012. Here, she carried out a ministry of prayer for the prioress and monastery leadership team and for vocations.
Sister Paula is survived by the sisters of her Benedictine community, one brother, Richard, Portland, Oregon, and two sisters, Patricia (Stanley) Cervenka, Burien, Washington, and Margaret Reiten, Portland, Oregon. Twin brothers, Thomas and David, and two sisters, Elizabeth Henry and Kathleen Reiten, preceded her in death.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict Retirement Fund.