Benedictine Sister Nancy Bauer of St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph was installed as president of the Monastic Congregation of St. Benedict, a grouping of 10 women’s Benedictine monasteries, on July 24.
She will serve a six-year term in a role that brings her back to her home community in St. Joseph after teaching canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for eight years.
“It feels like the Holy Spirit has drawn me to this,” Sister Nancy told The Central Minnesota Catholic in August.
The Monastic Congregation of St. Benedict includes six monasteries in the United States, including three in Minnesota, and four “island monasteries” in Taiwan, Japan, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Each monastery is run by its own prioress, or superior. But as a group, the congregation has a president.
“And that’s what my role now is,” Sister Nancy said.
Her role involves a variety of functions, including supporting the prioresses of each of the 10 monasteries.
“They can refer questions to me if they wish, or if they need some help in certain areas,” Sister Nancy said.
Her other duties include presiding at the election of new prioresses, visiting each monastery to “see how things are going” and providing other support, and even acting as a liaison with the Holy See.
“So the president is really kind of a support person, but also has some you might say juridical role in those visitations,” she said.
Sister Nancy takes over from Sister Kerry O’Reilly, also a member of the St. Joseph community, who served as president for seven years. It was at the congregation’s chapter, or meeting, this summer that Sister Nancy was elected.
Sister Nancy, a native of Miesville, Minnesota, was prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery from 2005 to 2011. She received her doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America, and served as vice chancellor for the Diocese of St. Cloud. She also served as editor for The St. Cloud Visitor, the Central Minnesota Catholic magazine’s predecessor, from 1989 to 1998.
Sister Nancy said it will “be great to be back home” in Minnesota.
“I love Minnesota, especially winter. Winter [in Washington] is just wimpy, you can hardly call it winter,” Sister Nancy said with a laugh.
Though she said she was “somewhat torn,” she felt “very joyful” when elected as president.
“To teach canon law at The Catholic University is a privilege, and it has been good, but I was very open to the Holy Spirit and I just let it be in God’s hands,” Sister Nancy said.
At first, she said she “debated back and forth” about being chosen as a candidate, and the “advantages of staying here, going home and … being president.”
“I wondered back and forth and then finally I just let all that go and let it up to God,” Sister Nancy said.
And it was her Benedictine commitment, which is to serve “wherever it seems God and the community are calling,” that helped her to remain a candidate.
“A few months before the end of spring semester, I just became very calm and confident that the Holy Spirit was leading this and I would know if it was the right thing at some time,” Sister Nancy said. “That happened during the election process; I knew that this was the right thing to accept this.”
Now, Sister Nancy said she is “eager to begin” and is most excited to be back living the “whole common life” with her community.
“I feel trustful that this is God’s desire for our congregation right now and I just hope I do well and I ask the prayers of all the people of the diocese,” she said.