Benedictine Sister Theresa (Trinita) Lodermeier, 90, died Oct. 19 at Saint Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. The Eucharist of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, with burial of cremated remains in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call at Saint Scholastica Convent on Friday, Oct. 27, for a prayer service at 3 p.m. followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m., or for a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral on Oct. 28.
The youngest child of Michael and Sophia Rose (Roeder) Lodermeier, she was born Oct. 1, 1933, in St. Joseph, where she attended St. Joseph Grade School and Saint Benedict’s High School. She entered Saint Benedict’s Monastery on Sept. 12, 1951, was received into the novitiate as Sister Trinita June 18, 1952, made first monastic profession July 11, 1953, and perpetual monastic profession July 11, 1956. She reverted to her baptismal name, Theresa, in 1968, celebrated her golden jubilee in 2003 and her 60th anniversary of profession in 2013.
A graduate of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Sister Theresa received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with minors in English and philosophy. She also attended the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, an institute for RCIA at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, and received a certificate of ministry from the College of Saint Benedict.
Sister Theresa served as an elementary school teacher at St. Paul’s School, St. Cloud, and as teacher and principal at St. John the Baptist in Collegeville. She was teacher, principal and religious education coordinator in the Bahamas at Nassau and Grand Bahamas, where she spent 11 years. Returning to Saint Benedict’s Monastery, she taught at Sts. Peter and Paul Middle School in St. Cloud and taught religion at John XXIII/Cathedral High School in St. Cloud.
She was director of religious education at Holy Family Parish in Belle Prairie, Minnesota, community life coordinator at St. Raphael’s Convent, St. Cloud, took a spiritual renewal program and later opened St. Sophia House of Prayer in Hampton, Minnesota, and served as coordinator of religious education at St. Pius V Parish in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. For several years, Sister Theresa served at St. Mary’s Mission in Red Lake, Minnesota, followed by ministry in the gardens, physical plant, housekeeping and transportation at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. She moved to Saint Scholastica Convent in 2015 and to Saint Benedict’s Senior Community in 2016.
Sister Theresa is survived by the sisters of her Benedictine community and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, Virgil (Marietta), William (Beatrice) and Leon (Imelda), and sisters and brothers-in-law, Marcia (Albert) Kuebelbeck, Esther (Earl) Doty, Catherine “Kay” (Othmar) Dierkhising, RoseMarie (Fred) Gleich and Dolores (Francis) Phillips.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict Outreach Ministries.