Award Winner for Volume 13
Dual Vocations of Science and Religion: A Historical Case Study of Benedictine Women
This study examines Catholic Benedictine sisters who majored in sciences and taught science for over 100 years at the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, USA. In 1913, the College of Saint Benedict began as a women’s college, expanding Saint Benedict’s Academy, a boarding high school for women. This historical organizational case study analyzed archived data to understand the benefits and challenges of women who lived religious lives and studied science. Although women, in general, are still underrepresented in the sciences, the data collected provides information on how the sisters obtained advanced degrees as early as 1923, well before women were widely accepted in the sciences in colleges. Over time, the need for training scientists declined. The academic cooperation with the male college, Saint John’s University, allowed coeducational courses, merging departments, and decreasing the need for faculty. The demand for teachers in K-12 schools also fell as choices increased for public education and some Catholic high schools closed. The sisters, however, contributed to scientific research and collaborated with scientists worldwide while living religious lives, despite the long duration of academic studies. In addition, they were role models that taught and developed science curricula at all levels and served in many leadership roles at the college and in the monastery. The legacy of the sisters in science continues, as 1800 lay women have graduated with degrees in the sciences since the start of college.
Sabbatical is defined as a break or rest from work. I was fortunate to embark on a project to dig deeper into the sisters who studied science at the College of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, MN during my sabbatical. This opportunity enlightened me on one simple fact, the Sisters in the Order of Saint Benedict had very little rest. While most people “retire”, these women worked and changed careers based on the need of the community their entire lives. It was not uncommon to start teaching in primary grades as the first assignments when joining the community. I wanted to know more about the experience the sisters had in studying and teaching science. I was intrigued on how some were able to get advanced degrees as early as 1923, a time when women were not really accepted in the sciences. In 1913, the community of the Benedictine women in St. Joseph, MN founded College of Saint Benedict a women’s college. One of four Catholic women's colleges in Minnesota at that time. This required sisters to finish college degrees and go beyond to obtain advanced degrees.
The rich history of many of the sister’s captured in this article were archived but not digitized or accessible to others. I was able to find the information that was preserved and write the article. The contributions of the sisters are expansive. Not only did the sisters thrive in academics, they also contributed to research that touched space flight, cancer, and aviation. This article was written honor the work of these women and to share with the greater community. The work of the sisters was done to start and grow the college and create opportunities for women in science and many other areas. The last sister at the College of St. Benedict retired in 2023, and my fear is that without articles being published like this, the stories would be lost.
—Diana Fenton