Riepp, Benedicta, OSB
Person
Dates
- Existence: 1825 - 1862
Biographical Note
Mother Benedicta Riepp is the founder of Benedictine Sisters in North America. Born in Bavaria, Germany, Mother Benedicta and two companion Sisters came to St. Marys, Pennsylvania, in 1852 to teach children of German immigrants. From that first convent, the Sisters went on to found communities in Erie, PA; Newark, NJ; and Saint Cloud, MN in 1857. The Saint Cloud community relocated to Saint Joseph, MN in 1869, where the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict continue to live today. Benedicta Riepp died of tuberculosis in 1862. She is buried in the Sisters’ cemetery adjacent to the College of Saint Benedict.