About Holy Name Monastery · St Leo, Florida
Holy Name Monastery is the home of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, a women's Roman Catholic monastic community of the Federation of Saint Scholastica located in St. Leo, Florida. Founded in 1889 by five sisters who came down from Allegheny, Elk County, Pennsylvania to staff Catholic schools in the German-settler parishes of San Antonio and St. Leo, the community has lived, prayed, and taught in Pasco County ever since. Today roughly 14 sisters, plus women in formation, follow the Rule of St. Benedict in a balance of prayer and work at their modern monastery on Wichers Road, welcoming guests for liturgy, retreats, and traditional Benedictine hospitality. The monastery is not a parish church in the usual sense but is a private-oratory community where public Sunday Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are celebrated and all are welcome.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- The Holy Name of Jesus (community and original academy/chapel dedicated under this title)
- Rector
- Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B. — Prioress (Past Prioress 2010–2025; the website notes she has been re-elected to lead the community for another term). For sacramental ministry the community is served through Saint Leo Abbey / Diocese of Saint Petersburg clergy.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Petersburg (the community is located within the Diocese of St. Petersburg territory but is itself an exempt monastic institute under the Federation of Saint Scholastica)
Why belong here
Holy Name Monastery offers something rare in central Florida: a living Benedictine community of women who pray the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrate daily Eucharist together, while welcoming laypeople to share in that prayer, walk their grounds, or stay for a directed or self-directed retreat. Visitors can attend Sunday liturgy at 10:30 a.m., join a 'Seekers Week' discernment program, become an Oblate associating their daily life with the sisters' prayer, serve at the local DayStar Hope food pantry, or simply spend a quiet day in the monastery guest wing. It is a place to step out of ordinary parish life into the rhythm of ora et labora — prayer and work — that has shaped Catholic East Pasco since 1889.
Mass times at Holy Name Monastery
Weekly Mass schedule
A Living Benedictine Community Since 1889
The Benedictine Sisters of Florida are a cenobitic (common-life) women's monastic community of the Federation of Saint Scholastica. Five sisters answered a call from Father Gerard Pilz and traveled from Allegheny, Elk County, Pennsylvania to San Antonio, Florida in 1889 to teach the children of German immigrants. Today 14 sisters plus women in formation still live, pray, and serve in the same East Pasco County at their modern Holy Name Monastery. Their life 'is monastic, a balance of prayer and work, community and solitude — an integration of contemplative living and active ministry on behalf of others.'
- Founded February 28, 1889 by five sisters from Elk County, Pennsylvania
- Original convent was the Sultenfuss Hotel in San Antonio, FL
- Member of the Federation of Saint Scholastica
- Lives by the Rule of St. Benedict (vows of Obedience, Stability, and Fidelity to the Monastic Way of Life)
Our Story — From Hotel to Hilltop
From 1889 to 1964 the sisters ran Holy Name Academy; from 1929 to 1959 they also ran St. Benedict's Preparatory School for boys. Their 1889 convent was condemned in the late 1950s and a 100,000-square-foot concrete-block complex replaced it in 1960. After Vatican II reduced the community's numbers, that complex grew too costly — so in 2012 the sisters decided to build a smaller monastery on a former orange grove across SR 52, moving into the present building on August 17, 2014 and completing the Guest Wing in 2016.
- 1889 — Five sisters arrive; Holy Name Academy opens
- 1911 — Convent dragged half a mile uphill to St. Leo on ox-pulled log rollers
- 1912 — St. Scholastica Hall built (one of Florida's earliest concrete-block buildings)
- 1929–1959 — St. Benedict's Preparatory School for boys
- 1960 — 100,000 sq ft concrete complex occupied
- 1964 — Holy Name Academy closes (St. Leo College rises)
- 1978 — St. Scholastica Hall demolished
- 2014 — Sisters move into current 28,000 sq ft monastery
- 2016 — Guest Wing completed
Prayer and Liturgy
The sisters' life centers on the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Lectio Divina. Sunday Mass is celebrated publicly at 10:30 a.m., with daily Mass at 7:30 a.m. Christmas Day and New Year's Day Mass are at 10:00 a.m. In the historic monastery chapel the sisters chant the Divine Office together, and Sister Mary David Hydro provides spiritual direction to retreatants and directees.
- Sunday Mass — 10:30 AM
- Weekday Mass — 7:30 AM (Mon–Sat)
- Christmas & New Year's Day Mass — 10:00 AM
- Liturgy of the Hours chanted publicly in chapel
Monastery of the Holy Name Monastery Community
The current Holy Name Monastery at 12138 Wichers Road was designed for the sisters' present-day community: 20 bedrooms including four guest rooms (10 bedrooms/20 beds in the 2016 Guest Wing) serve overnight retreats and visiting family. Lounge areas inside and out invite reading, reflection, and meditation on the hilltop grounds. Stained-glass windows of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica mark the chapel. As of January 2026 the monastery is pausing new overnight reservations — contact the office for current status.
- 28,000 sq ft purpose-built monastery, dedicated 2014
- Guest Wing completed 2016
- Stained-glass of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica
- Ten hilltop acres along Wichers Road
- Space for 25–36 day-retreatants; up to 20 overnight guests
Retreats and Hospitality
Traditional Benedictine hospitality is central to the community's charism. The monastery welcomes retreatants and guests for directed retreats, self-directed 'time away,' small group retreats (including a monthly concert series), and Reflection Days led by Sister Mary David. Accommodations include private-bath rooms with linens and central air; most dietary needs can be met with advance notice. The retreat coordinator can be reached at (352) 588-8320 or [email protected].
- Day retreats for 25–36 persons
- Overnight guest wing — 10 rooms / 20 beds
- Directed and self-directed retreats
- Reflection Days with Sister Mary David Hydro
- Seekers Week monastic-discernment program
Discerning a Vocation — Seekers Week & Oblates
Single women who feel called to Benedictine life are invited to a 'Seekers Week' each winter: a structured time of prayer, liturgy, silence, and community alongside the sisters, with presentations by the vocation director. Those not called to vowed life can associate with the community through the Oblate program directed by Sister Mary David Hydro, linking their daily prayer and work to the sisters' monastic rhythm. Vocations inquiries: Sister Mary Clare at (352) 588-7188 / [email protected] or [email protected].
- Seekers Week (held in early winter)
- Oblate program — lay Benedictine associates
- Day-visit option (Sunday liturgy at 10:30 AM)
- Overnight-stay discernment visits by arrangement
Education — 125+ Years of Catholic Teaching
From the moment they arrived in 1889, the sisters' vocation was Catholic education. They operated Holy Name Academy (1889–1964), St. Benedict's Preparatory School for boys (1929–1959), staffed Saint Anthony and Saint Joseph elementary schools, ran the first accredited Montessori school in Florida, and taught across Florida and in Texas and Louisiana. Saint Anthony School, the oldest school of any kind in Pasco County, had a continuous Benedictine presence for 121 years until 2010. Today Sister Elizabeth teaches at a local pre-school and Sister Mary David Hydro continues as adjunct faculty in Saint Leo University's Religion Department.
- Holy Name Academy, 1889–1964
- St. Benedict's Preparatory School for boys, 1929–1959
- St. Anthony School (San Antonio) — 121 years of Benedictine presence
- First accredited Montessori school in Florida
- Schools staffed in Ocala, Sarasota, Venice, Jacksonville Beach, North Miami, Texas, Louisiana
Outreach and Justice Ministries
The sisters serve the people of East Pasco through an ecosystem of ministries. Sister Jean Abbott is the full-time Executive Director of Daystar Hope Center of Pasco County, an ecumenical food pantry and thrift shop. Each Lent since 1996 the community hosts a Soup Supper to benefit Daystar, and Sister Miriam Cosgrove runs an aquaponics program at the monastery as a sustainable food source. Through the Alliance for International Monasticism the sisters support Benedictine communities in third-world countries; the Peace and Justice Committee is active in the National Benedictines for Peace and in local advocacy.
- DayStar Hope Center — food pantry and thrift shop
- Lenten Soup Supper (since 1996)
- Aquaponics program at Holy Name Monastery
- Alliance for International Monasticism (AIM)
- Benedictines for Peace / Pax Christi Florida
- RCIA catechesis at local parishes
Meet the Sisters
The community is led by Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B., who has served as prioress since 2010 and was re-elected to another term. The Council includes Sister Jean Abbott, O.S.B. (Treasurer) and Sister Mary David Hydro, O.S.B. (Councilor, Director of Oblates and Volunteers). Sister Eileen Dunbar, O.S.B., serves as Coordinator of Internal Services, historian, cantor, and liturgist. Sister Mary Clare Neuhofer, O.S.B., coordinates spiritual guidance, retreats, and vocations. Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B., leads the aquaponics program and serves as an RCIA catechist.
- Prioress — Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B.
- Council — Sister Jean Abbott, O.S.B. and Sister Mary David Hydro, O.S.B.
- Coordinator of Internal Services — Sister Eileen Dunbar, O.S.B.
- Vocations & Retreats — Sister Mary Clare Neuhofer, O.S.B.
- Aquaponics Coordinator — Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B.
Plan Your Visit
Sunday visitors are very welcome at the 10:30 a.m. liturgy — introduce yourself afterwards and the sisters will invite you to a meal. To arrange a day-visit or overnight discernment stay, contact Sister Mary Clare Neuhofer at (352) 588-7188 or [email protected] / [email protected]. For retreat bookings, contact (352) 588-8320 or [email protected]. The Advancement office for donations is [email protected] or (352) 588-8443.
- Sunday liturgy: 10:30 AM
- Retreats: (352) 588-8320 — [email protected]
- Vocations: (352) 588-7188 — [email protected]
- Donations: [email protected] — (352) 588-8443
- Address: 12138 Wichers Road, St. Leo, FL 33574
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Mother Dolorosa Scanlan, O.S.B.1889–
Foundress and first Superior; elected shortly after the five sisters' arrival; opened Holy Name Academy.
- Mother Rose Marieearly 1900s (1911 move)
Led the legendary ox-and-winch relocation of the convent half a mile uphill to St. Leo; first woman in Pasco County to hold a driver's license.
- Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B.2010–2025 (and re-elected beyond)
Long-serving prioress; educator and Montessori school founder; board trustee of Saint Leo University.