About Mater Ecclesiae Monastery · Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the home of the Perpetual Adoration Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament — a contemplative order of religious Sisters whose entire daily life revolves around adoring Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Located on the campus of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph at 707 W. 4th Street, the monastery has a public chapel (dedicated to Jesus the High Priest) where the faithful may attend daily Mass, spend time in personal prayer, and adore the exposed Blessed Sacrament each day. The community was invited to the Diocese of Sioux Falls by Bishop Robert Carlson in 2002 and moved into their purpose-built 26,000-square-foot monastery in May 2018.
- Established
- 2002 (community arrived May 2002); monastery building opened May 2018
- Patron
- The monastery chapel is dedicated to Jesus the High Priest; the monastery itself bears the title "Mater Ecclesiae" (Mother of the Church), a traditional title of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
The monastery is not a typical parish but a contemplative house of prayer — but it warmly invites the faithful of the Diocese of Sioux Falls and visitors to share in its life. Each morning at 7:00 a.m. the community gathers for Holy Mass (Monday through Saturday), and the chapel of Jesus the High Priest remains open to the public for personal prayer and adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Visitors may simply sit in the chapel, drop off prayer requests (which the Sisters carry to their adoration hours), or stop by the gift shop. By visiting, the faithful enter into the Sisters' core mission: intercessory prayer for the diocese, for priests, and for all who ask.
Mass times at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Adoration Chapel open to the public daily 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance as duties within the monastery allow)
- Each Sister has one hour of personal adoration before the Blessed Sacrament daily, plus one hour at night twice a week
History of the Community
The order was founded in Italy in 1807 by Blessed Mother Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation. In May 2002, at the request of Bishop Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls, seven Sisters traveled from the Monastery of San Juan Bautista de Coscomatepec in Veracruz, Mexico, to begin perpetual adoration in the diocese. For sixteen years they lived in the former rectory of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, then renamed "Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Joseph." In May 2018 they moved into their new home, Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, on the same Cathedral campus.
- Order founded in Italy, 1807, by Blessed Mother Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation (beatified 2008)
- Seven founding Sisters arrived in Sioux Falls in May 2002 from Coscomatepec, Veracruz, Mexico
- First home in Sioux Falls: former Cathedral of St. Joseph rectory (Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joseph)
- New Mater Ecclesiae Monastery dedicated May 2018 by Bishop Paul J. Swain
- Building financed through approximately $5 million in donations from across the Diocese of Sioux Falls
The Chapel of Jesus the High Priest
The monastery's attached chapel was consecrated to Jesus the High Priest by Bishop Paul J. Swain at the 2018 dedication. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance there throughout the day as community duties permit, and visitors may enter the chapel for personal prayer and adoration. The chapel is the primary point of contact between the cloistered Sisters and the lay faithful who come to share in their prayer.
- Consecration of the chapel: 2018, by Bishop Paul J. Swain
- Dedication: Jesus the High Priest
- Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance daily, as duties allow
A Typical Day in the Monastery
The Sisters' day begins at 5:30 a.m. and is built around three pillars: the liturgy (Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours), adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and community work. Each Sister spends one hour in personal adoration before the Blessed Sacrament during the day, plus one hour at night twice a week, ensuring perpetual adoration is maintained throughout the 24-hour cycle.
- 5:30 AM — Rise; Traditional Scripture Reading; Morning Prayer; Holy Mass
- Mid-morning: Mid-Morning Prayer; Breakfast; Monastery Chores
- Midday: Midday Prayer and Devotions; Lunch; Rest
- Afternoon: Mid-Afternoon Prayer, Holy Rosary and Spiritual Reading; Monastery Chores
- Evening: Evening Prayer, Office of Readings, Meditation; Dinner; Study; Recreation
- 10:00 PM — Final Prayers
Prayer Requests
One of the monastery's most cherished apostolates is praying for the intentions of the faithful. Anyone may submit a prayer request — by mail, by phone, by email, or through the online form on the monastery's website — and the Sisters will bring that intention before the Blessed Sacrament during their adoration hours. This ministry is the bridge between the cloistered community and the wider Diocese of Sioux Falls and beyond.
- Online prayer-request form: perpetualadorationsisters.org/prayer-request
- Phone requests: 605-336-2374
- Email: [email protected]
Vocations and Community Life
Although the chapel-and-monastery arrangement was completed in 2018 with capacity for twenty-four Sisters, the community at dedication numbered eleven, leaving deliberate room for new vocations. Women discerning a call to contemplative Eucharistic life are invited to contact the monastery. The community's charism is wholly contemplative: Sisters leave the cloister only for essential needs or special occasions, while their prayer flows out to the diocese and the whole Church.
- Community life is strictly contemplative and cloistered
- Capacity for 24 Sisters; 11 in residence at the 2018 dedication
- Community charism: perpetual adoration and intercessory prayer
- Foundress: Blessed Mother Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation (1807)
How to Help — Donations and Volunteer Opportunities
The monastery is supported entirely by the generosity of the faithful. Cash gifts, non-cash gifts (stocks, crops, property), and Estate/Will pledges to the Adoration Sisters' Endowment are coordinated through the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota. Lay volunteers are also needed for practical tasks such as driving, teaching English, and yard work/gardening.
- Volunteer opportunities: driving, teaching English, yard work/gardening
- Cash donations: through the monastery's online form
- Non-cash gifts and Estate/Will pledges: Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota, 888-246-3386 or 605-988-3796
- General donations/contact: 605-336-2374 or [email protected]