About Mount St. Scholastica Monastery · Atchison, Kansas
Mount St. Scholastica Monastery is a Benedictine women's monastery in Atchison, Kansas, founded on November 11, 1863 by Mother Evangelista Kremmeter and six sisters who traveled by ferry from St. Cloud, Minnesota during the Civil War to open a school for girls. Today the community of about 80 professed women lives according to the Rule of St. Benedict on a 28-acre campus in South Atchison, where their service to God's people flows from their primary ministry of daily prayer. The sisters sponsor two major apostolates — the Sophia Spirituality Center, offering retreats and spiritual direction, and Keeler Women's Center, empowering women in the urban core through education and advocacy — and they belong to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Sunday Community Mass in the historic Choir Chapel is open to the public.
- Established
- 1863
- Patron
- St. Scholastica
- Rector
- Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, OSB (Prioress, 2023–present). As a women's Benedictine monastery, Mount St. Scholastica is led by a prioress rather than a parish pastor; sacramental ministry is provided by Benedictine priest chaplains from St. Benedict's Abbey.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Mount St. Scholastica offers a place of peace, prayer, and Benedictine hospitality just outside Kansas City. Visitors and retreatants are welcomed in the Rule-of-St-Benedict tradition as Christ, joining the sisters for Sunday Community Mass in the Choir Chapel, Morning and Evening Praise (the Liturgy of the Hours), and a rich calendar of on-site and Zoom retreats at the Sophia Spirituality Center. Beyond prayer, the sisters' active ministries in spiritual formation (the Souljourners program), women's empowerment (Keeler Women's Center at Donnelly College), and care for creation make the monastery a living center of Catholic life in northeast Kansas.
Mass times at Mount St. Scholastica Monastery
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome to Mount St. Scholastica Monastery
The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica are a community of about 80 Catholic women religious living by the Rule of St. Benedict in Atchison, Kansas. Their mission is 'to Seek God through community life, prayer, ministry, and care for all creation.' Founded in 1863 to educate girls on the Kansas frontier, the sisters today serve God's people chiefly through the Sophia Spirituality Center and the Keeler Women's Center. The monastery describes itself as 'a faithful and joy-filled monastery of Benedictine women near Kansas City' whose service flows from the primary ministry of daily prayer.
- 801 S 8th St, Atchison, KS 66002
- (913) 360-6200
- Part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
- Member of the Monastic Congregation of St. Scholastica
History of the Community
On November 11, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, seven Benedictine Sisters arrived in Atchison, Kansas, and within ten days opened a school for girls despite threats from anti-Catholic elements on the frontier. Mother Evangelista Kremmeter led the community for 21 years, growing it from 7 to 70 sisters and purchasing the Price Villa estate that became the current 28-acre campus in 1877. The monastery and Choir Chapel were built in 1900; sisters fanned out to teach across Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado, and hosted eight French refugee sisters in 1904–1906.
- 1863 — Foundation by Mother Evangelista Kremmeter; St. Scholastica's Academy opens Dec. 21
- 1877 — Purchase of Price Villa (renamed St. Cecilia's); move to current South Atchison campus
- 1900 — Monastery and Choir Chapel built under Mother Aloysia Northman
- 1904–1906 — Eight French sisters join as religious refugees
- 1924 — Mount St. Scholastica Junior College founded (accredited 1934)
- 1963 — Centennial year; Sister Mary Faith Schuster publishes The Meaning of the Mountain
- 1971 — Mount St. Scholastica College merges with St. Benedict's College to form Benedictine College
- 2009 — Red Plains Monastery, Piedmont, OK, joins Mount St. Scholastica
- 2010 — St. Cecilia's renovated into guest housing
- 2023 — Keeler Women's Center opens on Donnelly College campus
- 2023 — 160th anniversary celebrated with a lantern procession from Benedictine College to St. Scholastica Chapel
Prioresses — Our Leaders
Since its founding, the monastery has been guided by a prioress, who functions as spiritual and temporal leader of the community, consulting with her council and conducting community meetings. The current prioress, Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, was installed as the 13th prioress on June 9, 2023. A native of Lenexa, Kansas, she holds degrees from Mount St. Scholastica College, Creighton University, and St. John's University (Collegeville), and has served as campus minister, vocation director, pastoral associate/liturgist at several parishes, and director of the Souljourners program.
- 13 prioresses since 1863
- Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, OSB — Prioress 2023–present
- Foundress Mother Evangelista Kremmeter served 1863–1884
Liturgy & Prayer
Daily communal prayer is the heart of Benedictine life at the Mount. The sisters gather seven times a day for the Liturgy of the Hours — Morning Praise, Midday Praise, and Evening Praise — together with a daily Eucharist. Sunday Community Mass in the Choir Chapel is open to the public and is celebrated at 10:30 AM, with guests entering through the Dooley Center entrance. Guests are warmly welcomed to join any of the prayer times, in the spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict: 'All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.'
- Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Praise, Midday Praise, Evening Praise) — open to guests
- Sunday Community Mass — 10:30 AM, Choir Chapel, open to the public
- Weekday Eucharist daily in the monastic chapel
- Lenten Prayer Services — Thursdays in Lent, live-streamed on Facebook
Sophia Spirituality Center
Located on the monastery grounds at 751 S 8th St, Sophia Spirituality Center is a ministry of the sisters offering a 'bright and welcoming place to come for a variety of opportunities to nourish your soul.' Rooted in Benedictine spirituality and the practice of 'listening with the ear of our hearts,' Sophia welcomes men and women of all faiths through programmed retreats, individual and private retreats, spiritual direction, the Souljourners formation program, and space rental for outside groups. Formats include on-site, Zoom, single-day, multi-day, overnight, weekly series, and guided discussion groups.
- Programmed retreats on themes of Benedictine spirituality, contemplative prayer, scripture, and creative/experiential prayer
- Individual & private retreats (most 2–3 days) with optional spiritual direction and therapeutic massage from Sr. Linda Zahner
- Souljourners — 3-year, on-site spiritual-director formation program (weekend monthly September–April, plus practicum year); led by Sr. Marcia Ziska, Mary Kay Whitacre, and Sr. Patricia Seipel
- Spiritual direction referrals
- 751 S 8th St, Atchison — (913) 360-6173
Keeler Women's Center
Keeler Women's Center is the sisters' outreach ministry empowering women in the urban core through education, advocacy, and personal and spiritual development. Originally housed on the Atchison campus, Keeler moved in 2023 to the campus of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas — a step that placed its programs directly within the community it serves. Keeler's work flows from the Benedictine commitment to seek justice and respond to the root causes of injustice, complementing the sisters' long tradition of education and counseling.
- Empowers women through education, advocacy, and personal/spiritual development
- Relocated to Donnelly College, Kansas City, KS in 2023
- Counseling, trauma support, and pastoral services historically part of its work
Education & Heritage with Benedictine College
From the moment the sisters arrived in Atchison in 1863, education has been central to their mission. They opened St. Scholastica's Academy for girls within ten days of their arrival and over the next century staffed schools across Kansas and surrounding states. The community founded Mount St. Scholastica Junior College in 1924 (full accreditation 1934) and merged it with St. Benedict's College in 1971 to form today's Benedictine College. Since 1980 the sisters have participated in a prayer-partner program that matches each sister with a Benedictine College student.
- St. Scholastica's Academy — opened December 21, 1863, with 44 students
- Mount St. Scholastica Junior College — founded 1924
- Maur Hill–Mount Academy (since 2009)
- Prayer Partner Program with Benedictine College students since 1980
Visit & Hospitality
Hospitality is a hallmark of Benedictine life, and Mount St. Scholastica welcomes visitors in the spirit of the Rule: 'All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.' Guided monastery tours are offered Monday through Saturday by appointment only; a tour guide walks guests through the main halls and three chapels while sharing the community's history. Guests are free to walk the grounds, taking in the garden, solar panels, cemetery, multiple flower gardens, Marian statuary, and an exterior view of the hermitage. Retreatants may stay on campus and join the sisters in their prayer.
- Guided tours Monday–Saturday by appointment
- St. Cecilia's guest housing (renovated 2010)
- Just Bee Hermitage available for private retreats
- Three chapels on the grounds
- Monastery cemetery, gardens, and Marian statuary open to visitors
Care for All Creation
Environmental stewardship is part of the community's stated mission of 'care for all creation.' The campus features solar-panel arrays, multiple flower gardens, and the Merrywood Community Garden, which broke ground in 2024 as a partnership space for the wider Atchison community. The sisters also engage in spiritual formation, education, and advocacy that witnesses to 'the sacredness and interconnectedness of God's creation.'
- Solar panels on the monastery grounds
- Merrywood Community Garden (groundbreaking 2024)
- Spiritual formation, education, and advocacy on ecological concerns
Get in Touch
The monastery office is the best point of contact for questions about Mass attendance, retreats, tours, vocations, donations, and sacramental requests. Vocation inquiries are handled by Sister Marcia Ziska at [email protected]; Sophia Spirituality Center can be reached at (913) 360-6173. The community keeps an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for those wishing to follow their prayer and ministry life.
- Main office: (913) 360-6200
- Address: 801 S 8th St, Atchison, KS 66002
- Vocation Director: Sister Marcia Ziska — [email protected]
- Sophia Center: (913) 360-6173 — 751 S 8th St, Atchison
- facebook.com/mountosb · instagram.com/mountosb · youtube.com/@mountosb
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Mother Evangelista Kremmeter, OSB1863–1884
Foundress; led community from 7 to 70 sisters; purchased Price Villa; opened first missions outside Atchison (Seneca, Wathena, Hanover).
- Mother Theresa Moser, OSB1884–1897
Most of her correspondence dealt with paying off debts from buildings and property acquisitions.
- Mother Aloysia Northman, OSB1897–1924
Built the monastery and choir chapel in 1900; community grew past 300; added 58 schools to their ministry.
- Mother Alfred Schroll, OSB1924–1950
Sent sisters to universities; oversaw Mount St. Scholastica Junior College founded 1924; elected first president of the Federation of St. Scholastica.
- Mother Noreen Hurter, OSB1950–1962
- Mother Celeste Hemmen, OSB1962–1966
Concern for the poor; sent aid to needy Benedictine sisters in Italy.
- Mother Mary Austin Schirmer, OSB1966–1976
- Mother Lucy Dooley, OSB1976–1988
- Sister Mary Agnes Patterson, OSB1988–1999
- Sister Mary Collins, OSB1999–2005
10th prioress; doctorate from The Catholic University of America; later chaired CUA's Department of Religion and Religious Education.
- Sister Anne Shepard, OSB2005–2017
- Sister Esther Fangman, OSB2017–2023
Licensed clinical professional counselor; president of the Federation of St. Scholastica 1998–2010.
- Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, OSB2023–present
13th prioress; installed June 9, 2023; native of Lenexa, KS; degrees from Mount St. Scholastica College, Creighton University, and St. John's University (Collegeville).