About Sacred Heart Monastery · Yankton, South Dakota
Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, South Dakota is the motherhouse of the Yankton Benedictine Sisters, a monastic community of women religious who live according to the 1,500-year-old Rule of St. Benedict through vows of obedience, stability, and conversion of life. Tracing their roots to the Benedictine community of Maria Rickenbach in Switzerland, the sisters first came to the United States in 1874 and established the monastery in Yankton in 1889 on the bluffs of the Missouri River. The community of around 60 professed members sponsors Mount Marty University and, together with the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, co-sponsors Avera Health, and ministers in education, health care, parish work, retreats, and social services. Daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are prayed in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel, and the adjacent Benedictine Peace Center welcomes retreatants and seekers year-round.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus (the monastery's patron); Bishop Martin Marty, OSB (memorial chapel dedication)
- Rector
- Rev. Grant Lacey (chaplain to the monastery, presiding at daily Mass)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls (the monastery is in Yankton, South Dakota); ecclesiastically the community belongs to the Congregation of Saint Gertrude of Benedictine Women.
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Monastery is not a parish in the usual sense but a Benedictine women's monastery whose primary work is prayer — the daily Liturgy of the Hours (Morning, Noon, and Evening Prayer) and daily Mass are prayed publicly in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel and all are welcome to join. Visitors and retreatants are invited into a rhythm of 'prayer, work, and leisure' shaped by 1,500 years of Benedictine tradition, with opportunities for silent personal retreats, ongoing spiritual direction, Benedictine formation for oblates, and parish, education, and health-care ministry across the region. People come to be renewed in spirit, to walk the bluffs above the Missouri River, to share in the Eucharist with the sisters, and to encounter a community whose core values are community, awareness of God, and hospitality.
Mass times at Sacred Heart Monastery
Weekly Mass schedule
Our Story: From the Alps to the Plains
The Yankton Benedictines trace their roots to St. Benedict of Nursia and the 5th-century foundation at Monte Cassino, and more immediately to the Swiss Benedictine community of Maria Rickenbach, an alp above the city of Niederbach. In 1874, five sisters from Maria Rickenbach crossed the Atlantic to Maryville, Missouri, and in 1880 the foundation that would become Sacred Heart Monastery formally began. Bishop Martin Marty, OSB, Vicar Apostolic of Dakota Territory, drew the sisters north to minister at Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Reservation, and in 1889 the community relocated to the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, where they have remained ever since.
- Roots at Maria Rickenbach, Switzerland
- 1874 arrival in Maryville, Missouri
- 1880 formal foundation
- 1889 relocation to Yankton, South Dakota
- Ministry at Standing Rock Reservation (Fort Yates)
Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel
The community's spiritual center is Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel, built stone by stone between 1946 and 1950 under the leadership of Mother Jerome Schmitt and consecrated in the spring of 1950 by Archbishop William O. Brady, assisted by five bishops, four abbots, and roughly 180 priests. The chapel was raised in the lean post-WWII years as an act of faith and stands both as a monument to Bishop Marty and as a living symbol of the community's prayer. Daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours are prayed here, and the building is also home to a side chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Einsiedeln, honoring the monastery's Swiss-German heritage.
- Consecrated 1950
- Built 1946–1950 under Mother Jerome Schmitt
- Dedicated to Bishop Martin Marty, OSB
- Side chapel of Our Lady of Einsiedeln
Monastic Life and Leadership
The sisters live according to the Rule of St. Benedict through vows of obedience, stability, and conversion of life, balancing prayer, work, and leisure. The community is led by a prioress who serves as its spiritual and administrative leader, chairperson of the monastic council, and president of the corporate board. The current leadership team includes Prioress Sr. Penny Bingham, OSB (the community's 15th prioress, serving her second term since 2023), Subprioress Sr. Candyce Chrystal, OSB, and Procurator Sr. Bonita Gacnik, OSB.
- Rule of St. Benedict
- Vows of obedience, stability, conversion of life
- Prioress Sr. Penny Bingham, OSB (15th prioress)
- Subprioress Sr. Candyce Chrystal, OSB
- Procurator Sr. Bonita Gacnik, OSB
Participate, Pray, and Attend
The monastery welcomes the public to join the sisters for daily prayer and Mass. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:00 AM and weekday Mass Monday through Friday at 11:15 AM in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel, with chaplain Rev. Grant Lacey presiding. The sisters also pray the Liturgy of the Hours publicly each day — Morning Prayer (Lauds) around 8:30 AM and Evening Prayer (Vespers) at 5:15 PM. Personal prayer requests may be submitted online and are remembered in the sisters' daily worship.
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM
- Weekday Mass (Mon–Fri): 11:15 AM
- Lauds: 8:30 AM
- Vespers: 5:15 PM
- Chaplain: Fr. Grant Lacey
- Online prayer request form
Benedictine Peace Center
The Benedictine Peace Center, located on the monastery grounds, is a monastic space for solitude, prayer, and spiritual refreshment overlooking the Missouri River. The Center offers silent personal retreats (private or directed), ongoing spiritual direction (in person or via Zoom), and a calendar of spiritual growth programs. Trained spiritual directors walk with retreatants on their spiritual journey, and visitors of all faith backgrounds are welcome. Residential retreat accommodations are currently available through September 2026; beginning October 2026, rooms will be temporarily unavailable during construction of the new monastery.
- Silent personal retreats (private or directed)
- Spiritual direction in person and on Zoom
- Spiritual Growth Programs
- Walks on monastery grounds above the Missouri River
- Contact: 605-668-6292 / [email protected]
Vocations, Oblates, and Formation
Alongside their life of prayer, the sisters cultivate the next generation of Benedictine life through vocation discernment, day and residential volunteer programs, and an Oblates program for laywomen and laymen who affiliate with the community. Benedictine formation opportunities run throughout the year for those wishing to explore or deepen their understanding of the wisdom of St. Benedict, both online and on-site at Yankton.
- Vocation discernment
- Day Volunteer program
- Residential Volunteer program
- Oblates of Sacred Heart Monastery (~325 lay oblates)
- Ongoing Benedictine formation (online and in-person)
Sponsored Ministries: Mount Marty University and Avera Health
Sacred Heart Monastery sponsors Mount Marty University in Yankton, a Catholic Benedictine liberal-arts institution rooted in the sisters' 1,500-year tradition. Together with the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, South Dakota, the community also co-sponsors Avera Health, a regional, multi-state Catholic health care system. Sisters serve the region in education, health care, parish ministry, social services, retreats, and numerous volunteer activities.
- Mount Marty University, Yankton (sponsored)
- Avera Health (co-sponsored with the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen)
- Parish ministry across the Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Elementary and secondary education
- Social services and volunteer outreach
Right-Sizing: New Monastery Building Project
In response to its smaller present-day membership (about 60 professed sisters, down from more than 300 in earlier decades), the community has undertaken a major construction project to 'right-size' its living facilities. The current four-story 1961 building is being replaced with a two-story, more accessible design incorporating geothermal heating and cooling and solar panels, and built on the same bluff-top campus that has anchored the community since 1889. Project completion is scheduled for 2027.
- Replacement of 1961 main monastery building
- Two-story design with new wings
- Geothermal heating and cooling
- Solar panels
- Completion scheduled for 2027
- Residential retreats paused October 2026 onward during construction
Contact and Visit
Visitors and those seeking spiritual accompaniment are warmly welcomed. The monastery's mailing address is 1005 West 8th Street, Yankton, SD 57078, and the main phone line is 605-668-6000. The Peace Center can be reached at 605-668-6292 or via email. The closest major airport is Sioux Falls (FSD).
- Mailing: 1005 W 8th St, Yankton, SD 57078
- Main phone: 605-668-6000
- Peace Center phone: 605-668-6292
- Email: [email protected]
- Closest airport: Sioux Falls (FSD)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Sr. Penny Bingham, OSB2023–present (15th prioress; second term)
Returned as 15th prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery in March 2023, after a first term 2011–2017.
- Sr. Maribeth Wentzlaff, OSB2017–2023
14th prioress of the monastery.
- Sr. Mary Kay Panowicz, OSB2011–2017 (administrative team)
Served as procurator alongside Sr. Penny Bingham as prioress and Sr. Jeanne Weber as sub-prioress.
- Mother Jerome Schmitt, OSB1946–1950 (building era)
Led the community in the construction of Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel during the post-war years.