Transformation is woven throughout the Benedictine story. It is rarely sudden or dramatic. More often, it unfolds through faithful responses to changing circumstances, guided by prayer, community, and trust in God’s unfolding call. This can be illustrated well by an event which occurred almost ten years ago, the celebration of the Sisters’ 70th anniversary in St. Paul, held in July, 2018.
St. Paul’s Priory on Summit Avenue in St. Paul was established in 1948 after the Benedictine Community in St. Joseph, Minnesota recognized the need for smaller, more family-oriented communities. The Priory was one of these communities which began in modest and crowded quarters and grew into a flourishing monastery dedicated to education, healthcare, hospitality, and service. As the community expanded, the Sisters moved from Summit Avenue to their present campus in Maplewood in 1965, carrying forward their Benedictine rhythm of prayer and work while adapting to the needs and priorities of the time.
Years later, the Sisters embraced the reality of becoming a smaller community and discerned the need for a new building. The final move was the culmination of a series of small transformations. With foresight, they reimagined their campus, welcoming new partners and neighbors while creating a smaller monastery designed to support their life of prayer and community for years to come. What remained unchanged was the individuals they carried with them, and their commitment to Benedictine values, especially to sharing hospitality with all who came through their doors.
The Sisters’ hospitality has a way of bonding individuals to the community. The 70th anniversary was one such time when new individuals were welcomed as guests. They arrived and stayed for the long run. Both Jeff Dols and Paul Tillman have found a spiritual home at St. Paul’s Monastery.
For Jeff Dols, the Monastery entered his life during a period of profound personal change.
Jeff Dols during the 70th Anniversary Celebration.
“The summer of 2018 was a time of big transitions for me. I had experienced a life-changing program at the Mayo Clinic that spring, which allowed me to return to work that summer. I was also on a journey of discovery about my family tree, and the deep Benedictine connections from ancestors on both sides of my family, including Sr. Marie Rademacher who was still living in Health Care at the Monastery. All of this led me to consider seriously the invitation from Sr. Mary Lou Dummer to enter the Oblate Initial Formation program that fall. I also accepted her invitation to attend the St. Paul’s Monastery 70th anniversary Open House at the original Priory location. It was a great opportunity to hear stories from the Sisters who had experienced life at that first location and learn more about beginning their mission in St. Paul.
My dive into the waters of Oblation have since led me into an increasingly deeper relationship with the monastery. First, I was offered a position as Director of Mission Advancement in 2020, and I started work one week before COVID hit and closed the doors! Through the pandemic, I also took on the role of Interim Director of the Benedictine Center, as we tried to navigate keeping that ministry afloat until we could once again welcome people back to the monastery. Later, as Sr. Mary Lou began to think about retirement as Oblate Director, I once again accepted her invitation – this time to assist with Oblate communications, and eventually to my current role as one of the three co-directors of the Oblates, along with Kami Pohl and Jennifer Cassidy. It has been an amazingly rich 8-year journey, and I’m grateful to call St. Paul’s Monastery my spiritual home.”
Paul Tillman during the 2018, 70th Anniversary celebration.
Paul Tillman’s experience reflects a similar pattern. As a newly professed Oblate in 2016, he was still learning the history and spirit of the Benedictine community. He attended the 70th anniversary gathering at the former Priory and learned more of that history. Fast-forward to the present, he is now working with that history to create a new version of the Monastery Highlights brochure.
“I became an Oblate of St. Paul’s Monastery in 2016. Even after the year of formation, I was still finding my way into the history and future of the Benedictine community. As a way of connecting with the community, I accepted an invitation to attend the 70th Anniversary event at the Summit Ave. Priory. On that day, I heard stories from current and past Sisters about their varied calls to Benedictine life and how they lived together in the priory. One former Sister told me she had wanted to be a teacher. Every teacher in her life had been a nun, so in her mind, that is how one became a teacher. Several Sisters shared fondly about the dormitory-style sleeping arrangements on the upper floor.
In 2025, I accepted the position of Guest Services Coordinator for St. Paul’s Monastery Benedictine Center, and one job I took on was updating the Monastery Highlights brochure. The new edition, Discovering St. Paul’s Monastery, provided another opportunity to capture the past and present stories of the community. What could have been a dry work of technical writing became an opportunity to sit with Sisters to hear their stories of how they are connected to the art, architecture, and people, making St. Paul’s Monastery a place where everyone is continually welcomed as Christ.”
The former Priory building, now the Germanic Institute
The journey from the Priory on Summit Avenue to the present Monastery in Maplewood is a story of change. So, too, are the journeys of Oblates Jeff Dols, Paul Tillman, and countless others whose lives have been touched by this community. In each case, transformation occurred not through abandoning the past, but by carrying its wisdom forward into new circumstances.
This is the Benedictine way: to remain rooted while continuing to grow, trusting that God is always at work, shaping both communities and individuals into something new. Through every season of change, the call remains the same—to listen, to welcome, and to seek God in all things.
