Sisters of St. Benedict elect Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz as prioress

Ferdinand — The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, announce the election of Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz as their 13th prioress on June 8.

Sister Barbara Lynn will begin a six-year term of office with a formal installation ceremony at Monastery Immaculate Conception on Saturday, July 13. She succeeds Sister Kristine Anne Harpenau, who has served as prioress since 2003.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Sister Barbara Lynn, 58, entered the monastery in 1981 from St. Anne Parish in Highland, Tennessee. She made her profession of monastic vows in 1982.

She has been director of mission advancement the past four years. Previously, she was parish administrator/pastoral associate at St. Mary’s Parish in Evansville from 2003 to 2008. She served as business/financial consultant for Benedictine communities throughout the U.S. from 2002 to 2003. She was treasurer and business manager for the sisters in Ferdinand from 1989 to 2001 and business manager for Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand from 1981 to 1989.

Sister Barbara Lynn is a graduate of Memphis (Tennessee) Catholic High School. She earned a BBA degree in business administration from Memphis State University in 1976 and a MSA degree in institutional administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1990.

Sister Barbara Lynn is the daughter of Dorothy (Lawrence) and the late Rodney Schmitz of Memphis, Tennessee. She has two brothers, Rodney, Jr., and David, and a sister, Mary, all of Memphis, Tennessee.

The prioress is the religious community’s spiritual leader, chief administrator, and official representative to the Church and civic community. The election of the prioress came at the end of a discernment process begun last fall, which included direction statements formulated by the community.

The discernment process involves prayerful sharing and listening and openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As prioress, Sister Barbara Lynn will lead the religious community in living out their vocation to seek God in the monastic way of life as articulated in their mission statement: “We, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, are monastic women seeking God through the Benedictine tradition of community life, prayer, hospitality, and service to others. By our life and work, we commit ourselves to be a presence of peace as we join our sisters and brothers in the common search for God.”

The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand are a religious community of 158 members. They live the over-1,500-year-old Benedictine Rule, a spiritual path for finding God in the everyday. The sisters minister in diverse ways – teaching, serving in parishes, offering retreats, providing health care, counseling, working with immigrant populations, and helping the homeless, the poor, and those recovering from addictions. They currently serve in Indiana, Kentucky, Italy, and Peru.