A Brief History of Our Lady of Grace Monastery Part Two

Thirteen centuries later, in 1852, the Benedictine nuns of St. Walburga's in Eichstatt, Bavaria, in Germany, sent Mother Benedicta Riepp and two companions to found the first Benedictine Convent in the New World.  These sisters established a foundation at St. Mary's, Elk County, Pennsylvania, but they soon moved westward.  They settled first in Erie, PA, in 1856.  From there they moved to  Covington, Kentucky in 1859.  Their next move took them to Dubois County in southern Indiana.  

It was there, in 1867, that they established Monastery Immaculate Conception at Ferdinand, IN. This monastery flourished and it was blessed with an abundance of religious vocations.  Since the existing facilities of the monastery at Ferdinand could no longer accommodate the growing community, the superiors planned to establish a monastery in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  (Taken from Beech Leaves.)  Check back for the rest of the story!