Mother of God Monastery
110  28th Ave. SE ~  Watertown,  SD  57201
Phone: 605-882-6600  Fax: 605-882-6658
monastery@dailypost.com

COMMUNITY

SISTER IMELDA HAAG

Sister Imelda Haag is a native of Dimock, SD, she made her first monastic profession in June 1945 at Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton.  In 1961 she became one of the founding members of Mother of God Monastery when the monastery in Yankton established this new daughter house located at Pierre initially and finally in its present location in Watertown.

Sister Imelda was given the ministry of teaching for thirty years followed by health care ministry for thirteen years as an occupational therapist.  At the present time she is doing volunteer tutoring and contributing services at the monastery.  S. Imelda is very artistic especially in her beautiful arrangement of flowers.

S. Imelda, shares her life story in this way: “When I told Mom and Dad that I wanted to be a Sister, Mom said ‘You’re too young!’ and Dad said, ‘what do you need’?  Little did I really know about the process and demands of joining this Benedictine community of Sisters at Yankton.

Unlike most other Sisters’ communities, the Benedictines live a monastic way of life. This way of life is lived according to the way of community living established by Saint Benedict who lived from 480-547 A. D.  The essential elements of monasticism are  prayer, work, and community life guided by the Gospel.  It commits self to the search for God and His service with a solemn promise to attach to a particular community for the rest of one’s life.  The life is not organized for any particular kind of work or service.  The main purpose is to seek God as a lifelong task.  In this sense it is no different from the task of every Christian, or indeed, any person. The monastic way of life is simply one way of leading a Christian life and this is done in community.

Not unlike other vocations, this way has its own demands and rewards.  I have been increasingly thankful for all the ways this monastic living as blessed me throughout the many years I have lived it.”