In 1874, five sisters from Maria Rickenbach came to Maryville, Missouri. Out of this mission grew the beginning of Sacred Heart Monastery in 1880. Bishop Martin Marty OSB, the Vicar Apostolic of Dakota Territory, soon visited the young community and asked the sisters to assist him in ministering to the Native American people at Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Reservation in present-day North and South Dakota. Because of the distance from Missouri to Fort Yates, the sisters moved the motherhouse to Zell, South Dakota, and by 1889 relocated to the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton where we purchased an empty school building adjacent to Bishop Marty’s residence.
Here in Yankton the community currently includes 108 members who live a community life according to the Rule of St. Benedict. The Benedictine Sisters of Yankton serve the people of the area in a variety of ministries including education, health care, parish ministry, social services, retreats, and a variety of volunteer activities. We sponsor Mount Marty College in Yankton, and together with the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, SD sponsor Avera Health, a multi-state health care system.
Prioress: Sister Penny Bingham, OSB
Located in Yankton, South Dakota
Admitted to the Federation April 14, 1937
Web site: www.yanktonbenedictines.org • pbingham@mtmc.edu
1005 W. 8th Street • Yankton, SD 57078 • 605-668-6000