Who are our consecrated in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis?
There are three states in life vocations in the Catholic Church: ordained (bishops, priests and deacons), laity (married and dedicated single) and consecrated. The Church refers to the state of consecrated life as a particular call stemming from one’s baptismal consecration. It is a call that involves the setting aside of a particular person as one who is to live as Christ himself, chaste, poor and obedient. The witness of consecrated life includes religious sisters and brothers, cloistered nuns, religious order priests, members of secular institutes and societies of apostolic life, consecrated virgins and diocesan hermits.
Many are surprised to learn just how richly blessed we are in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis with the presence so many consecrated women and men and the various expressions. Explore in our Consecrated Life Directory, who are our consecrated!
If you would like to contact a religious community and/or a member of that community and there is no email or phone listed, contact Nicole Bettini, Delegate for Consecrated Life.
Women’s Consecrated Vocations:
Men’s Consecrated Vocations:
Women’s Consecrated Vocations
Consecrated Virginity Lived in the World
Ordo Virginum
The vocation of consecrated virginity was the first and earliest form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church. The ancient Order of Virgins included virgin saints like Agnes, Lucy, Agatha and Cecilia. While the celebration of the Rite of Consecration to a Life for Virginity for Women Living in the World went into disuse for many years, the 1963 Vatican II post-conciliar document, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, states: “The rite for the consecration of virgins at present found in the Roman Pontifical is to be revised.” (80)
Location: The 14 consecrated virgins in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis live in various cities and belong to various parishes throughout this local Church.
Secular Institutes
Caritas Christi Secular Institute
Caritas Christi is an international Secular Institute of Pontifical Right founded in France in 1937. Its members are lay women consecrated to Christ while living in the heart of the world. The spirituality of Caritas Christi is firmly founded on the Gospel: what we do to the least of his brothers is done to Jesus himself (cf. Mt 25:40). For Caritas Christi’s members, the heart of Caritas Christi is a life of deep commitment to Christ in and through the Church.
Location: Andover
Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ Secular Institute
The Secular Institute of Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ (SIM) is a secular institute having its charism in the Franciscan tradition, seeking to imitate St. Francis, whose immense love of Christ impelled him to follow him poor, chaste and obedient. SIM was founded in 1919 in Assisi, Italy. Some 28 years later, in 1947, the Church gave official recognition to secular institutes as a new form of consecrated life. In 1953, SIM was received definitive approval as an Institute of Pontifical Right. Today, SIM has over 2,800 members in 29 countries.
Location: Woodbury
Women’s Religious Communities
Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, St Joseph
The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph are a monastic community of women who seek God in their daily lives according to the Gospel and the Rule of Saint Benedict. Through their ministry of prayer, work, and community living, they listen and respond to the needs of the Church and the world.
Location: Roseville
Benedictine Sisters of St. Paul's Monastery
By 1947, the Benedictine community at St. Joseph, Minnesota, had grown to over 1,200 Sisters, far exceeding the ideal size for a Benedictine “family-oriented” community. Pope Pius XII encouraged the establishment of smaller, independent priories, leading to the creation of St. Paul’s Priory in 1948, with 178 Sisters. Beyond education, the Sisters dedicated themselves to healthcare and social services and parish ministries. The Priory officially became St. Paul’s Monastery in 1996, reflecting its autonomous status. This transition marked a new era, where the Benedictine Retreat Center, housed within the Monastery provides a place for individuals to come for prayer and personal and group retreats. The Sisters live Benedictine hospitality where all guests are to be received as Christ.
Location: 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood, MN 55109
Discalced Nuns: Carmel of Our Lady of Divine Providence
Phone: 651-777-3882
The nuns of the Carmel of Our Lady of Divine Providence are members of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Their contemplative life of solitude, silence and sacrifice is modeled on the life of our Blessed Mother for the purpose to glorify God and to draw down graces for the sanctification of priests and the salvation of souls. Their apostolate is prayer and sacrifice for the needs of the Church and the world. The nuns make solemn vows of obedience, poverty and chastity and observe the strict enclosure of the monastery so to foster their life of prayer and contemplation. They follow the primitive rule of Carmel according to the way of life instituted by Saint Teresa of Jesus in the sixteenth century.
Location: 8251 Mount Carmel Road, Lake Elmo, MN 55042
Congregation of St. Joseph
Serving in the archdiocese since 1920, the Congregation of St. Joseph recognizes that every part of creation is interconnected and a revelation of God. As women religious, the sisters choose to deepen their awareness of ecological justice, which is both social and environmental, and challenge themselves to offer our resources and take risks that contribute to healing in our world. Stimulated by the Holy Spirit, a religious sister of St. Joseph moves always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor from whom she does not separate herself, and for whom she works following Christ’s example to achieve unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God.
Location: Cottage Grove
Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy
The Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy is an institute of apostolic religious life of Pontifical Right founded in Nigeria in 1961. The Sisters aim to work for the glory of God, the honor of the blessed Virgin Mary, the holiness of its members and for the salvation of souls by the observance of poverty, chastity and obedience. The charism of the congregation is to bear witness to the mercy of God, by following in the footsteps of Christ, the merciful Savior and Mary our Mother of Mercy. Their motto is “evangelizare pauperibus mist me” (“He sent me to bring the good news to the poor”). As sisters of mercy, they take Jesus to the poor, especially the sick, aged, orphans, underprivileged, and the spiritually impoverished. Their participation in education is to bring Jesus to the spiritually, morally and intellectually poor. Today, they have missions in various countries of Africa and Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada.
Location: St. Paul
Daughters of the Heart of Mary
The Daughters of the Heart of Mary is a world-wide congregation of vowed women religious founded in 1791 who ardently desired to imitate our Blessed Mother and the early Christians in their way of life. In the 21st Century, they continue to live their charism to respond to the needs of the time, which is done by fostering and supporting life in a world in travail. As part of a global congregation, the U.S. Province of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary embraces diversity, which is represented among our members in the United States and abroad. In the spirit of their Founders, and with contemplative hearts, they seek truth, promote peace, and reverence all life in the name of Jesus, who is their center, and his mother Mary, who is their model.
Location: Coon Rapids
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist began in 1997. The community was canonically established by John Cardinal O’Connor of New York and established a Motherhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The community honors the centuries old Dominican tradition while also fully embracing St. John Paul II’s call to a New Evangelization. The community that began with just four sisters has now spread coast to coast. Since arriving in St. Paul in 2018, the Sisters continue to carry out their mission of teaching and evangelization at St. Agnes School, St. Paul.
Location: St. Paul
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Present in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis since 2002, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia – the Nashville Dominicans – serve at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater and Providence Academy in Plymouth. The congregation began in Nashville, Tennessee in 1860, when four Sisters established St. Cecilia Academy. Today, the Congregation continues that mission: the sisters teach over 20,000 students from preK-12 grade, as well as serve in universities and parishes. As daughters of St. Dominic, the Sisters are committed to the contemplative life, including the choral recitation of the Divine Office, to the active apostolate, to community life, and to love of the Church.
Locations: Stillwater and Plymouth
Phone: 651-351-5032; 763-292-5772
Dominicans Sisters of Sinsinawa
Phone: 608-748-4411: ext 258
Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters were among several of the early religious to the archdiocese arriving in 1865. Sinsinawa Dominicans are dedicated to preaching and teaching the Gospel, which was evident with their years of teaching in Catholic Schools. Today, more than 250 Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in the United States and abroad participate in the mission shared by all Dominicans: to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. Community, prayer, study and ministry are four essential elements to their Dominican Life. Their motherhouse is located in southwest Wisconsin.
Location: Faribault, Minneapolis
Franciscan Clarist Congregation
The Franciscan Clarist Congregation is a Pontifical Congregation in the Syro-Malabar Church. In the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation arrived in 1970. The first Sisters were teachers at St. Therese in Deephaven, where the Sisters continue to teach today. Their current apostolates also include teaching at St. John the Baptist School in Vermillion, faith formation at St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Church in St. Paul and nursing care Regina Nursing Home in Hastings, Deephaven Woods Assisted Living in Deephaven and Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul.
Location: St. Therese Convent, Deephaven
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration is a community of vowed Franciscan women centered in the Eucharist. Their mission is to be a loving presence through prayer, witness and service. They are dedicated to sharing life in community, which centers them in prayer and deepens the meaning of their consecrated life. The Sisters are inspired to bring the love of Christ that they encounter in the chapel out to the world. They are dedicated to responding to the needs of this time as they accompany all who face systemic inequities and as they provide a compassionate presence and give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Location: St. Paul
Sisters of St. Francis, Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sylvania, OH
The Sylvania Franciscans were founded in Ohio in 1916 as a province of the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota. They are Third Order Regular Franciscans, living in community as vowed religious according to the spirit and example of St. Francis of Assisi. As women of peace and seekers of justice, they are committed to serving God’s people through diverse ministries in five states. Placing their individual gifts and talents in service to the needs of God’s people, the Sisters are engaged in such diverse ministries as education, health care, social services, religious education, media, law, art, parish and retreat ministries and spiritual direction.
Location: Columbia Heights, St. Anthony, St. Paul
Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester
For over 140 years, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester have pledged themselves to be faithful to the call of God and to each other. Led by the Holy Spirit to embrace the Gospel life of continual conversion, through prayer, community and service, in the tradition of Francis, Clare and Mother Alfred, Rochester Franciscan Sisters, commit themselves to be a compassionate presence for peace in our world, striving for justice and reverence for all creation. The Sisters are involved in many aspects of the community that include ministry to prisoners, serve as therapists and administrators, artists and writers.
Location: West St. Paul
Sisters of Saint Francis of Our Lady of the Angels
The Sisters of Saint Francis of Our Lady of the Angels were founded in Germany and arrived in St. Paul in 1923. Embodying Franciscan spirituality, the Sisters had particular care for the poor, sick and marginalized. The Sisters built and staffed the former St. Mary’s Home for the Elderly in St. Paul and helped to established and staff St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee.
Location: St. Paul
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
Present in the archdiocese since 1950, the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls is a congregation of religious women of the Third Order of Saint Francis of Assisi. Their community was founded in central Minnesota in 1891 by sixteen women who had previously been members of another Franciscan congregation. In God’s providential plan, these women, having lost contact with their original foundress who had become ill in Rome, received permission from the Bishop of the St. Cloud Diocese to become a congregation under his jurisdiction. Having been granted a piece of land on the south side of Little Falls, the sisters, with the help of generous benefactors, constructed a building that immediately served as a residence for orphaned children, a hospital, a home for the aged and a convent for the sisters. From these simple beginnings, the sisters flourished and continued to develop ministries in health care, education, and social services throughout Minnesota and into Wisconsin and eventually throughout the United States and to other continents.
Location: Golden Valley
Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus
Established in 2010 in the Diocese of New Ulm, the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus are a Marian, Eucharistic, diocesan community. The mission is to serve as spiritual mothers in the diocesan family of the Church so to help nurture and foster the divine life so that all people might find their true home in God. While the Handmaids have deep roots in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it was in August 2020 that the Handmaids opened their first house in the archdiocese. The Handmaids currently serve at St. Joseph, West St. Paul; Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul; Holy Family, St. Louis Park and have a presence at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Location: 1142 Summit Avenue, St. Paul
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ
The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ sisters were founded in 1937 by an Irish Missionary to Nigeria, with concern for the status of women, underprivileged, sick, children and for good Christian family. As missionaries, the Sisters serve and witness to the compassion of Christ wherever the work of charity demands their service, and as a Marian Institute, they are specifically drawn to Mary’s Immaculate Heart as they live their motto, AD JESUM PER MARIAM (All to Jesus Through Mary). Their core mission is to seek the perfection of love in the service of God through the profession of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience which is lived in the community. In the Archdiocese, in addition to mental health counseling and nursing, the primary apostolate of the sisters is to serve Jesus in the poor at Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis.
Location: Immaculate Heart Convent, 11520 Preserve Lane, Champlin, MN 55316
Instituto Hermanas Guadalupanas De La Salle
Founded in 1944 and placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Instituto Hermanas Guadalupanas has St. John Baptist de La Salle as its inspiration and guide. For this reason, their founder, Christian Brother Juan Fromental Cayroche, translated the Institute of the Christian Brothers into a feminine context. The purpose of the institute is to provide human and Christian education to children and young people, especially the poor. The Sisters embody the vision to be “always united.” They nourish their life as Sisters with daily prayer from the liturgy of the hours and the celebration of the Eucharist. With a gifted presence in the archdiocese since 1991, the Sisters have provided care for the Archbishops and the Archbishop’s residence.
Location: Mendota Heights
Little Sisters of the Poor
The mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Minnesota began in 1883 when Bishops Thomas Grace and John Ireland petitioned the motherhouse in France to send six Little Sisters to St.t Paul to establish a home for the needy elderly. Within months of their arrival, the Little Sisters were now caring for twenty residents and supporting the home by begging for contributions of food and clothing, sometimes travelling by horse and wagon for a day or a week at a time. In 1889, the original building was demolished to make way for a new home which could accommodate 200 residents. The current facility was built in 1977.
Location: Holy Family Residence, 330 Exchange Street South, St. Paul, MN 55102
Missionaries of Charity
Phone: 612-721-8614
The Missionaries of Charity are a religious community in the Catholic Church, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now Saint Teresa of Calcutta) in 1950 in Calcutta, India. The community is totally dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor, irrespective of social class, creed or color. The Sisters deliberately choose to show God’s concern for the poorest and the lowliest, remaining right on the ground, while offering immediate and effective service to those in need, until they can find someone who can help them in a better and more lasting way. The Sisters came to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis at the invitation of Archbishop Harry Flynn. They serve in south Minneapolis, caring for women in crisis pregnancies.
Location: 1500 E 24th Street, Minneapolis MN 55404
Missionaries Sisters of St. Peter Claver
The congregation of the Missionaries Sisters of St. Peter Claver was formally established on Sept. 8, 1897. The Sisters carry out this mission started by their foundress to keep others informed on the life of the local Church on all the continents, showing the fruits of evangelization, as well as the problems and current challenges in the mission field. In 1938, the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver arrived in St. Paul and began publishing “Echo from Africa and other Continents.” The Sisters continue to edit “Echo” in English, Polish and Vietnamese. The Sisters assist with ministry with the local Hmong community, and since 2003, assist with faith formation in the Archdiocese’s Vietnamese parish. Their current convent was built in 1981, where they have museum to promote the missionary spirit.
Location: 265 Century Avenue S., St. Paul, MN 55125
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are Catholic women who dedicate their lives to God. They choose to embody this apostolic vision by living in community and vowing to live simply, celibately and with shared responsibility. This call deepens and integrates their prayer, relationships and work. Founded in Cork, Ireland on Christmas Day 1775, in 1874 four sisters arrived in Dubuque to teach the immigrant children of Iowa and established the Dubuque Presentations community. Today, Dubuque Presentation Sisters are involved in educational and pastoral ministries and service to others. Sisters minister in urban and rural areas in the United States and in O’Connor Province of Tarija, Bolivia.
Location: Cottage Grove
Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sisters
Pro Ecclesia Sancta, Latin for “For the Holy Church” is an ecclesial family of consecrated life founded in Peru in1992. The institute was established by Fr. Pablo Menor, SJ, a Spanish Jesuit priest with a lifelong desire to promote holiness and the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, Pro Ecclesia Sancta is present in Spain, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Italy and the United States. In 2012 the Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sisters arrived in the Twin Cities. Their apostolates continue to grow and include a presence in several parishes and Catholic schools, mainly serving families and reminding everyone of their call to holiness. The Sisters launched Holy Kids camp and other resources to help enkindle the fire of God’s love in the hearts of children. You are invited to join them on Thursdays at the Convent for a Holy Hour.
The Sisters serve at St. Mark, St. Paul; Our Lady of Grace, Edina; Nativity of Mary, Bloomington; St. John the Baptist, Savage and St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul.
Location: Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent, 8650 Russell Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55431
Religious Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, is a religious institute of pontifical right established in 1973 in response to the renewal called for in the Second Vatican Council. The community received its charism and heritage from Venerable Catherine McAuley who founded the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. The Religious Sisters of Mercy vow to God poverty, chastity, obedience and service to the poor, sick and ignorant, extending the mercy of God into the complex needs of today’s society. Grounded in prayer, the Sisters daily pray the Liturgy of the Hours in common, and participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well as a Eucharistic Holy Hour. Venerable Catherine’s legacy of union and charity is an invitation to love each other sincerely in Christ by cultivating the Little Virtues (gentleness, kindness, courtesy, simplicity, humility, trust in God, patience and forbearance). Integrating professional excellence with the demands inherent in their call, each sister is challenged to enter a process of life-long formation towards her own sanctification and the salvation of souls.
Location: The Saint Paul Seminary, St. Paul (Apostolate), Winona (Convent)
School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province
Responding to the call to teach children of German immigrants in North America, the first School Sisters of Notre Dame arrived from Germany in New York in 1847, then in Minnesota in 1865. Red Wing was the site of the first School Sisters of Notre Dame school in the archdiocese. Even though today many of the Sisters who live in the archdiocese are retired from active ministry, many continue to volunteer with their affiliated ministries: community non-profits serving vulnerable children facing barriers to education, single parent families and immigrants. In 2011, the four School Sisters of Notre Dame provinces based in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas and Mankato, became one province, the Central Pacific Province. In 2022, when they moved out of Mankato, Sisters moved to the Benedictine Living Community in Shakopee, where they live in service, prayer and presence.
Location: Anoka, Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Lakeville, Minneapolis, Roseville, St. Paul, Shakopee, West St. Paul
Servants of Mary
The Servants of Mary, commonly known as the Servite Sisters, began ministry in the archdiocese in 1947. Today, the Servants of Mary of Ladysmith, Wisconsin, hear God calling them to be a presence among God’s people, respond to the world’s need for a deep spirituality, be open to needs as they arise and change on our focus in keeping with emerging needs, minister out of our individual uniqueness, and find deep gladness in meeting the world’s deepest need. The Servite Sisters, like Mary, “in the cries of the world hear the call to respond with loving hearts and compassionate service.”
Locations: Minnetonka, St. Paul, Vadnais Heights
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Founded in Philadelphia in 1833 by Irish woman Mary Frances Clarke, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) is a community of Catholic women religious whose members, in response to a personal call from God, have chosen a vowed life of prayer, ministry and community. In response to this call, BVMs express their mission of being freed and helping others enjoy freedom in service to God’s people through their core values of freedom, education, charity and justice. The Sisters bring dedication and skill to a wide array of ministries throughout the United States and Ecuador and Ghana. From educators to parish ministers, spiritual directors to justice advocates, outreach coordinators to hospital chaplains and environmentalists, BVM sisters are at the margins of society and at the heart of Christian life.
Location: Inver Grove Heights, St. Paul
Sisters of St. Francis Xavier
The Sisters of St. Francis Xavier in Myanmar was established in 1897 by French Bishop Alexander Cardot. Currently there are over 450 perpetually professed religious sisters and 60 with temporary vows. The congregation has 118 communities in Myanmar with missions in the Philippines, Italy, and Thailand. The Sisters are dedicated to education, social development, and caring for the poor, especially rural girls, through teaching, childcare, and community service. They are known for their courageous service amidst national challenges, including recent military unrest. The Sisters of St. Francis Xavier is the newest religious community to the archdiocese, serving primarily our Karen Community, including with providing marriage and family counseling.
Location: St. Paul
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Saint Paul Province
Arriving in 1836, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Saint Paul Province were the first religious community of women in the archdiocese. For decades, their primary forms of service were in education and hospital ministry. Since the Second Vatican Council, Sisters have also served in countless other ways, including parish ministry. In 2012, Carondelet Village opened, a senior living community in St. Paul with independent and assisted living.
Location: 1884 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province
Called by God and passionate for the mission of Jesus, the Sisters of St. Joseph come together to serve all persons. With a distinctive spirit of hospitality and a particular concern for the poor, they witness to the Gospel message by being a unifying and reconciling presence to a world in need. Throughout the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses, the sisters minister in a variety of areas including spiritual direction, education, healthcare and hospitality. New ministries emerge as they identify needs in society. The Sisters actively stand with justice and peace initiatives that align with their mission to create a more peaceful and connected society.
Location: St. Paul
Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas
The Concordia Sisters of St. Joseph is a pontifical institute of women religious. Hallmark to the Sisters way of life is loving God and neighbor without distinction.
Location: St. Paul
Sisters of the Good Shepherd
The mission of the Sisters of Good Shepherd is to be a reconciling presence of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The Sisters commit to four core values: mercy, reconciliation, individual worth and zeal for the salvation of souls. The US foundation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd began in December 1842, when St. Mary Euphraisa chose five Sisters to form houses in the New World. Today, the Province of Mid-North America has ministries across the United States that includes domestic violence shelters, programs for troubled girls, residences for women in recovery, post abortion counseling, and other services to those on the margins of society.
Location: St. Paul, New Brighton
Sisters of the Living Word
The Sisters of the Living Word were founded in 1975 in response to the call of the Second Vatican Council for renewal of religious life. They are an apostolic community with Sisters serving in the U.S. and present in the archdiocese since 1981. The Sisters of the Living Word desire to joyfully bring God’s Word to others. Relying on Jesus, they prayerfully reflect on his Word to deepen their faith and strengthen their desire to spread this Word to others. Their ministries include youth and adult education; parish, campus and diocesan ministry; health care and visiting the elderly; retreat ministry, spiritual direction and counseling; and outreach to those who experience violence, racism, hunger, poverty and homelessness.
Location: Shakopee, Eden Prairie
Visitation Monastery of Minneapolis
Four hundred years ago in Annecy, France, Saint Jane de Chantal and Saint Francis de Sales founded the Visitation Sisters with a primary vow of love and a charism of heart-to-heart encounter as between Mary and Elizabeth. Visitation Monastery of Minneapolis was founded in 1989. The Sisters live their mission of nonviolent presence and encounter in the culturally rich and diverse neighborhood of north Minneapolis. All are welcome to pray the Liturgy of the Hours or Mass with the Sisters as they and open their door to greet Jesus in the faces of those who come. The Sister’s newly built monastery in their north Minneapolis neighborhood gives the Sisters greater opportunities for prayer and hospitality with people who come to our door. The Sisters bridge with a number of faith communities which allows them to reach out to their neighbors in a variety of ways.
Location: Visitation Monastery, 1615 Fremont Ave. North, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Men's Consecrated Vocations
Men's Religious Communities (priests and brothers)
Brotherhood of Hope
The Brotherhood of Hope is a community of Catholic Brothers who live, pray and serve together, under the inspiration of the founding charism that Jesus Christ is All-Sufficient. The Brothers’ primary mission is evangelization on secular college campuses, including the Minneapolis Campus of the University of Minnesota. In this way, the brothers seek to respond to the Church’s call to share the Good News with the spiritually poor. The Brotherhood of Hope came to the archdiocese in 2013, since the brothers have been involved with the Newman Center as campus ministry staff. Other apostolates throughout the archdiocese include assisting on the parish staff at St. Lawrence and work with the national office of St. Paul’s Outreach.
Location: 1201 Fifth Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Carmelite Hermitage of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel were founded in 1987 as an eremitical community of Carmelites within the ancient Order of Carmel. They lead a semi-eremitical life of solitude, semi-communal form of life, based upon the Carmelite Rule and the spiritual teaching of the saints of Carmel. By means of prayer and silence, stillness and solitude, the Carmelites seek a participation in the life of the indwelling Holy Trinity. As far as possible, they support themselves by the labor of their hands and minds, for example through their icons and handmade rosaries. They seek a simple and wholesome life, nourishing their body, mind and spirit. Each member of the community spends part of his day in the solitude of his hermitage. They come together as a community for the liturgy, meals and an hour of recreation during which the silence is lifted, and they enjoy the company and conversation of one another.
Location: 8249 Mount Carmel Road, Lake Elmo, MN 55042
Christian Brothers of the Midwest
The legacy of the Christian Brothers teaching in the archdiocese dates to 1871, when they accepted Fr. John Ireland’s invitation to teach the boys at Cathedral School. In 1889, a new all boys school opened named after Bishop Crétin where the brothers taught the older boys. In 1986 Cretin merged and formed Cretin-Derham Hall, as did the all-boys school Benilde High (1956) merged in 1974 to form Benilde-St. Margaret. In the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Christian Brothers founded five schools: De La Salle (Minneapolis), Benilde-St. Margaret’s (St. Louis Park), Totino-Grace High School (Fridley), Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul) and Holy Family Catholic in (Victoria). The Brothers also founded the Lasallian University of St. Mary in Winona, which has a campus in Minneapolis and opened Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center in Marine on St. Croix in 1864.
Location: St. Paul, Minneapols
Franciscan Brothers of Peace
Franciscan Brothers are consecrated freely to Christ by the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. They live an active life of prayer, brotherhood and service, “Rebuilding the Dignity of Human Life” through the works of mercy. They follow the third order regular Franciscan rule and community statutes, under the gracious care of Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Members include clerical and lay brothers. Pray for us, as we pray for you.
Location: Queen of Peace Friary, 1289 Lafond Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104; Blessed Solanus Friary, 1101 DeSoto Street, St. Paul, MN 55130
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, founded in 1782 by St. Eugene De Mazenod, are a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers serving poor and abandoned people in the United States and 70 countries around the world. The Missionary Oblates go where people’s needs are greatest. Today more than 3,300 Missionary Oblates are ministering in some of the world’s most difficult missions, reaching out to serve those most in need. We bring comfort to the sick, food to the hungry, shelter for victims of natural disasters, and hope for all. We bring peace to war-torn nations and spiritual healing to people in need. Their ministries are a testament to the profound effect God’s love has on the communities they serve.
Locations: Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo; St. Casmir, St. Paul
Pro Ecclesia Sancta
Pro Ecclesia Sancta, Latin for “For the Holy Church” is an ecclesial family of consecrated life founded in Peru in1992. The congregation was established by Pablo Menor, SJ, a Spanish Jesuit priest with a lifelong desire to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The priests, brothers, and sisters of Pro Ecclesia Sancta dedicate themselves to living and promoting the universal call to holiness in the Church through the spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Their lay movement, Catholic Advance Movement, is a way for men and women to find a family of joyful support as they strive to live out their call to holiness in their own vocation. Pro Ecclesia Sancta priests and brothers have been serving in the archdiocese since 2009.
Location: St. Mark, St. Paul
Society of Jesus (Jesuits) - Midwest Province
The vision of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder, of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, was to “find God in all things” and to dedicate self to Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, or the “greater glory of God” and the good of all humanity. The Society of Jesus, is an order of Catholic priests and brothers founded nearly 500 years ago by St. Ignatius Loyola. With more than 15,000 priests, scholastics and brothers worldwide, they are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church. The presence of the Jesuit priests, brothers, scholastics, and novices in the archdiocese includes parish, retreat ministry, education and formation at the Jesuit novitiate house.
Location: St. Thomas More, St. Paul; Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, Lake Elmo; Jesuit Novitiate of St. Alberto Hurtado, St. Paul; Markoe House Jesuit Community, Minneapolis
Society of Jesus (Jesuits) – Central & Southern Province
The vision of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder, of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, was to “find God in all things” and to dedicate self to Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, or the “greater glory of God” and the good of all humanity. The Society of Jesus, is an order of Catholic priests and brothers founded nearly 500 years ago by St. Ignatius Loyola. With more than 15,000 priests, scholastics and brothers worldwide, they are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church.
Location: Univeristy of St. Thomas, St. Paul
Societies of Apostolic Life (Men)
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) is a clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, that is, a community of priests who do not take religious vows, but who work together for a common mission in the Catholic Church, under the authority of the Holy See. Canonically erected by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988, the fraternity currently has more than 300 priests and 150 seminarians from 30 countries and serves in over 130 dioceses on five continents. At the center of this charism is their faithful celebration of the traditional Mass and Sacraments (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite).
Location: All Saints, Minneapolis
Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, North American Regional Delegation
Phone: 651-777-8304
The Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo is a Society of Apostolic Life of pontifical right. The Fraternity has its origins in the charism of Fr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the movement of Communion and Liberation. The men who ask to be admitted into the Fraternity to become priests have met in this movement the definitive form of their belonging to the Church. Through their missionary activity, they work to spread this charism, drawing from it the method of their apostolate. The priests of the Fraternity live together in houses of three or more. The communion among them is meant to sustain their daily missionary work, inform how they live their priesthood, and be a path towards conversion. They must always be willing to be sent wherever the Church has a need. Within the archdiocese, the priests at St. Peter in North St. Paul and in addition serve at Visitation High School in Mendota Heights.
Location: St. Peter, North St. Paul
Men's Religious Communities (priests)
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, St. Thomas Province
The Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate is the first indigenous religious congregation of Catholic priests in the Catholic Church in India. Founded in 1831, by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the religious life of the congregation was rooted in the Indian, Oriental (or Eastern) and Carmelites spiritual traditions. The members are contemplatives in action, meaning that while they engage in ministry in the Church, they live their charism contemplata et aliis tradere (to share with others the fruits of contemplation). In 1978, the Province of St. Thomas was established.
Location: St. Bernard, Cologne
Little Flower Congregation
The Little Flower Congregation (CST Fathers) is a Catholic religious order named after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and founded in India in 1931 by Fr. Basilius Panatt. Originally a brotherhood, it was reorganized to admit priests, becoming a distinct congregation for priests (CST Fathers) and brothers (CST Brothers), focusing on education, social work, and spiritual development with a motto of “Be little and serve the little.”
Location: St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar, St. Paul
Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer
The Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer was officially established in Vietnam Feb. 2, 1953. Following the example of “Christ, who did not come to be served, but to serve, and to serve even unto death” (Mt 20:28), the priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to God and the Blessed Mother in order to bring the Good News of love, hope and joy to all people, especially the Vietnamese people.
Location: Giáo xứ Thánh Anna – Thánh Giuse Hiển, St. Anne – St. Joseph Hien, Minneapolis
Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception, Woodbridge, Ontario
In 1857, Luigi Maria Monti, a consecrated laymen and a brother, founded small communities throughout the region of Rome, Italy where men served in hospitals and as traveling nurses to scattered, impoverished farmers of the area. In 1882 they expanded their mission and founded orphanages with attached schools. Eventually the Sons of the Immaculate Conception was established within the Church as a congregation of religious brothers and priests dedicated to the care and medical assistance of the sick and to the shelter and education of needy young people. Today, the the Sons of the Immaculate Conception are present in over 20 countries all around and continues to carry out this mission. Here in North America, in addition to the archdiocese, the Congregation serves parishes in Canada, Mexico and Ohio.
Location: Blessed Monti Community, 901 90th St E, Bloomington, MN 55420
Conventual Franciscans Province of Our Lady of Consolation
The friars of Our Lady of Consolation Province, believe that they are called by God and led by the Holy Spirit, to follow the St. Francis of Assisi, in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the Roman Catholic Church as Friars Minor Conventual. They seek to form a community of fraternal love and equality by supporting and calling one another to on-going conversation in our vowed life. Prayer and contemplation strengthen them on their journey of faith. While the ministry of the friars is diverse, they in common that they strive to help those most in need, especially those on the margins. Present in the archdiocese since 1951, the friars currently serve at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center (Prior Lake), Risen Savior (Burnsville) and the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul).
Location: St. Joseph of Cupertino Friary, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake, MN 55372
Dominican Friars
The Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great is part of the Order of Preachers, a religious order founded by Saint Dominic de Guzmán. Saint Dominic established the first house of friars in 1215 and on Dec. 22, 1216, Pope Honorius III approved religious order. In 1939, the new Province of St. Albert the Great was established with headquarters in Chicago. Today, the Dominican friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great, continue the preaching mission of St. Dominic in a variety of apostolic ministry venues, placing emphasis upon the intellectual life, ministry to youth, and campus ministry. The foundations of Dominican life – community, prayer, study and ministry – provide impetus for and substance to their preaching mission. The Dominican friars carry out their ministry in the archdiocese St. Albert the Great (Minneapolis), Saint Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights), MN Health Fairview (Minneapolis), Mary, Mother of the Church (Burnsville), the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul).
Location: St. Albert the Great Priory 2833 – 32nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Society of Mary (Marist Fathers)
The Society of Mary, also known as the Marists, is an international religious congregation of priests and brothers devoted to living the Gospel in Mary’s way. The name “Marists” comes from Mary, the mother of Jesus, and reflects our commitment to follow her example. As Marists, we bear her name and mission, serving the Church and the world, “Sub Mariae Nomine” – under Mary’s name. In the United States, the Marists reach from East Coast to West Coast, North to South, and from our borders with Canada and Mexico. Their apostolic work includes parishes, schools, campus ministries, outreach ministries and as chaplains in hospitals, nursing homes and the military.
Location: St. Louis King of France, St. Paul
Redemptorist Fathers
Phone: 763-561-5100
The Redemptorists are a religious congregation of Catholic priests and brothers founded in southern Italy in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori. One hundred years after its formation, six Redemptorists brought the ministry to America. Today, there are over 5,000 Redemptorists missionaries in every corner of the globe preaching the gospel of Jesus especially to the poor. The Denver Province was established in June of 1996 when the former St. Louis, MO, and Oakland, CA. provinces were merged. Denver was selected as the site for provincial headquarters because of its central location to both former provinces. The Denver Province encompasses most of the continental United States as well as parts of Nigeria and the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. Redemptorists strive to imitate the virtues and examples of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Within the archdiocese, Redemptorist serve at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center and St. Bridget in Minneapolis.
Location: St. Alphonsus Priory, 7025 Halifax Ave N, Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
