Four Benedictine Sisters Celebrate 50th Jubilee
Four Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their monastic profession on Saturday, August 5, at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. The Jubilee Mass will be at 1 p.m. EDT in the monastery church. A reception for family and friends will follow in the monastery.
The jubilarians, Sister Linda Bittner, Sister Betty Drewes, Sister Judy Dewig, and Sister Jane Will, entered Monastery Immaculate Conception in 1965 and professed their monastic vows in 1967.
Sister Linda, from Darmstadt, served as an elementary teacher at Holy Redeemer School, and St. Joseph School, both in Evansville, Ireland Elementary School in Ireland, St. Luke School in Indianapolis, and St. Joseph School in Corydon. She worked as an administrative assistant at Kordes Enrichment Center in Ferdinand and served as an ESL teacher at Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand, at North Spencer Alternative Education Center and ACE Academy, both in Dale. Currently, Sister Linda serves as an interventionist and teaching assistant at Ferdinand Elementary School.
Sister Betty, from Brookville, Indiana, taught at St. Benedict School and Holy Redeemer School in Evansville. She served as teacher, director of admissions, counselor, dean of students, and religion department chair at Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand. She served as director of Kordes Enrichment Center in Ferdinand and director of spirituality at Benedict Inn Retreat Center in Beech Grove. At the monastery, she served as director of Oblates and as motherhouse coordinator. She currently works in spirituality ministry as director of the Kordes Center, providing spiritual direction and offering programs for spiritual and personal enrichment.
Sister Judy, from Evansville, served as an elementary teacher at Holy Redeemer and St. Benedict Schools in Evansville. She worked in special education at Madonna Learning Center in Memphis, Tennessee. She currently serves as a learning specialist at St. Benedict School in Evansville.
Sister Jane, from Evansville, served as an elementary teacher at Christ the King School in Evansville and at Ireland Junior High School in Ireland, Indiana. She taught at Memorial High School and Mater Dei High School, both in Evansville. She served as director of formation and subprioress for the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand. She worked as a clinical psychologist for St. Mary Medical Center in Evansville and Center for Psychological Services in Jasper. She currently serves in spirituality ministry for the Sisters of St. Benedict as director of programming, spiritual director, and therapist.
Founded in 1867, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand currently number 144 and serve in areas of education, parish work, health care, retreat and spirituality work, social services, and counseling in Indiana, Kentucky, and Peru.