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2025 Oblates and Enrollees

The Oblates of St. Scholastica Monastery welcomed two new Oblates and five enrollees at Mass on May 18, 2025. The Oblates signed their certificates of Oblation and received their Oblate pin as a sign of their commitment as Oblates of St. Benedict. The Sisters then extended their traditional blessing to the new Oblates and enrollees. A brief meeting and then a luncheon took place after the Mass concluded.

If you have an interest in the Oblate program at St. Scholastica, check out our Oblate page.

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Artist Monica Moore Presents at St. Scholastica Monastery

As part of an ongoing social justice series, the Sisters hosted artist Monica Moore at St. Scholastica Monastery May 9, 2025. Moore is the creator of “The Hearts Project”, an art exhibit centered around honoring the lives in Arkansas lost to Covid-19. Moore spoke on the origins of the project, the future of her work and collaborations, and the need to see the project as an approach to social justice. She is passionate about representing those who seem to have been forgotten and giving a voice to all those who sacrificed their lives physically or emotionally during a time when so many felt pressed to pursue normalcy even during loss and danger. She encouraged the Sisters to share their stories of the lockdown and the changes they saw and felt in their lives at the monastery.

Her full story can be heard here: https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2025-01-17/the-hearts-project-memorializes-the-pandemic-with-hand-cut-paper-hearts

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Oral History Collaboration with UAFS

In February and March of 2024, UAFS students, instructors, staff, and Sisters began the first series of oral history interviews as a collaboration between the two entities. The UAFS Pebley Center acquired a grant to record the histories of underrepresented individuals and communities. The UAFS faculty, staff, and students will continue to record the oral history of the Benedictine Sisters and their history in Arkansas and Fort Smith as part of their semester-long projects until both groups feel all the stories that need preservation have been told.

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New Columbarium

In July 2023, the Sisters decided to build a columbarium.  After months of working out the details, the stately columbarium was installed in the monastery cemetery in August 2024. The two sides of the columbarium flank the path to the cemetery as the path divides around a beautiful statue of the crucifixion, and descends to the graves of the deceased. One side is reserved for the Sisters, and the other is open for the public. The area is surrounded by trees, flowers, and a view of the bell tower, offering the peace and beauty of nature. The columbarium was blessed by Bishop Anthony Taylor during a special ceremony on April 25, 2025.  On June 26, the remains of the Sisters who have been cremated since 2020 will be removed from their burial places and recommitted to the columbarium. 

Please see our new page for the columbarium and download our brochure. If you are interested, please contact us for an appointment.

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Sister Pierre Vorster, OSB

Sister Pierre Vorster, OSB, age 101, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, after a brief illness on March 22, 2023. Catherine Marie Vorster was born on March 18, 1922, in Subiaco, Arkansas, to Dan and Agatha Kruse Vorster. She was dedicated to her family and loved them deeply. She grew up in the shadow of Subiaco Abbey.

Before entering St. Scholastica Monastery, she developed a love for politics and history, both of which she attributed to her father. After completing her elementary grades at St. Benedict School in Subiaco, Catherine entered the monastery on September 2, 1937, and became a novice on June 24, 1938, when she took the name, Sister Mary Pierre. On June 24, 1940, she made her first profession, and in 1943 she made her perpetual profession as a member of St. Scholastica Monastery.

Sister Pierre earned her degree in Biology and Chemistry Education in 1962 from Mount Saint Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas. She completed her Masters in Education Administration with a minor in Biology from Creighton, University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1968.

A dedicated teacher for thirty-two years, she taught at St. Scholastica in Shoal Creek, Holy Redeemer in Clarksville, St. Augustine in Dardanelle, St. Edward in Little Rock, St. Boniface, St. John, and St. Anne in Fort Smith, St. Mary in Hattieville, Arkansas and St. Pius X in Moberly, Missouri. She was an excellent teacher, projecting a formidable, no-nonsense attitude.

Beneath the strong exterior was a tender, compassionate heart. During her time as an educator, she earned many awards. In 1956, she received the Pelican Award, a Catholic Boy Scout award, from the Bishop of Little Rock, and later the first Marian Award for Girl Scouts. She earned recognition as the Outstanding Biology Teacher in Arkansas in 1971. In 1972, she was awarded the Dogwood Medal of Honor and the Citation Plaque for her contribution to education in 1973 for history, citizenship, and love of country. She was also named Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Sister Pierre was also involved in many public issues outside the field of education, especially in areas of the environment, conservation, and elder care. She was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Council for the Elderly under three different governors, Bill Clinton, Jim Guy Tucker, and Mike Huckabee. She worked tirelessly for the needs of the elderly and was recognized for her efforts. She was a member of the Arkansas-Oklahoma River Compact Commission from 1980-1992. In 1969, she received the Ruth Thomas Audubon Scholarship. Other awards included the Public Awareness Award, Outstanding Volunteer Award for Adult and Adult Services, Capital Citations from the State of Arkansas, and induction into the Arkansas Senior Hall of Fame.

In 1995, she received the first ever Annual Arkansas Volunteer of the Year Award, now known as the Sister Pierre Vorster Volunteer Award. She received the President’s Call to Service award begun by President George W. Bush. She was active in the Audubon Society, Western Arkansas Area Agency on Aging, and Project Compassion. She served her monastic community as director of St. Scholastica Education Center, activity director for the Monastery Infirmary, editor of the monastery publication Horizons, and for twenty-five years as supervisor of the monastery grounds.

She loved nature and history and enjoyed playing cards, dominoes, and ‘Five–Up’. She took delight in an occasional Arby’s roast beef sandwich and a scoop of peppermint ice cream. She was proud of her German heritage and family. Her hometown in Subiaco, all of Logan County, and the community of St. Scholastica were quite dear to her. No one matched her style and ability. She has truly been a pillar of St. Scholastica Monastery, rooted both here and at Subiaco Abbey.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Joseph Daniel Vorster, William August Vorster, Frank Bernard Vorster, and Mary Ann Altenhofel. She is survived by her sister, Bridget Weisenfels, and sister-in-law, Martha Vorster; many beloved nieces and nephews, great nephews and nieces; and the members of her Benedictine community.

Vespers Service will be on April 21, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The funeral Mass will be on April 22, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., with Rev. Jerome Kodell, OSB, Abbot Elijah Owens, OSB, and Rev. Reginald Udouj, OSB presiding. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery. Burial will follow in St. Scholastica’s cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Scholastica Monastery Continuing Care Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Fort Smith, AR 72913.

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The Feast of St. Scholastica

February 10th

Born to affluent parents, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica both chose a life of contemplation and religious dedication. Her brother left for the monastery, and Scholastica soon followed suit, founding her own monastery with Benedict as the spiritual director. They would meet between the two monasteries, only five miles apart from one another, to indulge in conversations centered around the divine. It is said when Scholastica died, her brother saw her soul ascend to heaven in the form of a dove.

May we, too, find the greatest pleasure in life dwelling on your ways, Lord. St. Scholastica, pray for us!