Sponsored Institutions

Sponsored Institutions

The Sisters of Saint Benedict have begun many ministries as referenced in the History of the monastic community. Today, the Sisters continue their presence and Benedictine influence of mission and values in the following institutions, all of which have been separately incorporated.

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Benedict’s Academy, the precursor to the College of Saint Benedict, began in 1878 as a three-year high school for women, and by 1910 began to include courses in science and languages. The need for higher education for women grew and, in 1913, the College of Saint Benedict was officially established. It became accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges in 1933, which enabled the college to concentrate on traditional Catholic liberal arts courses with philosophy as the core. The college became separately incorporated in 1961 at which time the Sisters gifted their ownership to the College. The Sisters continue their sponsorship through board membership, and witness to the Benedictine mission and values as employees and their presence on and around campus.

In 1963, the administration of both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University began discussion of forming a partnership in education. It began by offering a few classes on each other’s campuses. By 1969 there was a joint-registrar office; students could attend classes on either campus, and some areas of student development were coordinated. Today there is virtually total cooperation and the coordinate relationship between the campuses is thriving.

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University offer more than 60 areas of study and 40 majors. Total undergraduate enrollment is 3,928.

For more information, visit www.csbsju.edu.

St. Cloud Hospital

Since being founded by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in 1886 (and separately incorporated in 1962), the St. Cloud Hospital has grown from a small, community hospital to a comprehensive, high-quality regional medical center. Currently the hospital has more than 3,600 employees and 335 doctors representing 40 medical specialties. In 1975, the hospital became jointly advised by the Sisters of Saint Benedict and the Diocese of St. Cloud. In 1995, the Diocese of St. Cloud became the sole sponsor of the hospital. The Sisters continue their presence in the hospital through board membership, and witness to the Benedictine mission and values as employees and volunteers.

St. Cloud Hospital is part of CentraCare Health System, a not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system. In addition to St. Cloud Hospital, the health system includes

Hospitals in Long Prairie and Melrose
10 CentraCare Clinic sites across Central Minnesota
Numerous specialty care programs, including the Central Minnesota Heart Center and Coborn Cancer Center
4 long-term care facilities including St. Benedict’s Senior Community in St. Cloud

CentraCare Health System serves more than 565,000 people in a 12-county area of Central Minnesota.

For more information, visit www.centracare.com.

Queen of Peace Hospital

Since 1952, the Sisters of Saint Benedict, have sponsored Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague, Minn. In 1965, the Sisters separately incorporated it as its own institution to continue its mission of a community owned hospital. The Hospital has a reputation for being a dynamic, progressive, acute-care hospital with a tradition of service to the communities they serve. It is a 25-bed facility and serves a patient base of roughly 60,000 in four counties. Queen of Peace has been accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) since 1966 and was named a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in 2004.

For more information, visit www.queenofpeacehospital.org.