Karen Rose, OSB, was installed as the 18th prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in Saint Joseph, Minnesota on Sunday, June 4, 2023. In recent years Sister Karen served as a Bridgefolk board member. Although her new responsibilities prompted her to resign from that position soon after her election by the monastic community on February 25, she hopes to continue participating in Bridgefolk.
S. Karen previously served as the director of mission advancement at Saint Benedict’s Monastery and succeeds Sister Susan Rudolph, who served as prioress since 2017.
The prioress is elected for a six-year term and is the spiritual leader of the community, which currently has 157 sisters. She is also the chief executive officer of the corporation and represents the monastery on the corporate board of the College of Saint Benedict and the corporate board of St. Cloud Hospital, two institutions founded by Saint Benedict’s Monastery.
S. Karen was born in the northwest of England. As she was growing up, she grew to love the arts and humanities and considered a career in ancient and modern languages, but as she went off to pursue higher education, she decided to study philosophy and theology in the hope of finding the meaning of life. When she didn’t find it, she felt called to do something that would help ease the suffering of humanity. That call ultimately led her to move into the field of health care. She holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in philosophy and theology from Oxford University, a doctorate in nursing from the University of Manchester, as well as other degrees and certificates.
An insatiable thirst for knowledge and discovery led S. Karen to participate in Studium, the monastery’s scholars’ program, in 2005. With no plans to enter religious life, she never expected to stay more than a few weeks. However, she felt God kept calling her back, until she made first monastic profession on July 11, 2009 and perpetual monastic profession on July 11, 2012.
The Rite of Installation took place at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 4 in the presence of her monastic community, members of the Monastic Congregation of Saint Benedict, and several special guests. She was installed in the office of prioress by Sister Nicole Kunze, Vice President of the Monastic Congregation of Saint Benedict.
Later that afternoon at a special celebration of the Eucharist, the Most Reverend Patrick Neary, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, bestowed upon Prioress Karen Rose the blessing of the universal church in the presence of family, friends, oblates, Benedictine associates, clergy, representatives of religious communities, colleagues, benefactors, staff, members of the Order’s sponsored institutions, and persons representing the wider community.