vSISTER MARIBETH continued from page 18 extremely busy, since there are many meetings and activities to attend to. The Benedictine sisters not only work hard and pray often. Play and celebration are import aspects of monastery life too. One way Sister Maribeth celebrates life, is with her passion for fishing. It didn’t come naturally at first though. She gives credit for her conversion to her brother; Brad. Her whole family loved to go fishing, but at age three, little Maribeth “didn’t like to because she was freaked out by bugs, and she was afraid of them”. Her siblings would have to take turns sitting with her in the car, while the others fished. Finally her brother had enough and said “This is ridiculous! You’re going to sit by me and I’ll show you how to fish. You can get over your fear of bugs.” He worked with his sister patiently, and she was permanently hooked when she caught her first fish that day. Once her parents retired and moved to Yankton, they still enjoyed fishing with their youngest daughter. “Good old fashion bait” is preferred over lures, and she sometimes uses minnows. Sister Maribeth keeps the ones big enough to eat. She cleans and fillets them herself. “The trick to keeping them fresh, is to freeze the fillets in water. Once we have enough frozen fish saved up, we have a fish fry at the monastery.” A few years ago she caught an award winning master Angler Bass due to its length of nineteen inches in Yankton on the river. Sister Maribeth had many fishing buddies, Sister Nancy, Sister Pierre, Sister Ritamary and Sister Marie Helene who have since passed on, but is quick to recount happy memories. Among the many life changing experiences that touched Sister Maribeth deeply, the fire in 1997 which destroyed part of the monastery showcased the love the Yankton community and college students had for the Sacred Heart sisters. It was a bitterly cold February night, and the nuns were gathered in the chapel to see who was unaccounted for, while the firefighters put out the blaze. There was no time to put on a coat or grab a blanket. When the students in the residence hall were alerted to what was happening, huge piles of coats and jackets were instantly provided. “It was so touching to see a ninety year old nun in a baseball jacket.” Later, many donations were made to help the sisters in the short term while they were temporarily housed at the Human Services Center in Yankton. During the five weeks the monastery was under reconstruction Sister Maribeth learned firsthand that “things aren’t important, people are. You can always replace just about anything else.” The sum total of her belongings that survived the fire fit in a small, cardboard box. She recalls how many students later told her how very “eerie it was to have it dark at the monastery next door. The lights had always been on and shining brightly, but with the building dark and vacant, “it felt like their angels were gone.” The sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery truly are the angels of both Avera Hospital and the Mount Marty campus’. They are blessings to the city of Yankton as well. Their purpose is to be a prayerful presence that continues the mission and ministry of Jesus as a teacher and healer. One of the newly appointed prioress’ first tasks is to adopt a new theme of the year for the monastery. Sister Maribeth chose “Look to God that you may be radiant with joy,” based from Psalm 34 v.5, because it describes her attitude towards life. This fits perfectly with the monastery’s Benedictine theology as well. Sister Maribeth radiates a natural, infectious enthusiasm that exudes happiness. The next five years of her term, are certain to be successful beyond belief. With Sister Maribeth at the helm anything is possible! n check out... Love to cook.... But hate to shop? Create an online account, shop, and your order will be available for curb-side pick-up or delivery in as little as 4 hours! Shop The Way You Want To Shop From Anywhere, At Anytime. aislesonline.com hervoiceonline.com 20vHERVOICEvJULY/AUGUST 2018 2100 Broadway, Yankton 665-3412 • www.hy-vee.com