Benedictine Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza relished the opportunity to visit Maria Rickenbach convent in Switzerland, from which five pioneering Sisters left in 1874 to travel to America to found the monastery of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in America.
This summer, Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Ruth Elaine Starman, OSB and Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza, OSB traveled to Switzerland for a memorable journey that combined prayer, history and breathtaking scenery.
Their travels took them to Maria Rickenbach convent, from which five pioneering Sisters left in 1874 to travel to America to found the monastery of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri.
Sister Ruth Elaine and Sister Lynn Marie joined the monastic community in prayer and enjoyed the hosts’ warm hospitality. Time in the monastery’s chapel and the surrounding mountains offered moments of both peace and awe.
One highlight was a trip with host Sister Francesca to Haldigrat, where they walked two miles before taking a chair lift to the mountain’s summit. The views were “amazing,”and they marveled at the beauty of creation spread before them.
Their adventures also included a visit to Engelberg Abbey, the founding monastery of Conception Abbey, which is home to the Benedictine Sisters’ dear friends and neighbors in Missouri. There, Father Thomas welcomed them and showed a remarkable depiction of the Emmaus story, crafted in intricate inlaid wood by one of the monks.
Among the many adventures enjoyed by Benedictine Sister Ruth Elaine Starman, OSB (left) and Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza was a visit to Engelberg Abbey
As their time in Switzerland came to a close, Sister Ruth Elaine reflected, “And so we bid a fond farewell to Maria Rickenbach and the beautiful Swiss Alps. It has been wonderful to see our roots and pray at the pilgrim chapel. May Our Lady of Rickenbach obtain for us all many blessings.”
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