WATERTOWN, S.D. (KELO) - The Benedictine Sisters of Mother of God Monastery have called Harmony Hill home since 1964.
Years ago, they were faced with the decision to either sell their 485-acre campus or give it a new meaning.
"The most important thing that we did was we asked ourselves, do we want to stay in this monastery and just turn off the lights, or do we want to do something that's generative and life giving," Prioress of Mother of God Monastery Barbara Younger said.
That decision led to the development of a campus of just 29 sisters to more than 120 people ranging from children to the elderly.
The Village on Harmony Hill consists of assisted living, a childcare learning center, affordable housing, as well as memory care.
"We wanted to make sure whatever we built, whatever we partnered with to make happen on Harmony Hill would be just that a community of hospitality and welcome. Welcoming everybody as Christ. So that meaning and purpose was at the center of every day," Younger said.
Changing their home hasn't been easy, but it has given the sisters another way to support the Watertown community.
"I think that's what life is all about. You know, we look at our gifts that God has given us. We look at what others have been gifted with and to call that forth to make up a community together to enable others to live more fully," Sister of Mother of God Monastery said Eileen Brick said.
The Benedictine sisters were presented with the 2026 Acts of Excellence Award by the South Dakota Hall of Fame for transforming their monastery into a multi-generational community.
The award embodies the South Dakota Hall of Fame's mission to honor, inspire, preserve, and educate.
"It's all about excellence. Yeah. Well, you know, our mission is to to foster a culture of excellence and what that means and showcase what that means throughout South Dakota," CEO of the South Dakota Hall of Fame Laurie Becvar said.
The sisters were among only two other recipients who received this year's award.
"The Benedictine sisters of the Mother of God Monastery truly exemplify excellence. And what they're doing here with with their community renovation," Becvar said.
While the sisters didn't expect this kind of recognition, they were happy to be honored for something they take immense pride in.
"It feels like in our old age, we are still actively doing mission by improving the lives of people around us. And so in the long run, it's so satisfying and it's worth the effort that we've gone through, not just to shut off the lights and say we're diminishing, but to create something expansive that will last well beyond us.," Sister of Mother of God Monastery Adrienne Kaufmann said.
"I'm eternally grateful to my sisters for the work we've done, because it's been hard work. And to the bravery and the courageousness to do something that is really outside of the box that has been generative," Younger said.
Even though this journey felt unpredictable for the sisters at times, they are proud of this new community they've created.
"We took a calculated risk based on our discernment. And that the evolution and the actual actualization of this dream has been affirming that God hears us, God guides us, and God's not done," Younger said.
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