2017 Inductee
The mission of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters is the same today as when they first came to Arkansas in 1887: serving God and all those in need. To their original ministries of education and health care have been added Hispanic ministry, prison ministry, and other apostolates that would have been unimaginable to those first four Sisters who founded the congregation.
In 1900, just thirteen years after the foundation of their community, the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters established St. Bernards Hospital and Regional Medical Center. Today, the Sisters remain active in the governing and pastoral care of St. Bernards, the leading health care provider in Northeast Arkansas.
God continues to bless this community with new vocations as women of faith seek to follow their Master who came "not to be served, but to serve."