Benedictine sisters celebrate anniversaries of religious life

Criterion staff report

In 2025, the Benedictine Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove had three members celebrate significant milestones in religious life.

60-year jubilarians

Benedictine Sister Carol Falkner marked the 60th anniversary of her profession of vows as a religious.

She entered Our Lady of Grace from her home parish of St. Joan of Arc in Indianapolis and made her first profession of vows at Our Lady of Grace in 1965.

Sister Carol earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, Ind., and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in administration at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.

In the archdiocese, she served at St. Ambrose School in Seymour from 1967-71 and at St. Bartholomew School in Columbus from 1971-76.

At Our Lady of Grace, Sister Carol served as the administrator of the former Benedict Inn Retreat and Conference Center from 1995-2001 and from 2010-22.

She also led Our Lady of Grace as its prioress from 2001-09 and served as second leadership of the monastic community as subprioress from 1985-93.

Sister Carol is currently serving as subprioress again, beginning in that ministry in 2022.
 

Benedictine Sister Heidi Marie Krack marked the 60th anniversary of her profession of vows as a religious.

She entered Our Lady of Grace from her home parish of St. Charles Borromeo in Bloomington and made her first profession of vows in 1965.

Sister Heidi Marie earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, a master’s degree at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in music education at the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis.

In the archdiocese, she served in Indianapolis at Christ the King School from 1967-71 and St. Matthew the Apostle School from 1990-2023. Sister Heidi Marie also ministered at St. Anthony of Padua School in Clarksville from 1971-75, and at the former Our Lady of Grace Academy from 1975-78, and at Holy Name of Jesus School, both in Beech Grove, from 1978-90.

Sister Heidi Marie retired from ministry in 2023.
 

Benedictine Sister Sharon Kuhn marked the 60th anniversary of her profession of vows as a religious.

She made her first profession of vows in 1965 as a member of the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho, and later became a member of Our Lady of Grace in 2006.

Sister Sharon earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho.

In the archdiocese, she served as director of facilities for the Benedict Inn from 2000-02, as an administrative assistant in the archdiocesan Office of Clergy and Parish Life Coordinators from 2003-09 and in the business office of the former St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove from 2015-17. She also served as an administrative assistant at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis from 2017-20.

At Our Lady of Grace, Sister Sharon served as second in leadership as subprioress from 2009-15 and 2020-22.

She retired from ministry in 2023. †