ST. MARYS — The Benedictine Sisters of Elk County have confirmed that St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys, the oldest Benedictine Convent in the United States, will close after 160 years. 

The announcement comes after the religious community’s 17 remaining members reached a unanimous agreement on Monday to dissolve the community and vacate the monastery. The decision follows years of discussions and searching for an alternative.

Sister Rita Brink, an administrator with the Benedictine Sisters of Elk County, said the sisters, ranging in age from 58 to 91, are now looking to relocate, or “transfer vows,” to other Benedictine communities. There is currently no timetable for completion of those transfers or relocations, Brink said. 

The buildings and acres of property comprising the Monastery are owned by St. Vincent’s Arch-abbey in Latrobe and leased to the nuns, according to Brink. St. Vincent’s Arch-abbey and the Benedictine Society of Westmoreland County did not immediately return calls for comment on Tuesday. 

While declining to identify specific factors that led to Monday’s decision, Brink simply stated, “I think it’s fair to say that each of the sisters was involved in the discussions and we came out with the best possible outcome for everyone involved.” 

But prior to Monday’s announcement, officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, including retired Bishop of Erie Donald Trautman, said faced with declining health and numbers, and buildings not up to code, the sisters were left with little choice. 

“Basically it’s an aged community that doesn’t have new people entering. The building is not code compliant in all of its parts and the convent’s numbers are dwindling, and that’s a fact,” Trautman said. 

“It’s a sad set of circumstances. I think we all feel very bad about the way things have developed but it was foreseen and has been ongoing for years.”

Established in 1852 by way of Bavaria, Germany, the St. Marys convent was the first foundation of Benedictine sisters in the United States. 

Throughout the years, the sisters have served as educators, and health care providers, in area schools and local hospitals including Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, where the sisters administered from 1933 to 1978. 

Their presence has been scaled back in the years since, although they continue operating a recycling program and gift shop on the monastery grounds, according to Brink. 

An on-site ceramics shop well known locally is now defunct, but several of the sisters work in local parishes with faith development and sacramental programs, while another teaches private piano lessons. 

Individual members of the convent were not available to speak on Tuesday, with all inquiries being directed to Brink. 

As for her, Brink will return to her community in Covington, Ky., where she resided before taking over as administrator with the Sisters of Elk County in October of 2012.

In a statement released by the monastery Tuesday, the sisters vow to keep the people of St. Marys and the surrounding communities as a “vital part of the sisters’ prayers and blessings.”