Centenarian sister welcomes Christ in every season of her life
Benedictine Sister Mary Carol Messmer, right, receives a certificate on June 4 from Dennis Buckley, mayor of Beech Grove, declaring June 12 as “Sister Mary Carol Day” in the city. Benedictine Sister Julie Sewell, prioress of the monastery, looks on at left. (Submitted photos by Jennifer Lindberg)
By Jennifer Lindberg
BEECH GROVE—Surrounded by family and her fellow Benedictine sisters on June 4 in honor of her upcoming 100th birthday on June 12, Benedictine Sister Mary Carol Messmer reflected the dedication to her vocation and the effect it had on others.
Her family calls her “the angelic aunt” and “prayer companion.” Her fellow monastic sisters describe her contributions to the community that spans an 82-year vocation as ongoing.
As a founding member in 1960, Sister Mary Carol’s place in the history of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove starts with the first bricks cementing the establishment of Benedictine sisters in the area.
Born on June 12, 1923, she grew up in Ferdinand in southwestern Indiana. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Benedict at Monastery Immaculate Conception there at the age of 18.
It seems her birthday marks historical occasions. It was on her birthday in 1960 that she moved into the new monastery in Beech Grove. And it was during the celebration of her 100th birthday that she learned the city cemented her name in its history by declaring June 12 as “Sister Mary Carol Day.”
Her contributions to the Church and her community are part of her order’s charism of hospitality. When then-Indianapolis Archbishop Paul C. Schulte invited Monastery Immaculate Conception in 1953 to send sisters to create a facility for the elderly in Beech Grove, it was out of hospitality that Sister Mary Carol embraced the call.
The Benedictine sisters did one better and also opened a high school for girls. The school closed in 1978 and became the Benedict Inn and Conference Center.
Sister Mary Carol has witnessed many changes at Our Lady of Grace Monastery—including the selling of St. Paul Hermitage in 2022 and the decision to tear down the existing monastery, build a new one and close the retreat center just this year.
However, her commitment to the Benedictine charism of stability continues to bless her community and bear witness to the bonds of family.
She was born Frances Marie to Joseph and Frances Messmer. One of 13 children, Sister Mary Carol went home to Ferdinand as often as she could, forming strong memories for her family. Three of her sisters are still living.
“She’s very precious to all of us,” said her niece, Joann Oser. “Anytime we were at a low point in our lives, somehow she knew, and she always came through for us.”
“She always had a special prayer for you,” said another niece, Eileen Lowery. “She always appeared at the right time.”
As a young girl, Sister Mary Carol knew she was being called by God to religious life.
“I made a ladies’ retreat with some friends at age 17,” she said. “The next day, one of the friends called and told me that she was entering the convent.
“I sat down and cried because I had this overwhelming feeling that was what I wanted to do. It really just hit me.”
Her mother asked her to wait one year, and at the age of 18, on Sept. 7, 1941, Sister Mary Carol entered Monastery Immaculate Conception. One of her siblings, the late Sister Mary Gerald, also entered the monastery.
Sister Mary Carol didn’t anticipate making history in her life as a religious. Her days were filled with prayer and serving as a teacher and principal at various schools across the state. Her ministry as a teacher took her to schools throughout the archdiocese, as well as the Evansville Diocese and even St. Louis, Mo.
Her longest stint was as an educator in Starlight, where she spent 35 years at the former St. John the Baptist School. She was also Our Lady of Grace Monastery’s seamstress for many years and still makes aprons. She is famous for her homemade peanut brittle.
Yet, it’s the students she taught that give her fond memories. She keeps photos of all of them in her room.
“I enjoyed seeing the students blossom,” she said.
It’s because of her love of children that she calls St. Pius X her favorite pope, “because he made it possible for younger children to receive Jesus,” she said.
In 1910, Pius X lowered the age at which children could receive their first Communion to 7.
Sister Mary Carol’s life is one of constant welcoming Christ through every season. While she retired from active ministry in 2005, she is still a “tremendous example for the entire community,” her fellow Benedictine sisters said.
She is a member of her community’s choir, a lector at prayer and Mass, and always attends the daily rosary. It is the rosary that is among her favorite prayers because the Blessed Mother is her favorite saint, she said.
“I have a strong devotion to her and pray the rosary every day,” said Sister Mary Carol. “I am comfortable sharing my life with Mary.”
Her best advice from a life well-lived is “God is always there for you,” she said. “Reach out to him.”
(Jennifer Lindberg is a freelance writer and a member of St. Mary Parish in North Vernon.) †
