St. Scholastica extends term of prioress

Published: April 27, 2017

Sister Maria DeAngeli, OSB, prioress of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, will continue to lead the convent through May 2019. Her fellow Benedictine sisters voted to extend her term on April 21. She was originally elected prioress in 2009 and reelected to an additional four-year term in 2013. The sisters reached their decision after a two-day reflection process.

Sister Maria, a native of Lake Village, is the daughter of the late Angelo and Lois DeAngeli and was one of seven children. She entered St. Scholastica Monastery in 1949 and made her monastic profession in 1953. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from East Central State University in Ada, Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University in Chicago.

She taught in Morrison Bluff, Conway, Russellville and Fort Smith as well as Clear Creek, Missouri, and worked in parish ministry in Russellville, Crossett and Helena. Prior to her two terms as prioress, she served as sub-prioress, formation director and gift shop manager. 

To learn more about St. Scholastica Monastery visit the community's website. For more information about men and women religious in Arkansas, visit our Religious Order Directory.