Sister Carol Jean Schroeder, age 95, died on December 3, 2024 at Villa St. Vincent, Crookston, Minnesota. She was born on July 8, 1929, in Farming, MN, the seventh of eight children of William Schroeder and Elizabeth Behnen Schroeder. They named her Angela Elizabeth at her baptism.
Angela received her elementary education at Popple Grove School in Becker County, MN, and her secondary education at Park Rapids High School, Park Rapids, MN.
Angela entered Mount Saint Benedict Monastery on September 1, 1949. On April 10, 1950, she received the Benedictine habit and the name Sister Carol Jean. She made her first monastic profession on July 12, 1951, and her final profession on July 12, 1944.
Sister Carol Jean attributed her vocation in her words “to relatives, primarily my home and ultimately my pastor. My mother and father had a deep respect for religious life.”
Sister Carol Jean received her degree from Minnesota State University in Moorhead, MN, and also studied at Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, and Saint Thomas University, Saint Paul, MN.
Sister Carol Jean made impressive use of each of her gifts as a secretary, office manager, and accountant. She served in the business office of St. Mary’s Hospital, Detroit Lakes, MN and for eleven years as treasurer at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery. She became the Assistant Administrator of St. Francis Residence, Crookston as it transitioned to become Villa St. Vincent/The Summit eldercare facility.
Over the years, Sister Carol Jean served as secretary to the Director of Education for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul/Minneapolis, secretary to the Director of the Sisters’ National Vocation Conference in Chicago, and secretary to the Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in Silver Spring, MD. The Director of the Sisters’ National Vocation Conference commented that Sister Carol Jean was the best secretary she ever had.
Sister Carol Jean had a gift for making tatted rosaries which graced the arm of many brides on their wedding day.
Sister Carol Jean was preceded in death by her parents William Schroeder and Elizabeth Behnen Schroeder, and siblings: Mrs. Ambrose Maehren (Lydia), Albert Schroeder, Veronica Pasek, Joseph Schroeder, Edward Schroeder, and Martha Gartner. Her brother Alex, many nieces and nephews, and the Sisters of Saint Benedict survive her.
Prayer Service: 11:00 a.m., December 12 in Sacred Heart Chapel, Mount Saint Benedict, Crookston, MN.
Mass of Christian Burial: December 12, 2:00 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, Mount Saint Benedict, Crookston, MN. Celebrant: Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Honorary Casket Bearers: Sisters of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery.
Internment: Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery, spring 2025.
Arrangements by Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home, Crookston, MN.
