Sr. Susan Hutchens, OSB

Sr. Susan Hutchens, OSB
Prioress

Susan Hutchens, OSB, was elected Prioress of St. Mary Monastery in June 2020.  The fourteenth prioress in the Benedictines’ 145-year history, Sr. Susan is the fourth to serve in Rock Island since St. Mary Monastery’s relocation in 2001 from Nauvoo, IL.

Sr. Susan first met the sisters when they taught at her home parish of St. Thomas More in Munster, IN.  It was during those years that she began to consider a call to religious life. 

Sr. Susan earned a Bachelor of Mathematics from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Indiana and taught Mathematics in the middle grades before entering the Sisters of St. Benedict during her fourth year of teaching.  She received a Master’s in Theology from Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and taught Math and Religion at the Secondary level, both at St. Mary’s Academy, Nauvoo and at Bergan (now Notre Dame) High School in Peoria, Illinois.

Sr. Susan also did graduate work in Mathematics Education at Purdue University, Calumet campus and in Financial Administration at the University of Notre Dame. In 1988, Sr. Susan was appointed Treasurer of her community and continued to serve in that role, until her election as Prioress.  Her ministry also includes 17 years of teaching and service as community Organist.   

For many years Sr. Susan served on the Finance Committee of the Federation of St. Benedict. She was elected as President of the Federation of St. Benedict and served from 2009 to 2015. In this position, she represented Benedictine Sisters in 10 monasteries in the United States, its territory of Puerto Rico, in the Bahamas, Taiwan and Japan. During her term, Sr. Susan completed extensive travel to each monastery as well as to Rome and many other monasteries in the United States.

Sr. Susan also served as a Financial Consultant for the National Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes (now Resource Center for Religious Institutes, RCRI.)  Sr. Susan served on the St. Mary’s Academy Board of Directors and currently serves on the Finance Board of two other communities of Benedictine Sisters.    

Sr. Susan has a deep love of theology, Scripture, the Liturgy of the Hours, monastic history, and music, as well as a firm commitment to, and passion for the Benedictine monastic life.   Sr. Susan enjoys music, reading, gardening and horses.  Her four siblings and nieces and nephews of the next two generations are a vital part of her life.