One Hundred Fifty Years of Community   This year, 2011, the community celebrates the 150th anniversary of our presence in Chicago. This sixth page is a pictorial essay of the Monastery building in Rogers Park over time.

Although the Prioress did not officially reside in the building until 1909, the building became the official Motherhouse and home of St. Scholastica Academy in 1907. The chapel was located directly across from the main entrance in what is now the community room.

		The cornerstone of the portion of the building begun in 1906.
	The stairs, although slate, are now worn down in places, providing a reminder of the hundreds of Sisters who have walked these steps.		The walls in the 1906 building are more than a foot thick, a testament to the community's long-term plans for the building.

	By 1925, the community and the academy had grown, as had the size of the building which housed both. The chapel, which is still in use, was built between the Monastery and the School and shared by both the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago and St. Scholastica Academy.	Planning fo the Fine Arts Building was begun in 1954, and the wing was completed in 1957.

		The final addition to the building, added in 1980, is St. Joseph Court. The presence of this infirmary allows the Sisters who need additional care to remain in the community.

	The main monastery entrance in 2006, a familiar sight to anyone who drives down Ridge Avenue.

	The changes in the building....	...have been paced by changes in the surrounding neighborhood.

But the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago still strive to live as community and serve where there is need.