+ Sister Gloria Ess
Sister Gloria Ess, 88, lived a long and joyful life of service, dying peacefully on September 28, 2026, on Benet Hall at St. Scholastica Monastery in her 67th year of consecrated life. She entered the Benedictine Community on September 8, 1958, made her First Monastic Profession on July 11, 1960, her Final Monastic Profession on July 11, 1963, and celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2010 and her Diamond Jubilee in 2020.
Her wake (9:45 am) and funeral Mass (11:00 am) will be on Saturday, October 3, in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at the Monastery, with Father Corbin Eddy presiding. Livestream begins at 9:45 a.m at https://youtube.com/live/PaewjNKaZRw?feature=share. Interment will be in Gethsemane Cemetery. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home.
Born August 5, 1938, to Arthur John and Eleanor (Neusinger) Ess in Minneapolis, she was baptized Virginia Marie and raised in a large family of four daughters and two sons. She first encountered the Duluth Benedictines as her teachers at St. Bridget’s Elementary School in Minneapolis, and under their care she began to sense a call to religious life. After graduating from Robbinsdale High School she was considering several communities and visited St. Scholastica Priory in Duluth. There she was welcomed warmly by Mother Martina Hughes and decided this was where God wanted her. In 1958 at age 20 she entered as a postulant, one of a class of 19 young women. She recalled much laughter and tears as together they learned what it meant to be Benedictine. They made their first monastic profession together in 1960 and their perpetual profession in 1963. Sister Gloria was one of six from that class who chose to remain in Community beyond the turbulent 1970s.
Her initial ministry was as housekeeper and cook, beginning in the Priory in Duluth, then on mission with other Sisters at parish schools in Ely and Cloquet, and finally at St. Mary’s Convent in Duluth. At St. Mary’s she met Sister Edward Whitelaw, a few years her junior; they shared the work and became good friends. Friendship is important in a monastic community, and Sister Gloria later recalled their work together as her most satisfying.
In 1969, she returned to St. Scholastica Monastery, where she served in many capacities. For 13 years she worked with Sister Benita Hayden in the Instructional Materials Center at The College of St. Scholastica. For a few years she assisted in the Monastery Spiritual Resource Center and prepared bedrooms for guests. As Monastery receptionist she answered the phone, greeted visitors, and was the smiling face and voice of the Community. She shared Sister Martha Bechtold’s work in the Transportation and Maintenance Office and recalled, “This work kept me young, as there were always surprises and something new.” She learned that any work done well is a blessing to the worker and to those she serves. In 2014, she became Director of Transportation, assigning cars to Sisters and found drivers in medical emergencies. She saw it as an opportunity to learn the different personalities of her Sisters under times of stress, and to develop patience with them. In 2019, she retired from active ministry after 60 years of faithful work.
Sister Gloria sought God in her prayer life, Community, and ministries. She said once that the greatest gift of religious life is the opportunity to help others. Over the years she knit and crocheted thousands of mittens, caps, large afghans, baby afghans, and slippers to help disadvantaged Duluthians survive our bitterly cold winters. She also donated many to our annual Monastery Christmas Bazaar. There was always a bag of yarn at her side, her fingers busy making something warm and beautiful and full of love, personally involved in the Community’s outreach ministries. As she worked, she prayed the rosary or read from Pieta, a booklet with prayers from St. Bridget. Prayer became the framework for her work and her life. She had special devotions to the Blessed Mother and St. Rose of Viterbo. In times of joy, her smile was luminous.
Looking back in 2010 on her Golden Jubilee, Sister Gloria acknowledged the constant love and support of her parents and siblings, who first planted the seed of faith in her and nurtured her vocation. She gave thanks for the ongoing support of her Benedictine Community, as God challenged her to stretch and grow in response to God’s call. May we all learn from her faithful response.
Sister Gloria was preceded in death by her parents Arthur John and Emma Ess, her brothers Richard John and Arthur George, and her sister Mary Ann (Lyle) Hathaway. She is survived by sisters June Hiller and Kay O’Neill, and by the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery.
Special thanks to the dedicated staff on Benet Hall at the Monastery, and for their compassionate and loving care for Sister Gloria.
