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Sister Hughetta then moved to Sewanee. In 1888, she and other Sisters established the Southern Province of the Sisters of St. Mary. They founded \u201cSt. Mary\u2019s on the Mountain,\u201d a school for mountain children unable to reach county schools, which became a boarding school for girls until 1968. In 1988, the Sisters built the present convent nearby. Their friend, Robert Ayres, purchased the retreat center property, and it became \u201cSt. Mary\u2019s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development.\u201d It is a separate organization with no legal or financial connection with the Sisters of St. Mary. However, the Sisters continue to have a relationship with the center as board members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The convent is currently home to five Sisters and their new postulant, Sydney. The Sisters adhere to a daily schedule, including chapel services four times a day. They craft, read, watch movies, and garden, but also enjoy quiet time and silent lunches. Meals are eaten in the dining room overlooking the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the most beautiful room in the building, where we have our breakfast and lunch,\u201d Sr. Hannah said. \u201cPeople are welcome to visit here for any of our worship services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A deck offers visitors the view and fresh mountain air, and as Sr. Hannah said, \u201can amazing spot for selfies.\u201d Their Hermitage cabin sits next door and is available for rent. Inside the convent, the nuns\u2019 rooms are upstairs, while a library, offices, an inviting living room, and a gift shop are below. The convent\u2019s chapel is designed for worship and prayer. Within the entrance is a beautiful statue of Mary and Child, original to the St. Mary\u2019s on the Mountain School. To the right of the altar hangs a banner depicting St. Mary\u2019s history. The marble baptismal font dates back to 1885. Sr. Hannah said the ambury (a wall-mounted cabinet housing reserve sacraments) was used by the Sisters in Memphis in the 1870s. A bell, rung at each service, hangs in the tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause we\u2019re a Benedictine order, we follow the rule of St. Benedict,\u201d Sr. Hannah explained. \u201cOne of those teachings is that if you\u2019re the bell ringer and you see your brother coming from a distance, don\u2019t ring it aggressively. Out of love for your brother, ring it slowly and give him time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benedictine nuns uphold the call to a communal life consisting of prayer and work, known as \u201cora et labora.\u201d It centers around balance and sustainable living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBenedictines are known for their good stewardship of the land, not wasting goods, and treating everything with reverence,\u201d Sr. Hannah said. \u201cBenedict believed in the sacredness of everything, and that \u2018the divine presence is everywhere.\u2019”<\/p>\n\n\n\n This mission is evident at St. Mary\u2019s, especially in its sustainable gardens. The 40-acre property includes \u201ca boxwood labyrinth, lavender (their primary crop), blueberries, and big hoops containing muscadine grapes and wine raspberries,\u201d according to Sr. Hannah. There is also a 6,100-square-foot garden where gardener Paul Steiner grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s lemon balm and tons of chocolate mint,\u201d Steiner said. \u201cThere are also several varieties of basil: lettuce leaf, basil, and Genovese basil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steiner also grows vegetables such as butternut squash, Japanese eggplant, red currant tomatoes, and shishito peppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n St. Mary\u2019s Organic Prayer Program intern, Emily Tess, assists Steiner. Since 2012, the Sisters have invited college students and recent graduates to experience a summer or gap year living alongside the community, rooted in Sacramental, Organic, Intentional Living, sharing the rhythm of daily prayer, working in the convent and garden, and representing the community to the world. Their interns live by the Benedictine values of prayer, work, study, rest, and exercise \u2014 an intentional lifestyle that seeks harmony with the natural world and the greater Sewanee community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tess said she will learn to nurture a sustainable garden, cook with what she grows, and sell at farmers markets, though they always grow surplus to donate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/franklin-county\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/5-1024x683.png\")
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