By Staff, April 2, 2026
This post originally appeared in the Central Minnesota Catholic on March 30, 2026; the image appeared on the Sisters of St. Benedict’s Memorial page.
Musician and liturgical composer, S. Christine (Macrina) Manderfeld, OSB, of St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, entered eternal life on March 26, 2026.
Sister Christine was born Dec. 6, 1938, the second of two children to Christian and Bernadette (Marti) Manderfeld, in New Ulm, Minnesota. She attended St. Raphael’s Grade School and Springfield High School in Springfield, Minnesota. She entered Saint Benedict’s Monastery on Nov. 17, 1957, was received into the novitiate as Sister Macrina on June 17, 1958, made first monastic profession on July 11, 1959, and perpetual monastic profession on July 11, 1962. Sister Christine returned to her baptismal name in 1969 and celebrated her Golden Jubilee on July 19, 2009, and her 60th Jubilee in 2019.
Sister Christine received a bachelor’s degree in music with a minor in philosophy at the College of Saint Benedict and a master’s degree in music education at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana. She taught music classes in grades five and six at St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Elementary Schools in St. Cloud, then music, choir and piano at St. Mary’s in Breckenridge. This was followed by 17 years teaching music at St. Boniface in Cold Spring, where she also served as parish liturgist.
Later, Sister Christine taught music at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. She served as director of the Monastic Schola at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, composed music and assisted with liturgical music at Saint Benedict’s Monastery and Saint Scholastica Convent. Many of her compositions became published works. In 2006 and 2013, Oregon Catholic Press published Sisters in Song: Choral Music for Women, four sets of three Christmas carols each, which were set for women’s voices by S. Christine. In 2009, Liturgical Press published Cantor/Choir Resource for Celebrating the Eucharist and Sacred Song, to which S. Christine contributed 83 descants for hymns. In 2023, Sing of God’s Goodness: Calls to Worship and Responsories, a collection of her sung prayers, was published by GIA Publications, and in 2024, Sing of God’s Goodness – Volume 2, a collection of her antiphons, was published by GIA.
Sister Christine is survived by members of her Benedictine community, her sister, Mary Jo (+William) Sullivan and three nieces, their spouses and children. She was preceded in death by her parents.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. April 8, 2026, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, for Sister Christine (Macrina) Manderfeld, who died March 26 at Saint Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. Burial will be in the monastery cemetery. There will be a prayer service at 3 p.m. April 7 at Saint Scholastica Convent, followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m. A vigil prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. that day at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral on April 8, at 10:30 a.m.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict Outreach Ministries.
May perpetual light shine upon her.
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