Benedictine Sr. Placida Wemhoff accompanies workers as they move furniture from the residential Annex at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho, prior to starting a renovation project in October 2020. (Provided photo)
The pioneering spirit that brought settlers and Benedictine sisters to the northern Idaho wilderness more than 100 years ago will flavor a new intentional community for Catholic lay women being planned at the Monastery of St. Gertrude.
From the historic complex located three miles outside the small town of Cottonwood, 158 miles or about a three-hour drive from Spokane, Washington, the community of as many as 150 sisters has served the region in education, health care and social services for more than a century.