Sister Luke Hoshette will celebrate 60 years as a religious

Intermountain Catholic

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Sister Luke Hoshette

OGDEN – Community and prayer life attracted Sister Luke Hoschette to the Benedictine Order 60 years ago. She took her first vows July 11, 1950 at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn.

"Sr. Luke believes firmly in the monastic life to which she was called," said Benedictine Sister Danile Knight, prioress of the Benedictine Monastery in Ogden.

"Sr. Luke is a very exact, orderly and organized person," said Sr. Danile. "She has been the secretary for many years at the monastery and keeps all the records. She knows where absolutely everything is in the files and had everything organized at the hospital as well when she worked in administration."

Sr. Luke was employed at St. Benedict’s Hospital, now Ogden Regional Medical Center, from 1978 until her retirement in 2003. Since then she has been involved in Liturgy of the Hours, and leads the sisters in practice. "We have new books and we want to pray correctly because St. Benedict called it the most important work we do," said Sr. Danile. "Sr. Luke keeps us being good Benedictines and we appreciate her very much."

Jeanette Smythe, in infection control at Ogden Regional Medical Center, has known Sr. Luke for 52 years and agrees that she’s a very precise person. "She is also a kind-hearted, energetic, wonderful sister, who is very spiritual and fun. She has quite a sense of humor and it has been a joy working with her. I love that she still wears her habit and that we still see her when she volunteers or works in administration. The patients appreciate seeing her."

In 2001, Sr. Luke was honored with the M. Corinne Holston award from Ogden Regional Medical Center, the highest honor an employee can receive. It’s given to those who demonstrate excellence and commitment to the hospital’s mission for compassionate service with respect for the dignity of all.

Sr. Luke came to Ogden in 1966 and left in 1971 to return to Minnesota to work in hospital administration. She came back to Ogden in 1978.

She always has been involved with business administration; she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Education from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., in 1948. She taught business education at St. Benedict and was the student prefect from 1956-1959 and 1962-1964. She received a master’s degree in business administration from Notre Dame University in Indiana in 1959, and a master’s in hospital administration from St. Louis University in Missouri in 1966. She completed a hospital administration residency at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapid, Mich., from 1965-1966.

Sr. Luke is happy to have received a Catholic education. "I received an education from sisters of different communities, but it was when I went to St. Benedict’s College and saw the lifestyle of the sisters there that attracted me," she said. "They were living a wonderful lifestyle; they were happy, had a wonderful community spirit and a deep prayer life. While I didn’t enter right away, I worked for several years for Minnesota Mining and for an insurance company – my calling remained with me. I have always found satisfaction in all the work I have done, but the Benedictine charism of community and prayer life has meant the most to me. As a lay person I had opportunities for a prayer life, but that is different than when you have committed yourself to a rule and a way of life that joins you with other women in the same experience. In a community, you are encouraged to be the best you can be, always recognizing it’s the Lord’s work that’s being done."