Since our pioneering Benedictine Sisters arrived in the United States in the late 19th century, we have made altar breads for our own Eucharistic use. Baked over an open fire and shared among the half-dozen Sisters, they were a tiny reminder of our charism that includes a distinctive dedication to the Eucharist. When our early Sisters discovered there was a great need for altar breads elsewhere, they decided to produce them for others too.

In 1910, Sister Ursula Semon traveled to a Franciscan community in Hartwell, Ohio, to learn about altar bread production for the masses. We owe such gratitude to those dear Sisters who taught our Sister Ursula about mixing the dough, baking the breads, cutting and packaging.

Sister Ursula returned to the Clyde, Missouri, community and set to work. It all began with one gasoline stove, a double cutter for large and small hosts and a dampener. By 1915, the altar bread business had grown so quickly that it had become our main source of income, supporting our contemplative life and providing us with direct participation in the faith life of others.

Over the years, we have baked altar breads in several of our monasteries, including Mundelein, Illinois; San Diego, California; Tucson, Arizona; and St. Louis, Missouri. Today, all breads are made at our monastery in Clyde.

We no longer bake breads over an open fire or with a gasoline stove. With today’s automated process, we bake more than 9 million breads each month and have become the largest religious producer of altar breads.

However, one thing will never change: performing the work of our hearts and our hands while praying for those who use our breads, for the parishes and priests, and for each person in our world.