- Our monastery comes from the Community in Evansville, Indiana, which was founded by Mother Maddalena Bentivoglio, who brought the Poor Clare life to the United States. In Evansville, on July 4, 1897, the Rev. Joseph Dickmann, Pastor of St. Mary's Church in Evansville, offered Holy Mass for the first time on the altar of the new monastery. Mother Maddalena always said that we should offer extra prayers for the United States on this day, as she was grateful to the country to which she immigrated.