Sister Christine "Macrina" Manderfeld

The Eucharist of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, Minn., for Sister Christine (Macrina) Manderfeld, who died on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Saint Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud, Minn. Burial will be in the monastery cemetery. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Benson Funeral Home. Friends may call at Saint Scholastica Convent on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, for a Prayer Service at 3 p.m. followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m., or for a Vigil Prayer Service at 7 p.m. at Saint Benedict's Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral on Wednesday, April 8, at 10:30 a.m.

S. Christine was born December 6, 1938, the second of two children to Christian and Bernadette (Marti) Manderfeld, in New Ulm, Minn. She attended St. Raphael's Grade School and Springfield High School in Springfield, Minn. She entered Saint Benedict's Monastery on November 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. S. Christine returned to her baptismal name in 1969 and celebrated her Golden Jubilee on July 19, 2009, and her 60th Jubilee in 2019.

S. Christine received a bachelor's degree in music with a minor in philosophy at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph and a master's degree in music education at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. 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, Minn. This was followed by 17 years teaching music at St. Boniface in Cold Spring, Minn., where she also served as parish liturgist.

Later, S. 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.

S. 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.

Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict Outreach Ministries.