The history of the Sisterhood of Mary Mother of Jesus is not long – we are less than 70 years old. The community grew not from a root but from a seed, as a new beginning in a part of the Church and in a country where there was no living monastic tradition. The clear focus needed to create monastic life in largely uncomprehending surroundings is a precious part of our heritage. At the same time, it is a gift to be increasingly rooted in and connected to the monastic tradition and worldwide community, both in our journey in the early decades and in our recent membership of the EBC.

The founder of the community, Magda Wollter, was born in 1898. Both her parents were widowed and had children from previous marriages. Magda was an aunt from birth, and grew up as an only child. Her father died early.

Magda’s confirmation priest, who also became her religious education teacher at school, passed on to her a strong and personal faith:

‘He taught us the key to the intricate ciphers of Christianity and human life, namely Christ himself. He is in the Word, the sacraments, all our Church services. Our attitude should be one of prayer, of following and seeking Him everywhere.’

In 1957, together with two young students, Magda founded the Sisterhood of Mary, Mother of Jesus. It was founded within the Swedish Protestant Church, in Malmö. In early 1960, she took her vows and from then on was called Mother Magdalene.
Several trips to English monasteries became a valuable source of support for the community.

When Mother Magdalene could no longer take the lead – the onset of dementia was becoming apparent – she asked nearby Catholic Dominican sisters for advice. Their prioress, M Ingrid, was of Swedish descent and understood the sisters’ situation well. Her advice was that they should elect the novice, Sister Tyra, as prioress. The small community listened to the advice and in 1964 Sr Tyra was chosen as their new mother. After a period of probation, she was installed as Prioress of the community on 25 March 1965.

The sisters came into contact with the Rule of St Benedict: reading it was like coming home, ‘like coming to a house already furnished’. They adopted the Rule of St Benedict and began to pray the entire Office.

In 1969, the three sisters of the community moved from Malmö to a former old people’s home in Östra Sönnarslöv on the eastern side of Skåne.

Over time, it became clear to the sisters that their faith and life were Catholic and in 1983 the eight sisters who then belonged to the community became part of the Catholic Church. The monastery was incorporated into the Benedictine Order and in 1984 was given the status of an independent priory.

In Östra Sönnarslöv, the community grew and the house became too small. The monk and architect Hans van der Laan designed our current monastery, which was built on land donated by the Earls of Sparre, Erik and Angelica. It was consecrated in 1991, the church in 1995. In 2007 Mariavall became an abbey and M Tyra Antonia was consecrated as the first abbess of the monastery. In 2015, after 51 years at the head of the community, she decided it was time to retire and a new abbess, M Christa, was elected. She received the Abbatial blessing on 6 March 2016.

In 2022, the community joined the English Benedictine Congregation.