Offeramus Medal Awarded to Sister Esther Fangman

Sister Esther receives her award with Sister Mary Elizabeth on her left and college president Steve Minnis on her right.

On June 8, 2024, Sister Esther Fangman was presented the Offeramus Medal. This award recognizes alumni of Mount St. Scholastica College/St.Benedict’s College/Benedictine College who have “distinguished themselves in their profession, showed a prominence of service to the civil community, demonstrated outstanding loyalty to their alma mater, and reflected honor on the college.” Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, prioress of the Mount, introduced Sister Esther at the alumni banquet with the following address.

“It is my privilege to introduce Sister Esther Fangman, a Benedictine woman with a big Benedictine heart. Her life in the community has provided the framework for her ministry as a counselor, teacher, administrator, and most recently as prioress of our community from 2017-2023. Sister Esther is a licensed clinical professional counselor who received her doctorate in counseling from Idaho State University and has served more than 40 years in a number of counseling settings.

Many sisters attended the alumni banquet at which Sister Esther received her award.

As president of the Congregation of St. Scholastica for 12 years, she oversaw the life of more than 22 communities of Benedictine women throughout the United States and beyond. During that time, she was also elected to the council of the International Alliance of Benedictines (CIB), which represents Benedictine women worldwide. This position took her to Africa, Italy, Germany, and Mexico to witness the life and influence of Benedictine women. Because of her big heart, the words of St. Benedict’s Rule touched her deeply: “Listen with the ear of your heart.” Listening is what she did everywhere she went. When the sexual abuse scandal broke, because she knew about the life-long damage that abuse causes, Sister Esther was drawn especially to the survivor victims. She counseled survivors and gave many workshops to help priests, parish leaders, administrators, and family members understand the trauma experienced by a survivor of abuse.

Sister Esther’s theme as prioress was that we need to love each person as Christ — to see Christ in each sister and in each person we meet. She has a very soft spot in her heart for helping the poor and asked several of our sisters to witness to that love by assisting immigrants at aid centers in Texas with food, clothing, and transportation, but mostly to share a loving heart.

As prioress, Sister Esther joked that her introverted self learned to be extroverted, and so when she stepped down from that position, she volunteered to help provide hospitality to our guests. She also provides many other services that are needed in the monastery.

The Mount community is proud to call her our sister as she receives this Offeramus award.”

The class of 1974 was the last to enroll at Mount St. Scholastica College before the college merger. They had new Mountie shirts made for the occasion and shared some with the sisters. Left to right: Don Klosterman, Mary Kae Mulqueen Stott, their professor Sister Janelle Maes, Mary Jo Ertz Lamping, Janet Ketter Pankau, and Jane Van Garsse Pickett.

In accepting the award, Sister Esther spoke about her appreciation for the good roots her family provided for her. She described how she learned obedience to God’s will through prayer, which established a pattern of learning to hear God’s word, and community life, which helped her become aware of others’ needs and how we can hear God’s word through others. Sister Esther remarked, “My life has been God’s gift to me; what I have done was God working though me. I accept this award with gratitude to God, my community, the great educators in my life, and my clients, whose courage has enriched my life.”