If you had told me thirty years ago that my journey would take me from Los Angeles to the Marine Corps, through a career in technology and ministry, and eventually to a Benedictine monastery in South Dakota, I probably would have laughed. I often tell people that God is hilarious because, looking back, I can see how every chapter of my life was preparing me for something I never could have planned for myself.
I spent much of my career working in technology, while also serving in ministry and raising two daughters. Along the way, I considered pursuing other opportunities, even a business career. But the more I explored those paths, the more I realized I didn’t really care about the profit margin. What I cared about was mission. I wanted my life and work to be connected to something larger than myself, something that served people and made a difference.
Looking back, that desire ultimately led me to the Benedictine Sisters of Mother of God Monastery in Watertown, South Dakota, even though I couldn’t see it at the time.
The Next Chapter of a 140-Year Legacy
The Benedictine Sisters have been serving this region since the late 1800s, when sisters first came from Switzerland to the Dakotas and began building schools, hospitals and ministries to meet the needs they saw around them. That spirit of service has always guided us.
By 2017, however, we found ourselves facing difficult questions about the future. At the time, our community included about 50 sisters, with a median age of 87. As we looked ahead, we had to consider not only how we would care for ourselves, but also what would become of the legacy generations of sisters had built.
We explored every option, from healthcare partnerships to potential mergers with other Benedictine communities. At one point, we believed we might ultimately have to sell the property. There was a great deal of grief in that possibility. I would much rather have had a monastery full of sisters than find myself helping navigate what felt, in some ways, like the dismantling of an institution that had existed for centuries.
Yet that season taught us an important lesson in faith. We had to let go of our own expectations and remain open to possibilities we could not yet see.
Surrendering the Plan
After years of planning, research and exploring every possible path, we reached a point where we had simply run out of answers. We had done everything we knew how to do, so we placed it in God’s hands and said, “Here we are. You tell us what you want us to do.”
What happened next still amazes me. Almost immediately, people and opportunities began appearing. New partners emerged, ideas took shape and possibilities opened that we never could have created on our own. Looking back, I can see that Harmony Hill wasn’t something we built by ourselves. It emerged through prayer, discernment and the support of people who shared the same mission.
One question guided us throughout the process: What can we do better together than alone? We committed ourselves to finding partners who shared our values and understood the mission behind what we were trying to accomplish. Being able to discern from a set of values ultimately led us to the vision and mission of The Village of Harmony Hill.
Building Something Bigger Than Ourselves
One of the things I often tell people is that Harmony Hill was never just about the sisters. Certainly, we needed a place where our community could age with dignity and continue living together, but we also knew our time there would be relatively short compared to the future we hoped to create. We wanted to build something that would continue serving others long after we were gone.
That vision shaped Harmony Hill from the beginning. As we listened to the needs of the community, it became clear that the challenges facing local families extended beyond senior care. Like many communities, Watertown was experiencing a growing need for quality childcare, creating challenges for working families and employers alike. The creation of Our Little Village Learning Center grew out of the same desire that inspired Harmony Hill itself: to respond to unmet needs and create meaningful support for the people around us. Just as Harmony Hill was designed to care for older generations, the learning center reflects our belief that strong communities thrive when people of all ages are supported. We wanted to create a place where multiple generations could benefit and where the Benedictine mission of hospitality, care and service could continue in new ways.
Harmony Hill is more than a senior living community. It is an ecosystem of care designed to serve people at different stages of life and carry forward a legacy of service that has defined the Benedictine Sisters for more than 140 years.
Finding the Right Partners
One of the most remarkable parts of this story is how the right people seemed to appear at exactly the right time. In February 2020, before COVID changed the world, a semi-retired healthcare executive named Michael Klatt literally knocked on our door. We didn’t know him. He simply introduced himself, said he understood we were trying to solve a healthcare challenge and asked if he could help. That conversation eventually led to a series of relationships and partnerships that helped bring Harmony Hill to life. One of those introductions was Catalyst Construction.
I still remember when Matt Burrow and Tom Baade came to Watertown during a South Dakota blizzard in March of 2021. The weather alone demonstrated commitment, but what stood out much more was their willingness to listen. They weren’t trying to sell us something. They were trying to understand us.
Matt and Tom immediately grasped that this project wasn’t simply about constructing a building. They understood the mission behind it. They recognized that we were trying to create something that would serve not only the sisters, but the broader Watertown community for decades to come. There was an alignment of values from the very beginning, and that mattered.
More Than a Construction Project
What many people don’t realize is how unusual this project really was. We spent years searching for the right partners and ultimately found a team that shared both the vision and the urgency behind what we were trying to accomplish.
The pace of the project surprised almost everyone. I remember being told, “Sisters, there are so many decisions to make. We don’t think you can make them that quickly.” Our response was simple: “Try it.” We worked hard, made decisions quickly and stayed focused on the mission.
Throughout the process, Catalyst became much more than a construction company. They became trusted advisors. Tom, Matt and the Catalyst team helped fill gaps where we lacked experience, guiding us through decisions, helping us understand financial realities and identifying opportunities we couldn’t always see ourselves.
At a time when many people questioned whether the project could succeed, Catalyst helped us recognize the strength of what we had built and the possibilities that existed in front of us. Most importantly, they genuinely cared about us. Their concern wasn’t just for the building. It was for the people behind it. As a community of aging sisters taking on a $30 million project, that mattered.
You can put values on a website. You can print words on a T-shirt. That doesn’t make them real. Culture is something people experience through actions, and what we experienced with Catalyst was a team whose actions consistently matched their words.
The Village Today
Today, The Village of Harmony Hill stands as proof of what can happen when mission, faith and partnership come together. We opened the doors in May 2023, and by that December we had reached nearly 90% occupancy. Today, our assisted living and memory care community is full. The demand has been tremendous, and we continue to see a growing need throughout the region for senior living, which is why we have entered phase II with the construction of The Villas, a new 62-unit independent living apartment complex that will complete a continuum of care. It is gratifying to see The Village recognized through awards and accolades, including being named a 2026 Best Assisted Living Community by U.S. News & World Report, the only one in South Dakota. In August 2026, the sisters of Mother of God Monastery will receive a South Dakota Hall of Fame Acts of Excellence Award. With that said, the greatest measure of success is not found in awards, but rather by our willingness to meet the needs of the people who live around us and have been touched by the intergenerational community of care that is found on Harmony Hill.
For years, people told us not to pursue this project. They told us we would never find the staffing. They told us senior care was too challenging. They told us the timing was wrong. But we knew there was a need, and today the residents, families and caregivers who fill Harmony Hill every day are evidence that we made the right decision.
Harmony Hill has also become much more than a senior living community. Between the residents who call the village home, the families connected to Our Little Village Learning Center and the many community partners who help bring the vision to life, we continue to see the impact expand in ways we never imagined when this journey began.
A Legacy That Continues
When I walk through Harmony Hill today, I don’t just see a completed construction project. I see the continuation of a story that began more than 140 years ago. I see a community where people are cared for with dignity, where families find support and where partnerships rooted in shared values continue to make a difference.
Most importantly, I see proof that surrender is not the same thing as giving up. Sometimes, when we let go of our own plans, we create space for possibilities greater than anything we could have imagined ourselves.
The Village of Harmony Hill represents far more than a building. It represents the continuation of the Benedictine mission and a commitment to serving others that will endure long after we’re gone. When I look back at everything that had to happen for this project to come together, I can’t help but smile and think once again that God has a wonderful sense of humor.
Inspired by the vision behind Harmony Hill, Catalyst Construction partners with faith-based organizations, nonprofits, schools and senior living communities to bring mission-driven projects to life. Learn how Catalyst can help turn your vision into reality at www.catalystbuilds.com
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