Margaret Schmidt was born October 6, 1912 in Orrin, North Dakota, the third oldest of ten children, 6 girls and 4 boys. Her father, Fred Schmidt was from Baden Co. Tirasbol, Russia and her mother, Theresa Dettling was from Manheim Co. Tirasbol, Russia. The family farm in Orrin, North Dakota, is where all the children grew up and attended school in the same location. Margaret faithfully helped her older brother with work on the farm, milking, and feeding the cows and calves, and during the Spring helping with plowing, cutting hay, helping stack hay, and wherever help was needed. 

In a 1975 interview she also mentioned that during the winter months they had to get the barn cleaned and the milking done before they could go to school. The family had a little red sleigh with one horse, and about five or six of them would pile in and off they would go to school. Coming home after 4:00 in the afternoon they again had chores to do on the farm. Then the family had supper together and they always had a lot of fun because everyone had something to say about what they did and what they learned in school. She remembered that there was always plenty to eat but they never had more than just enough. At the little country school there were classes only through 8th grade, so after completing her 8th grade Margaret became a full time helper on the family farm.

At age nineteen she was the first one to leave home. She learned about the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration through the magazine Tabernacle & Purgatory which they received in German, and Margaret was able to read that much German. When she wrote to different convents she had learned that many were involved in teaching, and she did not feel she had an education to be a teacher. A letter from another convent mentioned a dowry, and of course that was beyond their means in her family. 

When Margaret wrote to Clyde she received a beautiful letter in response, and she continued corresponding with the Sisters at Clyde until plans were finalized for her to enter the community. On July 3, 1932 her parish priest went with her to Minnesota and put her on the train to Conception Junction, arriving at Clyde on July 5th. The very next day after her arrival Margaret was quickly introduced to the July heat in Clyde, Missouri when she went outside to help pick beans. Writing about this experience she said it felt like she was in a steam bath, and this made her wonder if she would ever make it here. This weather was not at all like she had experienced in North Dakota! Yet she was able to add this comment, “but we had a lot of fun.” This was also her comment after those long, hard work days on the family farm when “they always had a lot of fun” eating together!

After Margaret left home her oldest brother John came to visit her at Clyde. He had been thinking of being a priest and visited Conception Abbey, but later he entered Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota, and became Rev. Roman J. Schmidt, OSB. The rest of the children married and had large families. When her father died in 1965 he had 75 grandchildren.

At her first Profession on April 18, 1934, Novice Margaret was named Sr. M. Hiltrudis. Then on April 13, 1968 she was able to return to her baptismal name and became known as Sr. Margaret Marie. Through the years, however, she was more lovingly called Sister Peggy. Her presence was a joy and a blessing in our monasteries in Tucson, Kansas City, San Diego and Clyde where her ministries have been many and generous. She was a dependable and efficient worker, whether in the Altar Bread Dept., Kitchen, Church work Dept., Picking and processing of dates (in Tucson), Maintenance, Sewing 1st Communion veils (in San Diego), Portress, or Sacristan. Although she worked hard and faithfully, she always seemed to remember the balance of Ora et Labora in our Benedictine way of life. Sr. Peggy’s faithful commitment to our ministry of prayer was a very important part of her life! 

Her love for her vocation is best expressed in her own words: “I will always remember with gratitude the years of my younger religious life...we worked hard but it was with much joy and love...and the hours of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament... And I enjoy our life just as much these days in my older age...I am most grateful for being a member of this Community, for all the care and love that is mine from being a member. I am grateful to God for calling me to this life of Prayer and Love. ”

Sister died on March 6, 2008. Now that God called Sr. Peggy to join many of her relatives and friends at the Heavenly Banquet, it is easy to imagine her delight in sharing stories with them, and eternally “having a lot of fun! ”