Secretaries of state honor Erie Benedictine Sisters for political courage

The political courage of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie was recently recognized after they spoke up against false accusations of voter fraud at their monastery in 2024.

The National Association of Secretaries of State presented its Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award to the Erie Benedictines. In addition to speaking out against the false accusations, the sisters also promoted civic engagement during the 2024 election, according to a news release from NASS and the Benedictines.

Sister Linda Romey, coordinator of communications and development for the Erie Benedictine Sisters, accepted the award Jan. 29 during a NASS conference in Washington, D.C.

The Erie Benedictines were nominated by Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania secretary of the commonwealth, who said “the sisters used their visible platform to urge all Americans to be discerning consumers of social media and to rely on trusted sources of election information.”

Schmidt described the Erie Benedictines as “models of positive and constructive civic engagement.”

What were the Benedictines accused of?

In a post on X before the 2024 election, Cliff Maloney, founder of The Pennsylvania Chase, which encourages Republican voters, said a member of his organization knocked on a door where 53 voters were registered and “Turns out it’s the Benedictine Sisters of Erie and NO ONE lives there.”

The post referred to Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, 6101 East Lake Road, Harborcreek Township, where 55 of the religious congregation’s 67 sisters were living.

Maloney’s post listed the names of more than 50 sisters, calling most “liberal” and a few “conservative.”

Benedictines’ response

“We want to call Cliff Maloney to account for his blatantly false post that accuses our sisters of fraud,” Sister Stephanie Schmidt, then-prioress and no relation to Al Schmidt, said in a 2024 news release. “We do live at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery and a simple web search would alert him to our active presence in a number of ministries in Erie.

“We also want to alert those who subscribe to X and other social media platforms to be vigilant and seek additional information before accepting these posts as truth,” Stephanie Schmidt said. “A free republic depends on free and fair elections. It depends equally on a discerning and conscientious citizenry who do not unquestioningly accept the word of anyone who has a social media platform.”

NASS recognition

In presenting the award to the Erie Benedictines, Stephanie Reid, executive deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of State, said the sisters were inundated with support from the public after the post.

“As long-time educators and advocates for social justice, the sisters decided to use the situation as a teachable moment,” Reid said.

In accepting the award, Romey thanked NASS members for their work to uphold truth and integrity.

“Truth and integrity are also why we did not stay silent when accused of voter fraud,” she said, and noted that hospitality is a primary Benedictine value.

Romey also said, “We did invite those who accused us of not living in the monastery to come to our home. We would have welcomed them. We would have invited them to join us for prayer and dinner, and we would have asked them about their lives and families and hopes and dreams. In other words, we would have treated them as we treat all those who come to the monastery. It’s humanity 101. It’s love your neighbor. It’s work for the common good. It is what this country was built on, and it is what all of you at NASS work every day to uphold.”

The Erie Benedictines had contacted a lawyer following Maloney’s post but eventually decided against pursuing legal action.

NASS President Michael Watson, Mississippi’s secretary of state, said, “Rooted in a long tradition of service to their community, the sisters remind us all that truth and compassion are essential to our democracy.”