The Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of St. Gertrude is a 501(c)(3) corporation.  We are a progressive, Catholic community of 28 Benedictine sisters as well as 80 oblates (lay members), 29 employees, and many active friends and benefactors, within the Diocese of Boise. Our primary focus is common prayer and community and, from that focus, we minister in a variety of areas throughout the Northwest and beyond.

We operate a spirituality/retreat center that hosts over 3,000 guests a year, a museum that focuses on the history of north-central Idaho and the Monastery, and a four-unit bed and breakfast.  We own over 1,000 acres of timber and farmland, which we actively steward for sustainability.  Our monastic community includes sisters ministering in social work, health care, parish ministry, while being creative, pioneering, grounded in faith, and committed to moving into the future.

Our employees are an integral part of our broader monastic community, extremely dedicated to our mission and find the monastery an excellent place to work.

Cottonwood, Idaho, is a peaceful, quiet, small town located on the scenic Camas Prairie in north-central Idaho, offering many opportunities for outdoor recreation with nearby mountains, rolling hills, rivers and reservoirs for fishing, rafting, and boating, two ski hills within 25 miles, and trails for cross-country skiing and for ATV and snowmobile use. The weather is temperate with mild, dry summers and limited snow in the winter.