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Sisters of St. Agnes mark
150 years of serving others
By Rebecca Bostic, The Catholic Sun
March 20, 2008
GLENDALE — Sister of St. Agnes Jean Steffes, chancellor and director of the Office of Religious for the Phoenix Diocese, recognized her 40th year as a member in the St. Agnes order more than a year ago, but she had new cause for celebration March 2.
Sr. Jean and her fellow Sisters of St. Agnes from the Phoenix and Tucson dioceses renewed their vows and celebrated the 150th anniversary of their order at St. Louis the King Parish.
“The order is special to me because the sisters who are members are committed to prayer and community living. They are so generous in their outreach to the needs of God’s people,” Sr. Jean said. “I was drawn to this order by their lives of prayer and dedicated service in community.”
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted celebrated a Mass honoring the order’s anniversary and spoke warmly of the Sisters of St. Agnes during his homily.
“It is a great grace for us to have their witness among us as they serve,” the bishop said. Referencing the challenging beginnings the Sisters of St. Agnes faced in 1858 in Wisconsin, he encouraged the group to continue their good works in the diocese.
Founded in America by a German missionary, the order first focused on educating German immigrants. The order now has sisters stationed in many states across the United States as well as in Nicaragua and Honduras.
John Royster, a St. Louis the King parishioner of 20 years, appreciates the effect the Sisters of St. Agnes teachers at the parish’s school had on his children.
“The sisters just being here and letting the kids see what they’re doing — for the girls in particular — they look up to them,” Royster said.
Sister of St. Agnes Colleen Braun began her career as a teacher and now is the director of the RCIA program at the All Saints Catholic Newman Center in Tempe.
“The majority of the sisters come together for this because we like to celebrate jubilees and professions,” Sr. Colleen said. “It renews and energizes us to go out to minister to others again with love.”
Sr. Jean and Sr. Colleen both hope the presence of the Sisters of St. Agnes in Arizona is joyful and effective.
“I do believe mutual enrichment results whenever there is a commitment between a religious community and a diocese,” Sr. Jean said. “The charism of this community is enhanced by the local Church and the Church is blessed by the witness of life of those religious serving in its parishes and ministries.”
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