Jubilarians_Wichita

Sister Patricia Kelly, CSJ
80 Years

Born near Ottawa, Illinois, on St. Patrick’s Day and fiercely proud of her Irish heritage, Patricia Kelly became a Kansan four months later when her family moved to Pratt County. Patricia was educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph at Sacred Heart School in Pratt; following two years of high school she entered the Congregation of St. Joseph. On March 19, 1930 she received the religious habit and the name Sister M. Cleophas. She returned to her baptismal name “when given the happy opportunity.”

After teaching elementary students in Kansas and Colorado and secondary students in Kansas for 29 years, Sister Patricia was missioned to St. Mary of the Plains College where she taught history. Twenty years later, “Having decided that I had spilled enough red ink, I left teaching to work in the library,” where she handled inter-library loans, reserve books, the vertical file, newspapers and the mail.

With the closing of the College in 1992, Sister Patricia moved to Joseph Hall in the Wichita Center. In 2005 she became a resident of Marian Hall.

75 Years

Sister Cassian Ebenkamp, CSJ
75 Years

Margaret Ebenkamp was born in Colwich, Kansas, and also lived in Penalosa before her family settled in Cunningham, the place she calls “home.” The fifth of ten children, Margaret entered the Congregation of St. Joseph after completing her junior year of high school. She received the religious habit and the name Sister Cassian on March 19, 1935.

Sister Cassian ministered in the diet kitchen at St. John’s Hospital, Iola, and Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital, Ulysses. She served as the sisters’ housekeeper at convents in Arkansas City, Coffeyville, Parsons and Wichita. From 1951 to 1963 Sister Cassian ministered as housekeeper for Bishop Franz and Bishop Forst in Dodge City. From 1963 to 2001 she served as a housekeeper at the Wichita Center.

In 2001 Sister Cassian joined with Sister Ann Catherine Burger and entered into what has almost become a career in recycling, starting with aluminum cans and expanding to aluminum, cardboard, office paper and newspapers. Their efforts led to the Wichita Center receiving a state award for recycling in 2009.

Sister Clara Pfeifer, CSJ
75 Years

During Clara’s childhood in a farming community near Hays, Kansas, her mother read and explained the Sunday gospels to Clara and her siblings. During the reading of Scripture when she was in the sixth grade, Clara experienced a call to religious life. “I could see myself, as a sister, teaching religion and reading Scripture to other children.” Clara followed this call and came to the Congregation of St. Joseph where she received the religious habit and the name Sister M. Hilarion on August 15, 1935. After Vatican Council II she returned to her baptismal name.

After 12 years of ministry as a housekeeper and cook in convents and hospitals, Sister Clara began a teaching career that spanned elementary, secondary and college levels in the Wichita and Dodge City dioceses. She also ministered as a Director of Religious Education in western Kansas and as Adult Religious Education Coordinator for the Salina diocese.

In 1994 Sister Clara began a 15-year tenure in parish ministry at St. Vincent dePaul Parish in Andover. She brought closure to this ministry in 2009 and moved to Marian Hall.

70 Years

Sister Ann Catherine Burger, CSJ
70 Years

When Mary Louise Burger came to the Congregation of St. Joseph she had 11 siblings. By the time she made her First Profession, her siblings numbered 13. Given the name Sister Ann Catherine, she ministered as an elementary and secondary teacher for 18 years. Subsequently she received training as a medical technologist and ministered in this capacity for 22 years.

In 1985 Sister Ann Catherine began a 16-year ministry in the Religious Correspondence Program for Adults. She was also engaged in teaching GED classes. Since 1985 she has been teaching in the Parish School of Religion at Cathedral Parish in Wichita.

Sister Ann Catherine joined Sister Cassian Ebenkamp in spearheading our recycling efforts at the Wichita Center. Since the founding of Dear Neighbor Ministries in 2001, she has been delivering food and meeting the needs of our “dear neighbors” in the Hilltop neighborhood. 2010 marks the 26th consecutive year that she has coordinated our Jubilee celebration.

Sister Marie Broussard, CSJ
70 Years

A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Marie Broussard entered the founding congregation of Medaille in New Orleans, Louisiana.

For 47 years Sister Marie served as a teacher or principal in schools in New Roads, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, LA, and in Cincinnati, OH. She retired from education ministry in 1987.

For the next 11 years Sister Marie ministered as the bookkeeper at St. Joseph Infirmary in New Orleans. Subsequently she served as bookkeeper for the Marian Community in New Orleans. Following hurricane Katrina, Sister Marie moved to Baton Rouge. Last fall she took the opportunity to be one of the founding residents of the new Hundred Oaks facility in Baton Rouge before health issues necessitated her relocation to Wichita, KS, in the winter of 2010.

Sister Marie is known for her gift of creating seasonal floral arrangements and décor to enhance the beauty of community living spaces.

Sister Jean Fryoux, CSJ
70 Years

Following graduation from St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bernice “Neecie” Fryoux entered the founding congregation of Medaille in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received the name Sister Mary Jean upon entering the novitiate.

Sister Jean ministered as an educator for 64 years in elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. She spent 50 of those years teaching at her alma mater. Generations of students remember her as the biology teacher with the huge collection of frogs. In recognition of her decades of teaching biology, the second floor of the new science building at St. Joseph’s Academy was dedicated to Sister Jean.

In 1997 Sister Jean retired from active ministry; she continued to live with the sisters at the Academy. In 2005 she moved to the Marian Community in New Orleans, only to be evacuated to Baton Rouge following hurricane Katrina. In 2007 Sister Jean moved to Marian Hall in the Wichita Center.

60 Years

Sister Eula Linnebur, CSJ
60 Years

Given en the name Sister Helen Marie upon entering the novitiate, Sister Eula chose to return to her baptismal name following Vatican II.

The fourth of four daughters of Edward and Leona Linnebur to enter our Congregation, Sister Eula ministered in Catholic elementary schools in Kansas and Missouri for 20 years. Subsequently she served as a director of religious education and as a pastoral associate, in parishes in Missouri and Kansas. She also ministered to members of her immediate family.

Sister Eula has also participated in clown ministry, seeing the clown as “a Christ figure who reaches out to all without deference.”

Since 1995 Sister Eula has been active in Ministry to the Deaf in the Wichita diocese. She currently publishes a monthly newsletter in order to help keep the members of the Deaf community in contact with one another.

She finds joy in sharing Scripture.

Sister Patricia Ann Regan, CSJ
60 Years

Sister Patricia Ann was raised and educated in Kansas and California, as her family moved from Independence to Long Beach when she was 11 years old. Her ministry has been in both states as well.

Known in religious life as Sister Mary Sheila until she returned to her baptismal name, Sister Patricia Ann ministered as a teacher and principal in Catholic elementary schools from 1951 to 1988.

Since 1988 she has served as the director of pastoral services for the residents of GeorgeTown Village, a retirement community in Wichita. In addition she has assisted Sister Kathleen Regan, her sister, with fundraising events such as the Emerald Ball (St. Joseph Hospital) and Wine Fest (Guadalupe Clinic).

In her free time Sister Patricia Ann enjoys listening to good music, reading, working on the computer, and doing puzzles

Sister Guadalupe Martinez
60 Years

Born in Del Norte, Colorado, Margaret Martinez entered the Congregation of St. Joseph following high school graduation and received the name Sister M. Guadalupe.

In 1952 Sister Guadalupe began a career in education that spanned 56 years. She ministered as a teacher or principal in Kansas, California and Oregon. Following a sabbatical at the Weston School of Theology in Boston, Sister Guadalupe taught religion at Trinity High School in Hutchinson, Kansas, for 14 years.

Sister Guadalupe retired from the ministry of education in 2008 and moved into St. Joseph Villa at the Wichita Center. Currently she assists sisters by driving them to appointments, serves on the sacristy team and helps take “on call” responsibilities when the Center coordinator is away.

Sister Guadalupe feels blessed because of the support she has received from other sisters on her local mission and in her various ministry assignments.

Sister Mary Healy, CSJ
60 Years

Brooklyn, New York, was home to Mary Teresa Healy for the first 25 years of her life. Upon entering the novitiate of the Congregation of St. Joseph she received the name Sister Mary Immaculate; however, she is generally known as Sister Mary. The move from New York to Kansas did not diminish her fondness for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

From 1951 to 1992 Sister Mary served in health care, ministering in business offices or serving as the administrator of hospitals in Kansas, Oklahoma and New York.

In 1992 Sister’s ministry changed when she accepted a position in Kansas City, Kansas, with Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Ten years later she became the finance officer for St. Joseph Adoption Services, a sponsored ministry of the Congregation of St. Joseph. Sister Mary continues to serve in this ministry today.

In her free time Mary enjoys working with numbers and taming and training cats.

Sister Maria Guerrero, CSJ
60 Years

After serving as secretary to a pool of doctors at the Veteran’s Hospital in Wichita, Kansas, Maria Guerrero entered the Congregation of St. Joseph. She was given the religious name Sister M. Gregory, but returned to her baptismal name following Vatican II.

Early in her religious life Sister Maria worked in the business offices of St. Joseph Hospital in Del Norte, Colorado, and Halstead Hospital in Halstead, Kansas. A call from Mother Mary Anne to do catechesis and social work in Oklahoma became a turning point that led Sister Maria into a four-decade tenure as a teacher or principal in Catholic education. Sister ministered in schools in Kansas, California and Oklahoma.

Sister Maria counts as highlights of her years in religious life the opportunities she has enjoyed for making retreats and spiritual workshops, particularly directed retreats and participation in the C.J. Jung Institute.

50 Years

Sister Janelle Ann Brittain, CSJ
50 Years

Education has been Sister Janelle Ann’s ministry her entire religious life. Given the name Sister Michaela upon entering the Congregation of St. Joseph, she returned to her baptismal name following Vatican II.

Sister Janelle Ann taught in schools in Kansas, California and Oklahoma, including Holy Savior School in Wichita, which she attended as a child. From 1995 to 2001 Sister’s fulltime ministry was serving as a caregiver for her mother. in Coffeyville, Kansas. Even during these years she also taught part-time at Holy Name School, which was located across the street from her mother’s home.

Since 2002 Sister Janelle Ann has ministered in Holy Name parish by serving as a religion teacher, Eucharistic minister, lector, Director of Religious Education, an organizer for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Parish School of Religion. She also visits parishioners who are confined to their home and those who are hospitalized.

Sister Rose Monica Donnelly, CSJ
50 Years

Although never taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Rose Mary Donnelly knew our congregation through her cousin Sister Lela Marie Donnelly, and was attracted by our spirit of joy and peace.

Educated at St. Joseph elementary school and Sacred Heart Academy in Wichita, Rose Mary entered the Congregation of St. Joseph during her freshman year of college and received the name Sister Rose Monica. After making her First Vows in 1962, Sister Rose Monica entered the health care ministry by becoming a nurse. She ministered in hospitals in Kansas and Colorado for 20 years.

In 1985-86 Sister Rose Monica completed a program in Clinical Pastoral Education. After serving in mission effectiveness in Hayward, California and Halstead, Kansas, Sister Rose Monica began ministering as a chaplain. She has ministered in this role in Manhattan and Salina, Kansas. Sister Rose Monica currently serves as a staff chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska, a position she has held since 2003.

50 Year Jubilarians
Celebrating in Japan

Three members of the diamond jubilee class entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita through the Japan Region and have ministered in their homeland all their life. Since our congregational reconfiguration in 2007, these sisters are affiliated with the Kyoto Center of the Congregation of St. Joseph. They came to the U.S. for the 2010 Assembly in Chicago in April as part of their jubilee celebration. They will also be honored at a 50th jubilee celebration in Japan.

Sister Teresa Hiraga, CSJ

Sister St. Joseph
Wakabayashi, CSJ

Sister Mary Magdalene
Hayashi, CSJ