Sister Bertina Korphage, CSJ
80 years
Sister Bertina Korphage is from St. Patrick Parish, Chanute, Kansas, where she received her early education in the parish school. When she completed the eighth grade, she accompanied her sister, Sister Wilma Korphage, to Wichita, but was too young to receive the habit at the same time in March. Her entry into religious life was delayed until August 15, 1942, when she received the habit. When time came for final profession, she was still too young and so her final profession was delayed a year until August 15, 1948.
Her high school education was completed at Mt St. Mary Convent and then she attended college at St. Mary Xavier in Leavenworth, obtaining a B.S. in Ed. in 1957. Notre Dame followed and her Master’s degree was obtained in 1962. She began teaching in elementary schools, teaching in grades one through eight, sometimes with four grades in a room. She served in Pittsburg, Frontenac, Hoisington, Iola, S. Paul, Independence, Arkansas City, Wright, Winfield, Mulvane, Hutchinson, Wichita and Coffeyville, Kansas, and in Paso Robles, California. In 1986, she began caring for her mother until her death in 1998 but continued in the ministry of teaching by tutoring. After her mother’s death, she began doing pastoral work at St. Patrick’s Parish in Parsons, Kansas.
Sister Bertina retired and moved to the Wichita Center in 2016 where she volunteers putting together liturgy booklets and is involved in the ministry of prayer.
Sister Janice Miller, CSJ
(Sister George Ann)
70 years
Sister Janice Miller entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Crookston, Minnesota, on September 8, 1950, and professed first vows on March 19, 1952. She holds a B.A. in English from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota and an M.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame. She gained further training in spiritual direction and retreats in Guelph, Ontario.
Sister Janice began teaching in elementary and high school and was a principal in Crookston and in the Twin Cities. She served in provincial administration and was pastoral administrator in the Diocese of Crookston for parishes without a resident priest. She was directress of the intercongregational novitiate in San Antonio for four years and a member of the Medaille General Council from 1995 to 1998. She then moved to St. Paul where she offered spiritual services to the residents of St. Paul Retirement Village.
In 2010, Sister Janice she moved to our center in Wichita, Kansas, where she offered her spiritual direction and retreat skills at the Magnificat Spirituality Center, and assisted with hospitality. She is currently retired and stays active volunteering and in prayer ministry.
Sister Rosemary Sieg, CSJ
(Sister Catherine Louise)
70 years
Sister Rosemary Sieg entered religious life on July 26, 1952. She was from St. Mary Parish in Newton, Kansas, where she attended the parish grade school then completed high school at Mt. St. Mary Convent. She earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas, and a Master’s degree from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Sister Rosemary began her teaching career as a kindergarten teacher at St. Anthony’s School in Wichita, and although she has taught all grades including the eighth, she enjoyed kindergarten and first grade most. Preparing classes for First Communion and the Sacrament of Reconciliation has always been a very special and happy experience. Her missions included St. Anthony, Blessed Sacrament, St. Jude and Cathedral in Wichita as well as parish school in Parsons, Derby, Newton and Wellington in Kansas and Groves, Texas. In 1984, she returned to her home parish in Newton where she cared for her mother until her death while continuing her teaching ministry in the school she herself once attended. At present she volunteers in Newton, as a presence to the children.
Sister Agnes Nakamura, CSJ
(Sister Bertilla Marie)
60 years
Sister Agnes Nakamura was born on December 6, 1937, in Kyoto, Japan. She lived with her grandmother, parents, and two brothers. Her family was of the Buddhist religion, however her mother attended an Anglican Church mission school. She sent the children to classes there which is where Sister Agnes was first introduced to Christianity.
After graduating from middle school, she entered the same mission school that her mother had attended. At about this same time, a group of Maryknoll fathers came to Kyoto and built a Catholic church which Sister Agnes attended. When she was in high school, she was baptized at this church by Father Mooney and received the name Agnes – the name of the church attached to the mission school.
The Sisters of St. Joseph began to do active work at this church, which is where Sister Agnes first interacted with them. While visiting the sick in the hospital with Sister Virginia Watanabe, she began to feel the desire to become a sister. Later, Sister Virginia asked Agnes if she would like to enter the convent. She did and has served in Kyoto as Sister Agnes since. At present she works as a pharmacist at our hospital for a half-day once a week and serves the community in a variety of ways.
Sister Geraldine Riendeau, CSJ
(Sister Mary Celine)
60 years
Sister Geraldine Riendeau entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille in 1962. She earned an Associate of Arts degree at Corbett Junior College in Crookston, Minnesota, a B.A. in Hospital Administration and Business Administration at Concordia College in Morehead, Minnesota, and achieved a certificate for dietary administration for food service managers and a certificate for housekeeping from the Catholic Hospital Association in St. Louis, Missouri.
Her first two decades of ministry included cooking and housekeeping responsibilities at the Provincial House and for the lunch program for the Catholic school system in Crookston. For twelve years, she was supervisor of dietary, housekeeping and laundry at Trinity Hospital in Baudette, Minnesota. In 1989, she became part-time treasurer for the Medaille founding community and moved to Cincinnati in 1997 to become treasurer, and eventually finance manager there until 2009. She then served as finance manager at our center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she also served as the Congregation Technology Training Coordinator.
In 2020, Sister Geraldine moved to St. Joseph Villa at our center in Wichita where she resides and is a member of the Congregational IT Team. She also volunteers in a variety of ways assisting with Zooms and the Sisters with technology difficulties.
