St. Paul, MN
Presentation Presence from 1962-1990
On August 13, 1962, three Presentation Sisters were welcomed to St. Odilia Parish in St. Paul (Shoreview), Minnesota, by Father Leo Kapphahn, OSC, and his assistant Father Jerome Plourde, OSC. On August 16, Sisters Michelle Gallagher, Carol Duffy and Elaine Van Zile were joined by Sister Philip Jasper, who would become the first principal of St. Odilia School. The sisters found themselves to be part of a vibrant, active, newly-formed parish led by the Crosier priests and brothers. On September 4, 1962, classes began at St. Odilia with a total enrollment of 456 in grades second through sixth.
Though their main concern would be teaching in the school, there were other opportunities to be involved with the many parish organizations. Over the years, the sisters would find themselves in religious education work, choir, making liturgical banners, serving on the liturgy committee and assisting in the summer day camp program. On a diocesan level, Sisters Michelle Gallagher and Marilyn Ann McCormick worked on the Archdiocesan Sisters’ Institute and the Sisters’ Vocation Council respectively.
In time, some of the sisters acted as faith formation directors whose work touched the lives of children and adults from pre-school age to the elderly. Some would become part of a team that visited the sick and shut-ins, bringing Communion and keeping the parish presence alive for those who could no longer be active in the community aspect of the church.
By 1970 the number of sisters serving in the parish had grown to 10. Over time 45 Presentation Sisters called St. Odilia their home away from home. As members of the Presentation community began to decrease, so did the number of sisters available to minister in the parish. By 1990, only Sisters Marie Louise Murphy, Josita Zieser and Teresa Marie Lewis remained for the final year of Presentation presence at St. Odilia.
Remarks from several of the sisters who ministered in the parish indicated that they found the students to be friendly and cooperative, the parents to be very supportive, the faculty and staff “a joy to work with,” and the liturgies well-planned and inspirational. They spoke highly of the priests and brothers for their dedication to building an exemplary community of faith in which all members were encouraged to be fully involved.
At the time the Presentation Sisters left St. Odilia, Father Charles Kunkel paid the following tribute to the sisters:
“On behalf of all the Crosiers, lay staff, members and parishioners of St. Odilia, I want to thank all the Presentation Sisters who have taught us so well. Only our God knows how much all of us have received because of these good sisters serving the Lord Jesus among us. They will be greatly missed.”
“The memory of our parish will always carry the story of the Presentation Sisters among us for 28 years, both teaching us and living what they taught in radical religious faithfulness. Much of what these sisters brought to our Catholic school and to our parish will remain with us, because it is established deep within the soul of our community. We are deeply grateful for all that the Sisters of the Presentation brought to us out of love for God and for God’s people. We were privileged and blessed because of these sisters. We have been taught well.”
A guest book from the farewell gathering for the sisters included 147 names, a testimony of the gratitude and friendship of the parishioners for their years of service in the parish and school.
Sisters who served at St. Odilia also expressed their appreciation for the gifts they had received during their time in the parish and school. Fond memories are still shared at the dinner table about the time spent in ministry, and the friendships formed there, some of which endure to the present day.
Photo: Sister Jeanine Kuhn referrees a boys’ basketball game.
