Jubilarian 2020- Sister Ann Chamblin

Sister Ann Chamblin was born in St. Louis. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1949 and was received into the novitiate in 1950 as Sister Robert Ellen. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Fontbonne College in 1956.

In 1952, Sister Ann began her ministry in teaching at Our Lady of the Presentation Grade School in St. Louis. Four years later, she relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, and taught at St. Roch Grade School until 1960. From there, throughout the 1960s, she taught at Visitation Grade School in Kansas City, Missouri; American Martyrs Grade School in Kingsford, Michigan; Saints John & James Grade School in Ferguson, Missouri.

She returned to Our Lady of the Presentation Grade School in 1969 and taught there for the next three years. She then taught at St. Blaise Grade School in St. Louis (1972-73) and Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School in University City, Missouri (1973-74).

In 1975, S. Ann began serving as the religious education director at St. Blaise Grade School in St. Louis. A year later, she served in parish work at Holy Name Parish in St. Louis, first as a volunteer worker, then pastoral minister, and, finally, as religious education director, through 1980.

Sister Ann was the coordinator of services at St. Charles Lwanga Center in St. Louis from 1981 to 1982. She was then the pastoral assistant at Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in St. Louis for nearly two years.

In 1985, after a brief sabbatical, Sister Ann went on to study clinical pastoral education at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, and at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. She then served as the religious education coordinator at St. Joseph Carondelet Child Center in Chicago, Illinois, until 1989.

Throughout the early 1990s, Sister Ann served in various positions in Missouri: assistant manager of geriatric care at the Dubourg House, St. Louis; home care services for All Metro Health Care, St. Louis; pastoral minister at St. Peter’s Church, Jefferson City, Missouri; pastoral minister at St. Andrew’s Parish, Tipton, Missouri; and assistant manager for geriatrics at Manresa House in Florissant.

In 1996, Sister Ann began an eldercare home agency Sister Ann’s Elder Care-Home Service. Then in 1997, she founded and was director of CSJ Home Care, a ministry staffed by different religious communities that provided home care to elder persons to extend their independence.

She retired in 2003 but returned to volunteer work for her CSJ community as the hospitality liaison at the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Motherhouse from 2008 to 2010.

Since 2011, Sister Ann resided at Nazareth Living Center in St. Louis carrying out her mission of prayer and presence. Sister Ann passed away at Nazareth Living Center, on May 6, 2020.