Associate Peggy Maguire, CSJA

Peggy Maguire, CSJA, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, as the youngest of six children. Tragically, her mother passed away shortly after her birth. Her aunt and uncle stepped in, raising her from infancy and eventually adopting her. Their older daughter became Peggy's sister. She has lived in St. Louis for most of her life and currently resides at the Village at Nazareth Living Center, where she is part of a wonderful community of sisters and lay people. Peggy is also blessed with the love and support of her nieces, nephews and close friends.

Throughout her life, Peggy has had a variety of fulfilling ministries. She taught for 12 years, nine of which were spent teaching first grade. Her passion for teaching religion and preparing children for the sacraments led her to pursue a master’s degree in theology/religious studies. Peggy then served as a director of religious education and later as a Pastoral Associate in parishes in St. Louis. She also worked as the associate director of religious for the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama. The culmination of her career was an 11-year tenure as the director of association for the Sisters of St. Joseph, where she had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with many remarkable women and men who were or became CSJ Associates.

Peggy's journey with the Sisters of St. Joseph began when she met Sister Betty Leiwe, a director of religious education (DRE) at a neighboring parish, while ministering as a DRE at St. Norbert Parish. Sister Betty, who was serving on a committee exploring the establishment of association in the St. Louis Province, suggested Peggy's name as a potential invitee to the first meeting about Association. On May 16, 1974, Peggy received a letter from Sister Suzanne Giblin inviting her to this meeting. Although uncertain about what association entailed, Peggy and six others began meeting regularly. By the end of the summer, only Peggy and one other person remained with Sister Suzanne, as the other five had moved out of St. Louis. However, others soon joined, and the group continued to grow over the next 50 years.

Reflecting on her journey, Peggy expresses her gratitude, saying, "I am so grateful to Sister Betty for the invitation, to Sister John Marie Riley for her vision and encouragement, to Sister Suzanne for her tireless belief in association and for working with us as we tried to discern what association was all about and for all the sisters who supported us and the women and men who were part of those early days and became our first associates. I can't imagine my life without being a CSJ Associate."

Peggy finds support and challenge in the sisters, associates and her own Medaille I Community. She is particularly grateful for the education she has received on social justice issues. The charism of loving unity, which she reflects on each night, is deeply meaningful to her. "Our world is so in need of that unifying love which is our charism," she notes. Peggy feels blessed to have been drawn to the CSJ community of Sisters and Associates for the past 50 years and is deeply grateful to God for this experience.

In her free time, Peggy enjoys reading and is a member of two book clubs. Since moving to the Village, she has also discovered a newfound love for playing cards.

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