Sister Anna John Igoe, CSJ

A woman with a generous spirit, a welcoming smile, and the willingness to work hard

John and Anastasia (Fisher) Igoe of St. Louis, Missouri, along with their two- and four-year-old daughters, welcomed the newest member of their family, Marcella Theresa on June 4, 1925. Marcella was baptized at St. Michael’s Church.

When she was four, her family moved to St. Leo’s Parish where she attended St. Leo’s School, which was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph. “The one sister that impressed me most, and I really think she is the source of my becoming a sister, was Sister Elizabeth Marie [Daley].” S. Elizabeth taught her in third grade and part of each year in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade.

After elementary school, Marcella’s education continued at Rosati-Kain High School. Among her classmates were three young ladies later known to many of us as Sisters Jean Frances Haug, Sheila Maureen Moran and Catherine Lucien Matter. Although Marcella thought about becoming a sister, she felt she was not yet ready and decided to continue her education at Fontbonne College. “… At Fontbonne my greatest friend there who helped me get through some difficult times was Sister Alfred [Noble]. She was always there for me no matter what. “

After her second year of college, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on September 15, 1945, receiving the habit and her religious name on March 19, 1946. In 1951, she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Fontbonne College.

Sister Anna John’s teaching ministry in elementary education began at Sts. John & James in Ferguson, Missouri (1948). She taught intermediate classes at St. Rose of Lima, Houston, Texas (1951); Most Holy Rosary (1953) and St. Roch (1955), both in St. Louis; and St. James, Denver, Colorado (1958).

In 1960, Sister was sent to St. Patrick’s in Rolla, Missouri, as principal and teacher. Then, in 1963, she became principal at Visitation in Kansas City, Missouri, until 1965 when she returned to St. James in Denver as a teacher.

S. Anna John returned to Missouri to St. Gregory in St. Ann (1969) as a classroom teacher. In 1971, while remaining at St. Gregory’s, she also took on the ministry of principal. St. Roch School in St. Louis became her home in 1973.

Next on the agenda was a sabbatical at St. Joseph Parish in Marietta, Georgia (1976). While staying there, she offered help to the classroom teachers as well as contributing her time to household chores. S. Anna John began a secretarial career (1978) at St. Mary on the Hill, in Augusta, Georgia. Her secretarial ministry continued at the Village of St. Joseph in Atlanta (1979).

When S. Anna John returned once again to St. Louis in 1983, the opportunity of another new career presented itself: data processing for the Sisters of St. Joseph at the St. Louis Provincial House. In the beginning, her work relied on the hand-typing of documents, including the annual directory. Eventually, with a bit of help from personnel at Institutional Automated Systems, Sister adjusted into the world of computers and computer programs. She continued as the community data processer until she retired in 2006.

In 2011, she moved to Nazareth Living Center where she carried out her ministry of prayer and presence.

Sister Helen Oates