Tidbits of News

Sister Mary Agnes Thompson

On Tuesday, February 26, 2008, our Sister Mary Agnes Thompson went home to God about 5:08 p.m.  Sister had celebrated her 104th birthday on January 15th.  

Helen Marie Thompson was born in Buffalo, New York.  The middle of three daughters of Jamees L. Thompson and Martha Elizabeth Thompson, she and her sister Ruth were graduated from Visitation on Cabanne in St. Louis, Helen in 1921 and Ruth in 1925.  Helen then were to the School of Commerce and Finance at St. Louis University where she was one of 4 or 5 women in a group of about 250 men, graduating with a BA in 1926.  Several of her classmates at the University later sent their daughters to Visitation just so they could be under her tutelage.  Sister entered our community on January 6, 1928 and was professed on September 9, 1929. 

During her 'Martha life' Sister served a variety of positions -- teacher, principal of the whole school, procuratrix, and early in the 1960's was building supervisor during the construction of our Ballas Road monastery and academy.  She is aptly described as a Renaissance soman, skilled in a variety of fields who could do anything with a willing and energetic spirit.  During the 1950's she proved her versatility by teaching freshman algebra, sophomore typing, junior World History and one section of junior-senior English.

Sr Mary Agnes had many interests including politics and would take on the responsibility of getting information from the League of Women Voters before every election.  We cloistered Sisters probably read more literature before voting absentee or later at the polls in our academy than most people.  Also, after Vatican II, Sr Mary Agnes was one of the founding members and early president of a group of religious women from different communities in the region who got together to bring an understanding of the documents of the Council to all the Sisters.

In the early 1970's Sister suffered a heart attack and moved into our Assisted Living area.  Here she began her role as Mary rather than Martha.  Sister did not speak the specific vocabulary of Salesian Spirituality; she lived it.  In the Martha phase of her life, she responded primarily to the Signified Will of God.  In her Mary years she made an art of devotion to the Permissive Will of God.  She accepted lovingly and patiently whatever came.  Throughout her life, her ready answer was 'Very Well.'  It was her own version of 'Yes, Lord, always yes.'  She was a voracious reader and was now able to indulge in her lifelong passion for reading.  When she could no longer see to read, Sr Aloysia spent time each day reading to Sr Mary Agnes who sat contentedly in her rocking chair. 

During her more than 34 years in the Assisted Living, we learned much wisdom from Sr Mary Agnes.  She was invariably gracious, literally never complained, and was always interested more in others than in her self.  Although a strict disciplinarian in her earlier years, she mellowed as she aged and we sherish these characteristic responses to queries about her health.  'Tip top' or 'First Class' or 'Ship Shape' or 'Couldn't be better.' 

Her niece, Martha Swaykus considered Sister to be her other mother, her mentor, and her lifelong friend.  She said, "Jesus is the foundation of her very being and the source of all she does...His presence radiates from her face and His love as well.  I have been very greatly blessed to have had this dear, warm, funny, saintly woman as my aunt."

Although it had been raining, the sun shone brilliantly as two motorcycle policemen escorted us to Calvary Cemetery to lay Sister's body to rest.  Please pray not only for Sr Mary Agnes but for all of us who love her and miss her gracious presence.