by Ken Giovanelli, Pastoral Care Director/Chaplain St. Anne’s Retirement Community
This is the welcome that was given by Ken Giovanelli for the celebration at St. Anne’s Retirement Community for the 100th anniversary of the sisters’ arrival on March 26, 1925.
Introduction – 100th Anniversary Luncheon
The Adorers of the Blood of Christ are the heart and soul, foundation and flowering, of the history of St. Anne’s. One hundred years ago this week, a small group of pilgrim Adorers—all originally from Europe—were driven down our driveway for the first time and thus began the community that we all share today.
Four sisters arrived in Columbia that first week, accompanied by two workmen. Three weeks later, Sr. Paulina Schneeberger arrived and, at the age of 68, established her third mother house in the 18 years she had been in America. The foundation was named St. Joseph Convent. Through our Heart of the Mission program for employees this current fiscal year, we’ve been remembering this anniversary through the perspective of St. Anne’s as a “community of memory.”
What this means is that…
A sense of place and a sense of heritage are incredible gifts that last a lifetime and beyond. For us at St Anne’s—to keep the Mission of the Adorers alive as a sponsored facility—it is important to know about the sisters who built our community. This knowledge allows us to belong, to have a sense of meaning, to feel a sense of place, to be aware of our relation to the past and our obligations to the future. This is a sacred partnership—not only between those who are living, but also those who have passed, and those yet to be born.
In her first letter from St. Joseph Convent in 1925, Sr. Paulina wrote: “May God grant me the grace to implant the genuine spirit of our Institute into all hearts. We begin a new house, and we are determined to serve the good God with new courage, gladly making the sacrifices which a new foundation requires.”
Little could Paulina have ever imagined how her dream would come true.
So, today, as the beneficiaries of the spirit and sacrifices Sr. Paulina envisioned a century ago, we thank the Adorers for their years of love, dedication and service to the “dear neighbor”—in their community, in Columbia, and at St. Anne’s.
