Sister Anne (Thomasine) Irose, ASC, celebrated 75 years as a vowed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ on July 1, 2025, in the chapel of Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, IL. She made her first profession on July 1, 1950, and her final vows on July 1, 1955. She marked her anniversary with the Eucharist and a reception with the ASC community.
Sister Anne was born in Chester, IL, to Andrew and Mary Catherine (Washichek) Irose. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Music from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO, in 1956. She received a master’s in Music Education from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL, in 1960, and a master’s in Theology from St. Mary University in San Antonio, TX, in 1970.
Sister Anne’s early ministry as a teacher was spent at Holy Family in Cahokia, St. Mary in Taylorville, St. Rose in St. Rose, and Saints Peter and Paul in Waterloo, all in Illinois. She also taught music and played the organ for liturgies.
For the next 40-plus years, Sr. Anne served as a missionary, first in Puerto Rico, then in Bolivia. In Rio Piedras she taught both English and religion and served as a catechist. She held a position in the pastoral office for religious for the Diocese of San Juan.
Sister Anne’s next mission was Bolivia, where she served for more than 30 years. She established ecclesial communities in the parish of Nuestra Senora de Fatima in La Paz, and later among the Aymaran community in the Diocese of El Alto. After returning to La Paz, she set up base Christian communities and assisted with the formation of young Bolivian women for the sisterhood of the Adorers. For several years, she served as Vicar for Religious, working with base ecclesial communities and continuing her work in the ASC Formation program in Bolivia. Her final ministry as a missionary was as the Coordinator of the Bolivian Foundation.
She returned to live at the Ruma Center in 2008 and volunteered wherever she could. When the transition from Ruma to Benedictine Living Community occurred in 2022, Sr. Anne began Living Mission in Later Life in this new home. She enjoys greeting visitors, whether the event is special or ordinary. In addition to prayer, her ministry is now hospitality.