Summary
Sister Tarcisia Roths, ASC, celebrated 75 years as a vowed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at the Wichita Center on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Sister Tarcisia Roths, ASC, celebrated 75 years as a vowed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at the Wichita Center on Sunday, May 21, 2023. She made her first profession on July 1, 1948, and her final vows on July 1, 1953. She marked her anniversary with a meal with the ASC community and a Eucharistic celebration at the Wichita Center.
Sister Tarcisia was born in Ransom, KS to William and Marguerite (Kennedy) Roths. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from Newman University (formerly Kansas Newman/Sacred Heart College) in Wichita, KS in 1954. She earned her Doctorate in Modern European History from Saint Louis University in 1959. A Summer Seminar on Backgrounds of Communism in China at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1967 piqued her interest in that country. She followed this with studies on East Asia and Modern China. She spent a year of research at the University of Maryland in 1990-91 on the History of China.
Newman University conferred upon her an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1983. Sister Tarcisia also received the Wing Walker Award from the Wichita Forum for Executive Women in 1996, the Bene Merenti Medal from Pope John Paul II at her 50th jubilee in 1998, and the Cardinal Newman Medal from Newman University in 2000. The Wichita Business Journal honored her with their Outstanding Leadership Award in 2012. She was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Donna Sweet Emergency Fund in 2016.
During her early years after profession, Sister Tarcisia taught for several years at All Saints School in Wichita. Her primary ministry, however, was as History Professor at Newman University where she served from 1959-1982 and 1990-2005. During her time at Newman, she also held the position of Registrar for three years, Academic Dean for nine and University President for nine. From 1979-80 she was a Visiting Teacher at Taiwan Province Kaohsiung Teacher’s College in Taiwan, R.O.C.
The former Province of Wichita chose Sister Tarcisia as their Provincial in 1982; she served in that capacity until 1990. During her term as provincial, she chaired the LCWR Region in Kansas (Leadership Council of Women Religious) for three years and was a member of the LCWR National Board. In her position of Provincial she also attended International Congregational Assemblies in Rome, Manaus and Yugoslavia.
Sister Tarcisia retired from teaching in 2005, continues to live in Wichita and volunteers in the Wichita Community.
Congratulations, Sister. Thankful for your years of service to the people of God and grateful that I was given the opportunity to know you. May your blessings in this life continue!