Sister Ann John came to the School Sisters of St. Francis from a large family living on the easternmost tip of North America, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. Her baptismal name is Elizabeth, and her devotion to both her loving parents is reflected in her religious name.
Sister Ann John was drawn to the healthcare ministry, and she received education and training in providing home health care and nursing care as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Her entire ministry has been served in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, beginning at the Villa Clement retirement center in West Allis in the late 1960s. She went on to minister in Milwaukee at Doctors Hospital, the Zablocki Veterans Administration Hospital, our community’s own Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Hospital, and St. Camillus, to name a few. Wherever she worked, Sister Ann John was devoted to providing excellent, professional medical care as well as a compassionate heart and listening ear to her patients.
After her work was done, Sister Ann John was a regular volunteer at the Last Stop Shop, also known as “Sister Geri’s Place,” the thrift store located on our sisters’ Milwaukee campus. Working alongside the store’s manager, Sister Gearldine Dahlman, Sister Ann John helped to sort clothing, arrange items for display, and assist the many bargain hunters who visited each day. Sometimes she would accompany guests on the building’s precarious, ancient elevator for a visit to the second floor, where furniture and other large items were stored and displayed.
When she finished her chores with Sister Geraldine, Sister Ann John would invariably walk over to the Adoration Chapel at St. Joseph Center to spend an hour in prayer before returning home. She was very much in tune with spending many hours in prayer, not just in our chapel, but also at local parishes that offered perpetual adoration.
In the spirit of charity, Sister Ann John has long been committed to visiting grocery stores in the area to collect day-old bread and distributing it to grateful recipients. When our St. Joseph Convent in Campbellsport was still open, she would deliver bread to the sisters there. These days, she takes the bread that she gathers to a food pantry in Racine, to provide much-appreciated food for the people in that area. Her heart and her time continue to be focused on prayer and service to those in need.
Sister Ann John, we thank you for your heartfelt service to others and your dedication as a School Sister of St. Frances for 60 years. Congratulations on this milestone of ministry!