DRAFT
Chelyabinsk, Siberia, Russia
Roman Catholic Parish
Sisters of St. Agnes
© Copyright 1996 FEEFHS, all rights reserved
First posted: 5 January 1997
Sisters of St. Agnes
To write to a Sister, please use the following address format:
454025
g. Chelyabinsk
ul. Prokatnaya 22 - 103
[sister's surname / first name] Sr.
RUSSIA
Telephone and FAX from USA: 011-7 (3512) 21-78-33
Sister Lucy Ann Wasinger, C.S.A.
-- eMail address: csa@mis.chel.su
-- born Victoria, Kansas, USA, 10 August 1920
-- prof. 15 August 1939
-- arrived Chelyabinsk 23 February 1994
Sister Mary Ann Schippers, C.S.A.
-- eMail address: csa@mis.chel.su
-- born Victoria, Kansas, U.S.A. 6 June 1933
-- prof. 1952 Aug. 15
-- arrived Chelyabinsk 23 Februaty 1994
Sister Mary Elise Leiker, C.S.A.
-- born Munjor, Kansas, USA, 16 October 1927
-- prof. 15 August 1953
-- arrived Chelyabinsk 3 June 1994
Sister Alice Ann Pfeifer, C.S.A.
-- alice@alice.mis.chel.su
-- born Hays, Kansas, USA, 28 May 1953
-- prof. 17 June 1975
-- arrived Chelyabinsk 2 August 1995
Background: The Sisters of St. Agnes were founded at Barton, Wisconsin, in 1858
by Father Caspar Rehrl and Sister Gertrude Rehburg, C.S.A., and refounded in the next
decade in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, by Mother Mary Agnes Hazotte, C.S.A. and Father
Francis Haas, O. F. M. Cap. Some of their numbers went to Kansas in 1879 to work among
the recently-arrived Germans from Russia's Volga River valley. Subsequently many young
woman with German-Russian roots joined the community.
Today most of the 480 Agnesian sisters are stationed in some 30 U.S. dioceses. The
community has also been active in Nicaragua since 1945 and in Honduras in recent years.
The Sisters of St. Agnes are the first Catholic community of religious women to live and
work in Chelyabinsk - ever! Their community also has the distinction of being the first
American community of religious women to send a group of sisters to Russia.
Sisters Donna Innes, Christine Fellerhoff, and Alice Ann Pfeifer made an exploratory visit to
Novosibirsk, Omsk and Chelyabinsk in May and June of 1993, as their community considered
the possibility of sending Sisters to assist Bishop Joseph Werth, S.J., http://www.feefhs.org/lfs/werth.html apostolic
administrator of Catholics in Asian Russia.
Bishop Werth had met several of Agnesians during a visit to Ellis County, Kansas, in July of
1992. He also visited the community's leadership at Fond du Lac, Aug. 11-13, 1993.
The first two Sisters to take up residence in Chelyabinsk were Lucy Ann Wasinger and
Mary Ann Schippers, who arrived on Feb. 23, 1994. At first they lived with Colya Kakshirov
and his wife Maria Schaeffer Kakshirova while engaging in intense study of Russian.
In anticipation of the arrival of Sr. Mary Elise Leiker in June of 1994, they bought a house
at 48 Avgustovskaya Street (about nine blocks west and three south of the new church) and
lived there from Mar. 25, 1995, until Oct. 16, 1996, when they moved into part of a large
apartment building about six blocks south of the new church (and scarcely a block east of
the old church).
Sister Deborah Golias first arrived Mar. 24, 1995, and Sister Alice Ann Pfeifer in August
of 1995. Failing health forced Sister Deborah to permanently leave the mission on Oct. 2,
1996.
The Sisters of St. Agnes went to Chelyabinsk with the idea of spending much of their
time listening and only then deciding what ministries they would embrace. All of them
remain involved in perfecting their understanding of Russian, and all of them are now helping
with pastoral work, especially in the mission churches, where they often lead the Liturgy of
the Word and Holy Communion services when priest are not available.
Sister Lucy Ann teaches courses in Scripture, both at the central church and at Ariadna
College. Sister Mary Elise works with physically challenged children at a local hospital.
Sister Mary Ann serves as an extraordinary Eucharistic minister to the sick and homebound.
Sister Deborah taught English and psychology courses at Ariadna College, taught
education courses to the English teachers of the area, and is providing, through various grants,
for the continuation of her work.
Sister Alice Ann, with the help of Sister Mary Elise, has been committed to writing the
powerfully poignant stories of the older generation. These stories of German Russian victims
of Stalinist repression can be accessed here and contain many family names familiar to the
German-Russian settlement areas of the U.S. Selected letters by Sr. Lucy are also
available.
How you can Help
To assist in the life and ministry of the Sisters of St. Agnes in Russia, send funds to the
Sisters' American motherhouse in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Please do not try to send any funds through the mail to Chelyabinsk. Cash will probably
disappear, and checks and money orders can not be cashed.
Siberian Ministry Fund
Sisters of St. Agnes
475 Gillett St.
Fond du Lac, Wisconson 54935-
FAX: (414) 923-3194 >
Contact person in Fond du Lac is Sr. Donna Innes, C.S.A.
eMail adderess:
href="mailto:73534.3036@compuserve.com">73534.3036@compuserve.com
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