News & Blog

By Katrina Genereux

The Sister Annella Guild has the unique opportunity to continue discovering and sharing more of the story of Servant of God Annella Zervas, OSB.

At first, the Guild imagined hosting an in person reading of Ticket for Eternity, the official biography of Sister Annella written by James Kritzeck. However, while Monsignor David Baumgartner, President and Episcopal Delegate, was reviewing the archives, he discovered a manuscript containing additional details about Sister Annella’s life, especially details concerning the pain and suffering she endured. These details had not been included in Ticket for Eternity.

This discovery inspired the idea of sharing a handful of original letters with those interested in the story of Sister Annella. The goal was to present Sister Annella’s story in the context of her own time, through her own words and through the words of those who loved her. These documents allow us to reflect more deeply on her life and on the virtues she lived so faithfully, virtues that may one day be recognized as central to her canonization.

Because Sister Annella was from Moorhead, Minnesota, it seemed fitting for the Guild to host the event nearby at the region’s only Catholic religious bookstore, Hurley’s Religious Goods. The Guild is grateful to Hurley’s for partnering with us by providing the time and space for this reading. Volunteers coordinated by Shawn Erikson at St. Joseph’s in Moorhead—the home parish of Sister Annella and the Zervas family—delivered and picked up chairs, making seating for the event possible.

The event included five readers who served as volunteers from the Board of Directors of the Sister Annella Guild, along with the Postulator. The readers were Brenda Posch, Anna Kliner, Deacon Stu Longton, Monsignor David Baumgartner, President of the Guild, and Amanda Zurface, Postulator.

Having members of the Board present was intentional. Their presence gave community members the opportunity to meet the leadership of the Guild, become acquainted with one another, and ask questions about the organization’s mission. Participants were also invited to learn how each reader became involved in the story of Sister Annella and what inspired them to take part in the Guild’s work.

The small gathering included students from the University of Mary; a nine-year-old preparing for Confirmation, who received a Confirmation medal while visiting Hurley’s; and middle-aged and older adults, including cousins of Sister Annella herself. A special highlight of the morning was a photograph of the Guild’s life-size cutout of Sister Annella with her cousin, Annella Steinhouse, who had been named after her.

Events like these also provide an opportunity to share personal stories about how people first heard of Sister Annella. Hubert “Hugh” Hall, named after Hubert Zervas and a cousin of Sister Annella, shared that he remembers hearing people speak about her when he was young. He recalled that his neighbor, Deed Ward, explained that he had been taught by Sister Annella when she was teaching at Saint Mary’s in Bismarck. Hugh remembered Deed saying, “We were mesmerized by her. It was as if she had an aura around her.”

The Readings

Five readings from archival documents were shared during the event.

Reading One

Sister Annella to Sister DePazzi

The first reading was a letter written by Sister Annella on August 6, 1923. She wrote to her biological sister, Sister Mary DePazzi, who was known in the family as Emma.

In Ticket for Eternity, readers learn that Sister DePazzi was one of Sister Annella’s closest companions. Research conducted by the Historical Commission also shows that after Sister Annella’s death, Sister DePazzi played an important role in preserving and sharing her story.

Sister DePazzi entered the Benedictine community as a novice on August 15, 1922. It brought Sister Annella deep spiritual joy that she, Emma, and their sister Sister Ignatia were all united in the Benedictine Order.

Reading Two

Father Breault, O.M.I., to Sister DePazzi

The second reading came from a letter written by Father Breault, O.M.I., a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The letter is dated November 8, 1945 and was sent to Sister DePazzi at Sacred Heart Convent in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are a Roman Catholic congregation founded in 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod. The community is dedicated especially to serving the poor and those who are often forgotten, carrying out missionary work in challenging circumstances around the world.

The return address on the letter is Hudson, New Hampshire. Online research indicates that the Oblates operated a house of formation in Hudson, which later functioned as a retreat house beginning in the early 1940s.

In this letter Father Breault expresses a deep interest in Sister Annella’s story. The archive contains many letters that show an ongoing relationship between Father Breault and the Zervas family.

James Kritzeck, the author of Ticket for Eternity, writes in the author’s note that he thanks Father Breault “for placing at my disposal, when I was little more than a child, the valuable materials from which these chapters were written not long afterward.”

Breault was also a family name on the side of Sister Annella’s mother, Emma. Father Breault was a cousin of Sister Annella and of Sister DePazzi, the recipient of this letter.

Reading Three

Letter from James Kritzeck to Sister DePazzi

For the third reading, attendees were introduced more formally to James Kritzeck, the author of Ticket for Eternity.

While a student at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, Kritzeck wrote this remarkable work during his final year of undergraduate study. Though still a young scholar at the time, he produced a book that would go on to have a lasting spiritual impact on many readers.

In the foreword to the most recent edition of Ticket for Eternity, Bishop Andrew Cozzens reflects on the significance of Kritzeck’s contribution:

“I do not know if its author, James Kritzeck, fully realized the extraordinary gift he was giving the Church when he produced Ticket for Eternity during his final year of undergraduate studies at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. This book has opened the eyes of the faithful, my own included, to the life of a young Benedictine who was born and raised in Moorhead, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Crookston. Sister Annella Zervas could become the first recognized saint from Minnesota. She lived an ordinary life with extraordinary faith where she tried to say yes to God, even in suffering.”

Kritzeck’s careful research and heartfelt writing preserved the story of Sister Annella for future generations.

Many years after his time at Saint John’s, members of the Guild had the blessing of meeting his niece this past summer. During that visit she generously shared portions of the family archive related to James Kritzeck.

The next reading is therefore especially meaningful. It is a letter written by a young James Kritzeck to Sister DePazzi in which he first introduces the idea of writing a biography about the life of Sister Annella, a work that would eventually become Ticket for Eternity.

Reading Four

Father Breault, O.M.I., to Sister DePazzi

The fourth reading came from another letter written by Father Breault, O.M.I., the cousin whom we believe was a novice of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The letter is dated April 11, 1942 and was sent to Sister DePazzi at Saint Cloud Hospital.

It is not known whether Sister DePazzi herself was receiving care at the hospital or serving there in ministry, since the Benedictine Sisters were involved in hospital work.

The letter is Father Breault’s response to Sister DePazzi after he learned of the death of Hubert Zervas, the brother of Sister Annella and Sister DePazzi.

Reading Five

Hubert Zervas to Sister DePazzi

For the final reading, participants were invited to take part in a group exercise that offered a glimpse into the work of the Historical Commission, the group responsible for reviewing archival materials and preparing reports that help portray the life of Sister Annella. Each person received a copy of the letter and was asked to step into the role of a commission member.

The event concluded with this collaborative transcription exercise, in which attendees worked together to read an archival document. Because some of the handwriting in the archives can be difficult to decipher, Monsignor Baumgartner invited the group to read aloud and help one another make sense of a letter written by Hubert Zervas, Sister Annella’s father.

As participants studied the document, they noticed its letterhead from the Hubert Zervas Meat Market. The Zervas family operated the market in Moorhead. The archives contain many letters from Hubert, including manuscripts later used by James Kritzeck in writing Ticket for Eternity.

Participants were encouraged to examine the letter closely, noting any words they could identify and any details that stood out. Volunteers then read portions aloud, allowing the group to collaborate in reconstructing and understanding the text.

Taken together, these readings offered a fuller picture of Sister Annella’s life and of the people who helped preserve her story. The letters allowed participants to encounter the story of her life within its historical context and to see more clearly the faith, suffering, and family bonds that shaped it. They also showed how much of this history has been carried forward through the care of others, from relatives and religious sisters to researchers, writers, and those now serving the Guild. As the Sister Annella Guild continues this work, events like this one help ensure that Sister Annella’s story is understood, appreciated, and shared.