By Katrina Genereux
I am married and live in Crookston with my husband and our four children ages two through eleven. I was asked to share a bit about my personal journey with Sister Annella Zervas.
I first met Sister Annella through Father Bob Schreiner in 2017. He spoke about her during a series of events surrounding the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. It was interesting to hear of someone from the area who could be considered for sainthood.
A few years later a friend shared a couple of books about Sister Annella. One, titled An Apostle of Suffering in Our Day, is a brief sketch of her life. The other, Ticket for Eternity, is a longer, more detailed account of her 26 years.
Reading about this potential saint, I was struck by the extreme level of suffering she so fully embraced. I was amazed by her ability to be cheerful and care for others while so ill and her complete abandonment to God’s will.
In Ticket for Eternity, James Kritzeck wrote, “She was constantly cheerful in her sufferings. This fact was attested to by the nuns of the local convent. When it was said to her that some day she would be very happy for having suffered this, she seemed completely surprised and answered, ‘But I am happy right now!’ She also showed a great interest in those around her and always desired to help those who were trying to help her.”
During this time, I was recovering from a tailbone injury after the birth of our third child. It made everything difficult and it was unclear how long it would last. Reading about her extreme suffering and her trust in God’s will and provision led to much peace during the months it took to heal. Connecting with her during that time brought us from acquaintances to friends.
A prayer card with her image sits on a shelf in the heart of our home. She has become a dear friend who pops in every so often with encouragement and an eternal perspective. From occasional dismay over unending dishes and laundry to the deep grief of losing a child through miscarriage, Annella continues to remind me to trust in God’s will and strive to be joyful in all circumstances.
I ask her to pray for family members and friends struggling with illness or other difficulties. I also ask her intercession for my children that they would be holy and remain close to Jesus throughout their youth like she did.
In Ticket for Eternity it says, “There is much evidence that her reception of Holy Communion for the first time marked the beginning of a new maturity in life, a search on her part for the best ways to please God.”
A few times in homilies, our priest Msgr. David Baumgartner has spoken about her devotion to the Holy Eucharist even from a young age. Recently, he shared that Annella would walk a mile to attend daily Mass then a mile to school — even in winter — eating her breakfast in the vestibule of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo.
My two oldest children attend Cathedral School in Crookston. A large storage space was converted to a chapel named for Sister Annella. During the open house at the start of this school year, the kids and I took a few moments to pray there together. They visit the chapel frequently with their classes.
At home we often talk about, listen to and read stories of the Saints. We’ve discussed the process of canonization and about people such as Servant of God Michelle Duppong and Blessed Carlo Acutis who are further along in their journeys. They love hearing about the miracles received through Saints’ intercession. Learning more about it through a person from our diocese makes the connection more real for all of us.
This fall, Sister Annella popped into a holy hour. My youngest and I headed to the Cathedral’s Adoration chapel for our weekly prayer time and saw tables, chairs, flowers and a large image of Annella in the gathering space. In the chapel a few minutes later we were surrounded by members attending what I later learned was the first official board meeting of the Sister Annella Guild. They invited us to join them in Evening Prayer then left for their meeting.
Knowing the guild’s efforts to bring Sister Annella’s life forward for consideration and being surrounded by their prayer was a graced moment. God’s ability to touch lives with the story of a woman who lived, suffered and died in this humble corner of the world one hundred years ago fills my soul with hope.
It is easy to get lost in darkness, to focus on division, fear and the evils around us. But Sister Annella and so many other brothers and sisters who have taken up their crosses and paved the way are beacons of Christ’s light, pointing to our eternal destiny and reminding us to embrace the calling God has for us. They serve as a reminder to keep our eyes fixed on heaven and to bring as many people with us as possible.
In An Apostle of Suffering in Our Day, Benedictine Reverend Joseph Kreuter wrote about Sister Annella’s spiritual growth during her religious life and one resolution she made frequently was “With the grace of God I am determined to become a saint!”
Lord grant us the grace to desire this as well.
