By Father Bob Schreiner, S.T.L.
A Life Touched by Suffering
In Salvifici Doloris, his 1984 Apostolic Letter on the Christian meaning of suffering, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the force of the Redemption.” This deep truth of the Christian faith finds powerful expression in the life of Sister Annella Zervas, OSB, a young Benedictine nun from Minnesota whose short life (1900–1926) was marked by physical agony, hiddenness, and extraordinary union with the crucified Christ. Through the lens of John Paul II’s theology of redemptive suffering, Sister Annella’s story becomes not only a testimony of heroic endurance but a witness to the transformative, salvific power of suffering offered in union with Christ.
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Born into a devout German-American Catholic family, Sister Annella entered religious life with joy and youthful zeal. According to James Kritzeck’s biography Ticket to Eternity, her life in the convent was one of quiet obedience, holiness, and simple fidelity. However, at the age of 23, she developed a rare and disfiguring skin disease—possibly pemphigus or lupus vulgaris—that would torment her body for the remaining years of her life. The condition was both excruciatingly painful and socially isolating. Her once vibrant young body became a site of suffering that many could not bear to witness. Yet, Sister Annella bore her pain with serenity, never complaining, and even refusing medication that would dull her suffering, choosing instead to unite her agony with that of Christ on the cross.
Suffering as a Vocation within a Vocation
John Paul II asserts in Salvifici Doloris that suffering is not merely a physical or psychological burden but a profound participation in the mystery of Christ’s Passion. He writes: “Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for suffering, but before all else he says: ‘Follow me!’ Come! Take part through your suffering in this work of saving the world…” (SD 26). This call to “take part” is precisely what Sister Annella lived, transforming her hospital room and sickbed into a cloister of grace. Rather than withdrawing into self-pity or despair, she saw her suffering as a vocation within her vocation—an invitation to co-redeem with Christ.
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Kritzeck recounts how Sister Annella frequently spoke of offering her sufferings for others, especially for priests and the conversion of sinners. Her spiritual maturity in suffering was not stoic detachment, but the fruit of deep mystical union. This aligns with John Paul II’s insight that suffering “is also a call—a vocation. Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for suffering, but before all else he says: ‘Follow me!’” (SD 26).
One of the most striking aspects of her life is the hiddenness of her suffering. She died largely unknown outside her monastic circle. But as John Paul II points out, “In the Cross of Christ not only is the Redemption accomplished through suffering, but also human suffering itself has been redeemed.” (SD 19). This redemptive quality is not dependent on public recognition or external fruit but on the inward disposition of love and union with God. Sister Annella’s hidden sacrifice bore quiet spiritual fruit, and in the decades since her death, devotion to her memory has grown, with many testifying to favors received through her intercession.
The Christian Paradox of Redemptive Suffering
Her life is a powerful example of the statement in Salvifici Doloris: “Suffering is present in the world in order to release love, in order to give birth to works of love toward neighbor, in order to transform the whole of human civilization into a ‘civilization of love.’” (SD 30). Far from being a dead end, suffering—when embraced in faith—becomes a channel for divine love. Sister Annella’s love, forged in pain and silence, continues to ripple outward in the lives of those who look to her as a model of sanctity and endurance.
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Ultimately, Sister Annella Zervas’s life exemplifies the Christian paradox that suffering, united to Christ, becomes not a curse but a gift—a “ticket to eternity,” as Kritzeck’s title so aptly suggests. Her serene endurance of pain and her offering of it for the salvation of others echoes the mystery of the cross itself: that through suffering, death is defeated and love is revealed in its most perfect form. In her, the theology of redemptive suffering proposed by John Paul II is not merely conceptual but incarnate—a lived reality that continues to inspire.
About the Author
Father Bob Schreiner, S.T.L., is a priest of the Diocese of Crookston. He earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. He currently serves as Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Red Lake Falls and St. Joseph Parish in Brooks, Minnesota. In addition, he is the Spiritual Director for the Guild of Sister Annella Zervas, OSB, and Chair of its Spirituality Committee. Father Schreiner was among the earliest supporters of Sister Annella’s cause for canonization and has been a devoted promoter of her story within the Diocese of Crookston.