The Salvatorian Mission is Alive at St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus

For eight years, I’ve been a laundry aide at St. Anne’s. I’m in charge of making sure the residents’ clothes are labeled, cleaned, ironed, etc. Working for an institution sponsored by the Sisters of the Divine is important to me because it allows me to help residents and staff in their time of need. I move the Salvatorian Sisters’ mission forward by showing how much I love the residents and workers, and being a team player. The most gratifying part of my job is seeing happy residents and helping to put smiles on their faces.

I have been doubly blessed because I have known true, enduring love within my Salvatorian Family and my St. Anne’s Family too!  Residents like Larry Heller, who greeted me every day with “Good Morning Lynn, God loves you and so do I.” Sister Maureen Hopkins who showed how to be kind even when someone wasn’t “working out,” with her words of encouragement and belief that God truly had other plans for them. Board members like Dr. Frank Probst, who allowed me to lead projects and manage the checkbook even though I needed a lot of guidance. Many family members who understood that kindness and respect are reciprocal and work best if we always remember we are all on the same team. And, many, many, many co-workers who made known the love of our Lord in every touch and every encounter every day. They always proved God was present, and it was them who always inspired me!

I have had the privilege to be a part of St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus in Milwaukee for 13 years.  During the entire time I have experienced the love and blessings that have flowed from the Mission of the Sisters of the Divine Savior. 

I became a part of St. Anne’s family in 2006 when my oldest brother Richard became a resident on the Holy Angels wing of St. Anne’s Skilled Nursing Facility. Richard was developmentally disabled from birth and lived quite well in a group home setting for an extended period of his adult life, until he broke his hip in 2006. Thereafter, his developmental capabilities regressed significantly and he was deemed incapable of living in his former group home. Our prayers to God for guidance were answered when St. Anne’s welcomed him as a resident. For the next eight years Richard was shown the love, compassion, care and concern of St. Anne’s for his physical, medical, emotional needs and spiritual needs. My family and I often remarked that Angels truly staffed the Holy Angels wing of St. Anne’s. After Richard’s death in November 2014, his Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Anne’s wonderful chapel. 

After Richard received his “Celestial Discharge” (a term used by one of the nurses on Holy Angels), I asked Sister Darlene Pienschke, then-Director of Pastoral Care, why St. Anne’s took Richard as a resident when he was on Title 19, which made him an unattractive candidate from a financial perspective. I was deeply moved by Sister Darlene’s response:  “Of course we would take Richard; that is our mission ̶ to show him the love and kindness of Jesus. That is what God expects of us.” 

In summer 2014, my mother, age 98, became an assisted living resident of St. Anne’s Providence Court. She loved to worship her Lord, and St. Anne’s provided her abundant opportunities to do so, not only by taking her almost daily to the beautiful chapel for Mass, but also through countless visits from Sr. Darlene and members of the Pastoral Staff. The kindness, love and compassion shown my mother was continuous until she passed a few months after her 100th birthday, which was celebrated at St. Anne’s beautiful Hagerty Pavilion and lovingly catered by St. Anne’s Food Services staff. After my mother’s “Celestial Discharge,” former CEO Lynn Vogt asked me to serve on St. Anne’s Board of Directors. I am finishing my third year as a board member and second as board chair. From this vantage point, I am blessed to witness firsthand how the Salvatorian Mission is infused and nurtured at St. Anne’s, and in a fiscally responsible manner. The Salvatorian Mission, to show the love and kindness of Jesus in providing compassionate care in a respectful and homelike atmosphere, while honoring the dignity of each resident, truly encompasses every aspect of St. Anne’s and is practiced by every staff person. I am truly blessed to be part of this Mission.