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During her 70 years as a Sister of St. Joseph, she has ministered to hundreds of people through her domestic work. She worked on school missions, hospital kitchens, homes of two bishops and for over thirty years at Mt. St. Mary Convent. No matter where she worked, she helped create that little bit of heaven. One sister remarked that she remembers Sr. Cassian as the stabilizing person on her local mission. The Sisters all enjoyed coming home after teaching all day to Sr. Cassian’s kitchen where she always had a special treat waiting – like homemade cookies or a beautiful cake with chocolate icing, “but she not only fed our
bodies, she lifted our spirits as well by
creating a pleasant, welcoming
atmosphere.” Her meticulous care of the
housekeeping details at Mt. St. Mary’s,
especially in the dining room, has been
admired and appreciated by the
entire community. If the saying, “
cleanliness is next to godliness” is true,
then Sr. Cassian is very close to God.
After Margaret’s junior year in high school, she began making preparations to enter the convent. The news that one of the Ebenkamp girls was going to the convent spread throughout the little town of Cunningham and eventually reached the ears of the pastor, who promptly sent for the young lady to visit him. Margaret felt honored and eager to accept an invitation for a private audience with her pastor. She was expecting some wonderful words of wisdom concerning her decision to enter the convent, but to her disappointment, all that Father said concerning her vocation was, “It’s heaven if you like it and hell if you don’t.” Margaret took her chances on “liking it” and entered Mt. St. Mary Convent September 8, 1934. She made her final vows six years later.
Sister Cassian was born March 3, 1917 in Colwich, KS,. Just two days after her birth, she was baptized and given the name Margaret. At the age of 9, Margaret moved with her family to Cunningham, KS, where they felt very fortunate in having, for the first time, a parish church and a resident priest.
Even as a small child, Margaret Ebenkamp had fleeting thoughts of
religious life,
thoughts that came especially at night when she felt lonely.
She was convinced it
was God’s way of saying, “Come follow me.”
Even as a small child, Margaret Ebenkamp had fleeting thoughts of religious life, thoughts that came especially at night when she felt lonely. She was convinced it was God’s way of saying, “Come follow me.” During her high school days the call seemed even stronger, but Margaret had no idea of how to go about making her dream become a reality. Then one day her brother and his wife invited Margaret to go with them to visit Sister Lucille, her brother’s sister-in-law. It was during this visit that Margaret met Mother Aloysia who told her she would be very welcome to join the Sisters of St. Joseph. Seventy years later Sister Cassian claims that to be one of the happiest days of her life – the day Mother Aloysia said, “You may come.” Margaret responded silently in her own heart, “Here I am, Lord. I come to do your will.”
70 Years
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Sr. Cassian looks back on her seventy years and remembers the many friends she made along the way. Among those who influenced her in particular, she recalls, were Mother Aloysia, Mother Baptista, Sr. Ephram and Sr. Berniece. Wisdom figures in her life included Bishop Franz, Bishop Forst and Msgr. Zenner.
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