Sister Mary Josita McKinnon of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrated her 60th Jubilee of religious profession on August 15, 2009 at Sancta Maria Convent in Panhandle.

 

Sister Josita entered the School Sisters of St. Francis on October 29, 1946 in Youngstown, Ohio, arriving from her family's home in Nova Scotia. She joined the Sisters who came from the Congregation's Motherhouse in Vienna, Austria just before the start of World War II. This group established a convent in Youngstown where Sister made her first profession of vows on August 15, 1949.

 

Along with three other Sisters, Sister M. Josita first set foot on the wide open prairies of the Texas Panhandle in January of 1954. The Sisters found their living quarters to be quite rustic, with little furniture and two jars of jam for their sustenance. Sister M. Josita became the first of the Sisters to make final profession of vows in Texas. The date was August 15, 1954. Her years of service in Texas included teaching in the Catholic schools in Dumas, Borger, Levelland, and Dalhart. Her blood sister, Sister Mary Goretti McKinnon, was her fellow religious and companion for many years in Texas until her death.

 

Sister Mary Josita McKinnon, at 84 years of age, is one of the most cheerful religious you could ever hope to meet, and her sense of humor, even in the face of many health problems, is a real gift to the community. Sister possesses deep spirituality and a beautiful Franciscan simplicity as she continues to offer her prayers for the community, the Church, and the world.  

 

 

 

 

 
Amen.