Sister Agnes Siebenaler, age 87, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, died at 8:25 pm Thursday, October 15, 2009 in St. Francis Home.
She was born July 10, 1922, in Blakeslee, to the late Herbert and Clara (Nye) Siebenaler.
Surviving are two sisters, Eleanore Duffley of Dayton and Sister Elizabeth Jean Siebenaler of Toledo.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Siebenaler McDonald; four brothers, Albert, Vincent, Cyril, and Lawrence Siebenaler.
She earned her Master’s of Education Degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She took post graduate courses at the University of Dayton.
Sister Agnes served many people through Education Ministry, Parish Ministry, and Volunteer Ministry. She spent 37 years (1943-1970) in Education Ministry by teaching in the parochial schools of St. Bernard, New Washington; St. Louis, Custar; St. Mary, Millersville; Our Lady of Consolation, Carey; and Holy Trinity, Bucyrus. She opened the school of St. Bonifas at Oak Harbor and was principal there for five years. After leaving the teaching field Sister Agnes served as a Consultant to the Toledo Diocesan School Office from 1971-1979.
In 1979 Sister Agnes entered Parish Ministry. She became Pastoral Associate at the sister parishes of St. Mary, Kirby and St. Peter’s, Upper Sandusky. These two parishes are now known as Transfiguration of the Lord Parish, Upper Sandusky. At St. Mary, Marion, she served as Director of Religious Education and coordinated the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children.
Sister Agnes served as a volunteer at Mercy Tiffin Hospital; and as the Director of RCIA/C for the sister parishes of St. Patrick’s, Bascom and St. Andrew’s, Liberty. She also represented the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio in the Church Women United of Seneca County, and on the League of Women Voters of Tiffin. Her greatest delight was to be the Director of the Community’s museum, St. Lawrence Museum, and to take visitors through it in order to give them an appreciation of the history of the Tiffin Franciscans. At the time of her death, Sister Agnes was a Minister of Prayer for her community and the world.
Father James Klima, a pastor that Sister Agnes worked with in Marion said this of her, “Her real gift is in empowering others. She’s good at empowering people to do things they never thought they could do. People knew that if asked, she depended on them to get the job done.”
Visitation will be from 2-7 pm Sunday, October 18, 2009 at the St. Francis Convent Chapel. A Christian Wake Service will be at 4 pm.
The Funeral Mass will be 10:30 am Monday, October 19, 2009 at St. Francis Convent Chapel. Burial will be in St. Francis Convent cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Francis Convent or St. Francis Home.