Legacies & Relationships
May 12, 2026
This article appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections
On March 5, 2026, CSA held its annual Breakfast with Women: Energizing Spirits. The purpose of the event was to foster connection and promote spiritual growth. The presentation and conversation focused on creating a spiritual legacy, a concrete way to pass on your faith and your relationship with God to others. The event featured a delicious breakfast, time for fellowship and networking, and a presentation by Sister Anita Henning, CSA. She discussed the practice of leaving a spiritual legacy by conducting interviews with those at the end of their lives, in order to learn more about their understanding of God and their faith. She shared her personal experience of interviewing her sister and what she learned from this experience.
Nine senior girls from Saint Mary’s Springs Academy were invited to attend the event. While this topic may seem far from the minds of young high schoolers, the girls found the experience enriching and informative. They shared that they learned it was important to give those who are nearing the end of their lives a chance to discuss their spiritual journeys. One student shared, “This inspired me to be more thoughtful about my relationships with elders. It motivated me to talk with my grandparents more.” Additionally, an interactive activity during the presentation invited attendees to set up a “date” with themselves for reflection. Many of the high schoolers followed this instruction and found it to be useful for their spiritual development. Printed journaling guides and times for discussion also helped to aid in their learning and understanding.
Overall, the students left the event feeling welcomed, inspired, and fortified. “We felt like special guests because so many people knew we were going to be there, greeted us, and took time to talk with us one-on-one,” one student shared. Another student enjoyed seeing “so many women from so many different backgrounds and stages of life.” Each girl attending the breakfast was able to take away a new connection or a bit of spiritual guidance to help her grow and improve in her relationship with God.
May 2026 Issue of Reflections & Connections
May 11, 2026
The May 2026 issue of Reflections & Connections is now available online for your viewing.
This letter appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections
Dear Friends,
We are all called to be joyful witnesses of the Risen Christ even in the midst of the world we are experiencing today. Together, as companions, we remind each other and all peoples that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is still with us and active within our midst.
It is with that belief that we, the Sisters of St. Agnes, will gather June 15-25 for General Chapter 2026. The general chapter fosters spiritual and apostolic vitality, protects our founding charism and spiritual heritage, makes decisions affecting the life and welfare of the entire congregation, and elects the general superior and her councilors (CSA Constitutions). Chapter occurs every four years and is a time of deep prayer, dialogue, and discernment.
Within this edition you will find a copy of the prayer that we have been praying as a community in preparation for Chapter 2026. God, who is Love, continues to call us through the transitions that mark our lives. Please pray for us and for the guidance of the Spirit during the sacred days of Chapter 2026. May the Empowering Spirit strengthen us to respond to the transitions that mark our lives with humility, courage, and wholeheartedness (Chapter 2026 Prayer).
Since being elected by our Sisters to serve in CSA Leadership in June 2022, we have experienced countless blessings, and you are among those. We thank you for your prayers and your support that among us and in our world the Risen Christ be discovered and revealed (CSA Statement of Mission 1990).
Grateful companions on life’s journey,
With grateful hearts,
Sisters Sharon Pollnow, Peg Spindler, Madeline Gianforte, and Lael Niblick
CSA’s General Council, 2022-2026
CSA Leadership Calls for Nonviolence, Action, & Prayer
April 09, 2026
Dear Sisters, Associates, Staff, and Friends,
In the face of our government threatening war crimes, genocide and erasure of an entire civilization, Pope Leo teaches us that we cannot remain silent. When things get to this point, we must be honest and clear-eyed about what is happening around us and to us. Systems are collapsing, and, as this is occurring, it becomes more and more impossible to ignore. We are surrounded by the horrors of war and domination. We can no longer explain it away or go along with it or try to believe that this is just how things are now.
We live challenged by the nonviolent life of Jesus as presented in the Gospels, by our Mission Statement wherein we write “we continue to respond in our own times to those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened,” and by our Statement on Nonviolence from 2002. To us, that means that we cannot allow ourselves to get used to this violent way of dealing with issues, this constant harming of our neighbors both local and global, this abuse of power and this greed that seem to be driving so much of human life in this time.
So, we resist. We speak out. We protest. We vote. We call and write to those who represent us even though so much is out of our control. We reach out to each other and tend to our relationships with fierce love, honest conversation, and deep connection. We call ourselves and each other to a certain steadiness that Vaclav Havel wrote about: hope is “not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” (Disturbing the Peace, 1986)
We cannot tire in this struggle. As our founder, Father Caspar Rehrl encouraged us: “Love must unite us beyond all difficulties.” (Constitutions, p. 20) So we call on all people of good will to join with us in this holy work of Gospel nonviolence and resistance in love. We invite all of you to gather at our Motherhouse (330 County Road K, Fond du Lac) one Sunday a month for a time of Quiet Contemplative Prayer for Peace. The next date is April 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. in our chapel. Come pray with us and firm up the relationships that make for an emerging network of love.
Let us follow Jesus, Prince of Peace, together.
Sisters Peg, Lael, Madeline, and Sharon
Guns to Garden Tools Event - April 8
March 23, 2026
Mark your calendars for a unique and very special event on Wednesday, April 8.
Guns to Gardens Wisconsin engages Christians of all denominations through biblical and theological presentations and dialogue, in what the Bible teaches about guns, violence, and loving enemies – see attached flyer.
Guns to Garden Director and retired pastor, Jeff Wild, will be at Marian University to share details of his program on April 8 for a Wisconsin Wednesday presentation in the Stayer Auditorium at Noon.
Following Jeff's presentation, he will offer a live blacksmithing demonstration at the CSA Motherhouse Maintenance Garage at 2 pm. Using the metal cut from previously surrendered firearms, Jeff will forge garden tools. There will be time for prayer and reflection.
Both events are open to all members of the Marian community, the CSA community, and the public. REGISTRATION IS APPRECIATED!
Compelled by Mission: The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Foundation of America's Schools
March 13, 2026
March 12, 2026, CSA Archivist Jenny Lukomski presented, "Compelled by Mission: The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Foundation of America's Schools and Hospitals" as a part of Women's History Month programming at the Fond du Lac Public Library. “Religious women are the forgotten founders of the educational and health care systems in the United States. This presentation explores how the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) contributed to the establishment of schools and hospitals first here in Northeast Wisconsin, and then throughout the country.”
Enjoy the recording of the event.
To Form a More Perfect Union
February 19, 2026
This article appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections
The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Agnes is pleased to present a series on the theme “To Form a More Perfect Union: Division and Unity in the US at 250”. This three-part series will take place at the Prairie Theater and Event Center, in Fond du Lac, WI.
Speakers will explore the enduring principles of the U.S. Constitution and their relevance to today’s challenges. From the roots of representative democracy to the evolving meaning of liberty and justice, each of the three lectures will aim to deepen public understanding and inspire constructive engagement.
The first session will take place on Tuesday, April 23. Janine Geske, former justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, will speak about the constitutional history of unity in this country. Then, on September 17, Constitution Day, Sister Dianne Bergant, CSA, will talk about unity and diversity from a theological perspective. A third speaker will be announced for October pending confirmation.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for all speakers. Formal remarks will begin at 6:00 p.m. with opportunities for questions from the audience. Afterward, attendees are invited to join a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception with the speaker in The Winnebago Room.
A livestream will also be available on the CSA YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@csasisters
There is no cost to attend any of the events, but your advance registration is appreciated to help us plan.
250 Acts of Mercy
February 12, 2026
This article appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections
Our Commitment
14 congregations of women religious throughout the state of Wisconsin have committed to spreading hope throughout the country. Each congregation has pledged to do 250 Acts of Mercy throughout 2026. This commitment is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and is aimed at manifesting God’s mercy and forming a “more perfect union” through corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.
What Is Mercy?
Pope Francis reminded us in the 2016 Jubilee of Mercy, “Mercy is not an abstraction but a lifestyle consisting in concrete gestures rather than mere words: reaching out and touching others and institutionalizing the works of mercy.”
In Matthew 25, Jesus provides us with a model of some of those “concrete gestures:”
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” – Matthew 25:35-36
This list of actions is a keen reminder that mercy impacts physical and emotional well-being and offers the gift of hope and renewed dignity to the recipient. Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2447 defines the Works of Mercy as charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his or her spiritual and bodily necessities.
Through their very nature, these acts create relationships across boundaries. Mercy brings unity and togetherness to otherwise divisive environments, helping the giver and the receiver understand one another’s points of view in a new way.
An Invitation
CSA warmly invites sisters, associates, and other partners in ministry to join us and the other 13 participating congregations in meeting our goal. We hope you will share your acts of mercy with us throughout the year, no matter how large or small.
Which corporal works of mercy might you be called to practice? Which spiritual works of mercy?
Learn more and Share Your Act of Mercy
February 2026 Issue of Reflections & Connections
February 06, 2026
The February 2026 issue of Reflections & Connections is now available online for your viewing.
This letter appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections
Dear Friends,
As you will read in the pages that follow, a large focus for CSA in 2026 is unity and mercy. Within the first 30 days of the year, we have already seen these themes exemplified many times.
Women religious from across the United States have unified their voice at a critical moment in our country and across our world make visible the Gospel through advocacy for nonviolent paths that uphold human rights, protect democratic processes, and honor the dignity of life at every stage. Within our own community, we embody this message by standing with those who are vulnerable.
The power and beauty of a community coming together to meet the needs of the most vulnerable were evident in early January when temperatures in the city of Fond du lac plunged as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit. The St. Katharine Drexel Shelter knowing that those currently living out on the streets would be needing shelter put out a call for supplies that would be needed to serve the influx of clients.
The Fond du Lac community responded quickly and generously. The Congregation of St. Agnes, SSM Health, many businesses, organizations, churches, agencies and individuals volunteered—donating meals, blankets, bedding, time and talent to honor and serve their brothers and sisters.
This truly was an act of mercy in a spontaneous moment where there was great need.
As each of us engages in acts of mercy, let us unite with one another and be a transformative presence rooted in prayer and concrete actions of love and mercy.
With grateful hearts,
Sisters Sharon Pollnow, Peg Spindler, Madeline Gianforte, and Lael Niblick
CSA’s General Council, 2022-2026
CSA Affirms Choosing Nonviolence as Gospel Witness
January 29, 2026
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We are women religious who have lost three of our own to murderous violence. We have written our own statement on nonviolence signed by all our sisters and associates. We are absolutely appalled by the violence we have witnessed in Minnesota, wrought by agents of our own federal government. We cannot be silent in the face of such violent cruelty and lawlessness, both because it defies everything our Constitution stands for and because it denies the very humanity of certain targeted groups of people. As our Native American brothers and sisters remind us, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” So, we, the leadership of the Sisters of St. Agnes, embrace the LCWR Statement Choosing Nonviolence as Gospel Witness wholeheartedly, standing with the people of Minnesota and across the country in Gospel love, hoping for more humane and comprehensive ways of solving our immigration issues.
At this moment in history, when fear is normalized, violence is amplified, and democratic life is under strain in the United States and across the world, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) raises a clear and unwavering moral voice: violence is not the Gospel response.
The way of Jesus calls us to a love that refuses harm, rejects domination, and insists on the dignity of every person. Love demands more than silence or neutrality. It requires truth-telling, moral courage, and a willingness to stand publicly with those whose lives and rights are threatened. Nonviolence is not passivity; it is disciplined, courageous action rooted in justice and hope.
Across the globe and within our own communities — from Ukraine to Minneapolis — we see the tragic consequences of aggression. Violence does not resolve conflict or restore peace; it deepens wounds and multiplies suffering. Nonviolence, by contrast, requires profound interior strength and sustained commitment. It must be cultivated personally and communally, and practiced intentionally within social, political, and global systems.
Women religious have long understood this truth through lived experience. Since arriving in what would become the United States in 1727, congregations of women religious have participated in the shaping of this nation through education, healthcare, advocacy, and service to those most at risk. Throughout the evolving life of this democracy, women religious have sought to embody gospel values in public life, especially in times of moral crisis.
In continuity with this witness, we unequivocally denounce the use of violence in any form. We call upon individuals and communities — and especially those entrusted with leadership in local, state, and federal government — to choose paths that uphold human rights, protect democratic processes, and honor the dignity of life at every stage.
In these times, the members of LCWR commit to a public, prophetic presence rooted in prayer and expressed through concrete action. We pledge to make visible the Gospel through advocacy for nonviolence, racial justice, humane immigration policies, and care for our common home. Our hope does not rest in force or fear, but in the transformative power of love lived boldly and together.
Currently Hiring: Lay Local Coordinator
January 05, 2026
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes is seeking a lay local coordinator for the elderly and infirm sister-residents of Nazareth Court and Center and St. Francis Home. The local coordinator assists with providing a supportive community which assists the sisters in living their religious vocation as Sisters of St. Agnes. It is important that an applicant for this position is flexible, collaborative, comfortable with the elderly and infirm, and able to function as a team member. The local coordinator engages in pastoral and social visits with individual sisters and with groups of sisters as needed. The local coordinator is also responsible for acting as family support by participating in meetings with licensed nursing personnel providing long-term care for the sisters (e.g. nursing meetings, care conferences, working with hospice care providers). Interested applicants must be familiar with Word, Excel, email, internet, and hold a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record. This position is full-time and requires rotating on-call with other members of the team.
If interested in this position, contactSuzanne Flood at sflood@csasisters.org for a full position description. Applicants will be expected to submit resume with full contact information.
Thank you for the wonderful expose’ of CSA ministerial history. You truly caught the CSA flavor of being ordinary sisters doing extraordinary work. Thank you for your fidelity and expertise.
Rhea