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Mother M. Agnes Hazotte (1847-1905)
Superior General, 1864-1905

In 1863, 16-year-old Mary Hazotte joined the fledging Society of St. Agnes and was given the name Sister Mary Agnes. She was elected superior general only a year later. Tensions with the congregation’s founder, Father Caspar Rehrl, flared due to differences over the sisters’ mission, training, and living conditions. With no rule or ecclesiastical approval, they were under threat of being disbanded. Father Francis Haas helped them write an acceptable Rule and Constitutions in July 1870 which saved them.

That year Mother Agnes moved the group from tiny Barton, Wisconsin, to the bustling railroad town of Fond du Lac. Under her leadership, the Sisters of St. Agnes established a hospital, sanitarium, and home for the aged in Fond du Lac; a refuge for women immigrants in New York City; and provided education to children and care for orphans, the sick, and elderly throughout the country. Her spirit and apostolic zeal embodied in her call to courageous initiatives continue to inspire the congregation.

On March 6, 1905, Mother Agnes died in Kansas, surrounded by other sisters of St. Agnes whom she had served dutifully until her last breath.