Southwest Region, ACPE 2009 Distinguished Service Award Sr. Agnes Mary Joy
EARLY FORMATION
Agnes Mary Joy was born in Newburgh, NY. She graduated from the College of St. Rose, Albany, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953. Her graduate studies were taken at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with the Master of Arts degree granted in 1955. She undertook further graduate studies at Rogers College, Maryknoll, NY from 1954-57, Counseling & Administration in Mexico City, Mexico from 1966-67, and at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO from 1968-70.
Agnes made her vows in the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic in 1957, and began her ministry in pastoral assignments in Mexico in the same year. She served as Director of the Instituto Oriente in Puebla, Mexico from 1964-67, and joined the Maryknoll Noviate Faculty in St. Louis and New York City from 1968-72.
CPE HISTORY
Sr. Agnes took her first CPE Unit with Dick Lehman at the Central Islip State Hospital in New York in 1972. Intent on taking additional CPE, she applied to and was accepted by the Harris County Hospital District and Ron Sunderland in 1973. In 1974, she met a Certification Committee and was awarded Candidacy status. In 1975 she met a “C” Committee for Acting status but was told “No” by a very empathic Bill Russell. In 1976 she made Acting in New Orleans with fond memories of Myron Madden’s conversation with her about being a Prodigal Daughter. She made Full Supervisor in 1979 at the national ACPE Conference in Washington, D.C. Following being made an Acting Supervisor in 1976, the Harris County Hospital District named her as the Acting Director of its Pastoral Care & Education program. Upon becoming a Full Supervisor, the Hospital District named her as the Director, and she also was invited to take an adjunct position at the Institute of Religion.
Sr. Agnes has the distinction of being the first woman to serve as the Director of Pastoral Care & Education in one of the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. During her 28 years as Director of the HCHD program, she participated in the vast expansion of the Hospital District’s programs, including establishing the presence of pastoral care in many of the District’s clinics and facilities. Sr. Agnes also has the distinction of providing one of the first Spanish-speaking CPE programs in the United States. Like most of us, she has filled numerous positions on committees at the Regional and National level. She served on the National Certification Commission, the National Accreditation Commission, and the National Finance Committee. Regionally, she also served on the Regional Standards Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Finance Committee, Certification and Accreditation Committees, and the Leadership Council. She represented the Southwest Region on the national committee that organized and implemented the celebration of the 100th birthday of Anton Boisen, and she received the Anton Boisen Pioneer Award in July of 2000 for her work with Spanish-speaking students from 1979 – 1981.
PROFESSIONAL REFLECTIONS
Sr. Agnes served as a faculty member of the University of St. Thomas School of Theology from 1985-1993, establishing the affiliation of her Pastoral Care & Education Department with the St. Thomas School of Theology. She was honored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews with the Religious Service Award in 1986. Among her achievements in the Harris County Hospital District, Sr. Agnes directed the design of four chapels and then oversaw their transition into Sanctuaries for Peace (multi-faith meditation centers for patients, families, and staff).
Sr. Agnes says of her years as Director of Pastoral Care & Education in the HCHD system, “History has been building over these three decades. Dear friends of yesterday have retired or gone before us to God’s eternity. What memories we have of being at the bedside for births, emergency traumas, of patients who struggle long-term with spiritual questions, of dying patients, and the vast population of the sick in pain and need.” Speaking of her own vocation as a Maryknoll Sister, Agnes adds, “The growth of a vocation just doesn’t happen on ‘vow day.’ This year, which is my Golden Jubilee, is like the first time around as a missionary. It has never gotten old. It has always been a new experience and the steps along the way have been filled with God!”
Congratulations, Sr. Agnes Joy, you are truly a cherished colleague and friend!
Distinguished Service Award
Steve Goss has moved to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque where he has taken a position as CPE Supervisor.
Ken Ramsey has moved to Seaton Family of Hospitals in Austin from Memorial Hermann in Houston.
Wayne Menking has moved to Harris Methodist Health System in Fort Worth from Lutheran Seminary of the Southwest.
Paul Bennett retired in August of this year. He plans to remain in Houston and continue his hobby – rebuilding automobiles.
Sherron Hughes- Tremper has moved to the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio to become the CPE supervisor.
Ken Blank has downsized the Oklahoma Pastoral Care Institute and relocated it to Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City. Ken will work part-time for the VA in Muskogee, Oklahoma as a CPE supervisor.
Darryl Tiller moved to the OU Medical Center Hospital where he will work as CPE supervisor.
John Thomas will begin working part-time at Integris Baptist in Oklahoma City as CPE Supervisor. He will continue on the faculty at Phillips Seminary, Tulsa.
Regional Meeting Highlights
The Annual Meeting of the Southwest Region was held October 1-3 in Albuquerque at the Nativo Lodge. John Fox gave most of us a ne appreciation for poetry and its use as an instrument of healing. In a moving presentation on Thursday afternoon, he led us to write our own poems. Agnes Joy was given The regions Distinguished Service Award on Thursday at a dinner in her honor. A picture taken by Sister Agnes was sold at an auction on Thursday morning and over $ 1000 was raised for the FCPE Annual Campaign. Deborah Whisnand made a presentation on the FCPE and Sally Schwab represented the National Office. Dr. Judy Ragsdale gave a presentation at the Certification Committee workshop.
Next year we plan to meet in Austin. Dates and details will be announced later.
