Sister Ann Thomasine (Frances) Sampson
1915-2008
Who knows where it all began . this tremendous love for family and CSJ
community, for learning about music, history, literature, for learning, for
that matter, about anything? Frances Anne (later Sister Ann Thomasine) was
welcomed into the family of Frances Blankenhorn and Jim (as he was called)
Sampson, on July 18, 1915, at home, in South East Minneapolis, only an alley
away from North East Minneapolis. She was the first of six children in this
family, but always lovingly spoke of her older brother Tom, born nine and a
half years earlier, to Frances and her first husband Thomas Shanahan.
"At a very early age," said Sister Ann Thomasine, "I can remember hearing
the Masses by Haydn, Mozart and Gounod practiced in my own home. My father
was the baritone soloist at St. Anthony's which, at the time, had one of the
best choirs in the Twin Cities."
Her father, she said, had only a fourth grade education, her mother an
education through two years of high school. "My mother," she continued, "was
a great promoter of our talents and abilities. It was her desire that we
receive a Catholic education." It was at St. Anthony's, while she was in
first or second grade, that Frances began to take piano lessons: "Music
played such an important role in my life that, for a while, I wanted to
become an opera singer."
After eighth grade graduation from St. Lawrence, Frances attended St.
Margaret's High School. There she met Sister Marion Donovan, one of the
greatest teachers she ever had. "She was in her early 40s and she was filled
with life and vitality, and she had this great love for literature. During
her time at St. Margaret's I was on the newspaper staff. I learned about
writing, journalism, and public relations, all from her."
Then, at the age of seventeen, Frances enrolled at the College of St.
Catherine. "My religion classes," she recalled, "did not make much of dent
on me, but a class that did impact me was Sister Eucharista Galvin's class
on the history of civilization. She really had us galloping along in
learning about ancient and medieval civil-ization. . and there was dear
Sister Anna Goulet who introduced us to a lot of music. She talked about
various forms of music and about the instruments of the orchestra. I
remember the themes of Die Meistersingers that she taught us." In Sister St.
Mark Wirtz's biology course Frances became aware of the lovely campus
surroundings. "We studied flora and fauna, the shepherd's purse and the
chestnut trees."
It was at St. Catherine's, following a retreat, that Frances decided to
become a Sister of St. Joseph. In March 1935, she entered the novitiate of
the Sisters of St. Joseph, receiving the name of Sister Ann Thomasine. She
began 32 years of ministry as a high school teacher in 1937, first at St.
James Academy, then St. Joseph's, St. John's, Holy Angels, and St.
Margaret's academies. She was an excellent and popular teacher, and
peppered courses in English, history, and religion with an enthusiasm none
could match.
It was at "the Academy," that Sister Marion said to principal Sister Mary
John Ryan, "Look, she has all these years of music, why don't you have her
start a glee club?" . and we all know what evolved from that! There were
choral concerts, operettas, piano lessons, annual performances of the
Messiah at the St. Paul Civic Center, WCCO radio broadcasts, involvement in
such special events as the 1940 Eucharistic Conference and the 1951
centennial celebration of the arrival of the Sisters of St. Joseph in St.
Paul, as well as writing her own musical compositions. She earned a Master
of Music degree from Northwestern University and pursued ongoing study at
the Minneapolis College of Music, Pius X School of Liturgical Music,
MacPhail School of Music. The years passed and, while she appeared vibrant
at each performance, she also began to experience the tension associated
with the work.
In 1969 Ann Thomasine was granted a sabbatical year. Off she went, for eight
months, to Ireland, the British Isles, and neighboring European countries.
In 1970 she was back at St. Joseph's Academy, not teaching but organizing
archival material in preparation for the 1971 closing of the 120 year-old
school. In the words of Gareth Hiebert (Oliver Towne), Pioneer Press
columnist: "It was late one evening in February. In her quest for mementos,
Sister Ann Thomasine played a hunch and climbed the stairs into the
academy-convent attic. In the wan, yellow light from the bulbs, throwing
shadows across a century, she spotted a pile of ledgers in one dusty corner.
'I picked one from the bottom of the pile, opened to the first page and a
shiver ran down my spine.' There was the date '1851' and the note, in fine,
feminine Spencerian writing: Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Mary's School, St.
Paul." (The school was renamed St. Joseph's Academy in 1859.)
The discovery of that ledger, which no one knew existed, changed Ann
Thomasine's life and the life of our community. Before we knew it, she was
on a towboat to retrace the first steamboat trip of four pioneer sisters
from St. Louis to St. Paul. In 1975 she received the first of $23,000 in
grant money to develop an oral history project for the Sisters of St.
Joseph. That collection, which tells us so much about our own history, is
also an invaluable resource for St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Minnesota
history. Ann Thomasine had two cover story articles published in Ramsey
County History, "Attacked by a Starving Wolf - Four Sisters of St. Joseph
and Their Mission to St. Paul" and "Minnesota's First Arts School - St.
Agatha's Conservatory and the Pursuit of Excellence." . and don't forget her
books "Care with Prayer," the history of St. Mary's Hospital, and "Seeds on
Good Ground," biographies of 16 pioneer sisters!
This "brief" obituary highlights only some of Sister Ann Thomasine's life.
Beyond what is mentioned here are the "tomes" of family genealogy she
researched. She treasured her brothers and sister, their spouses, and the
generations that followed. They supported her with love expressed through
family gatherings, visits at Bethany, phone conversations, and emails.
Surely, there is and always will be a family member who picks up just where
Ann Thomasine left off with family research. That person needs to remember
that her/his aunt, great-aunt, great-great aunt and on-and-on is really only
a prayer away.
Sister Ann Thomasine died unexpectedly at Bethany on August 18, 2008, two
days after announcing to the community that the doctor told her she had only
months to live. She wanted no expressions of sympathy as she had had a
wonderful life. We Sisters of St. Joseph join with her family, friends, and
former students in appreciation for Ann Thomasine and for the many ways in
which she enriched our lives. People like her come our way only seldom and
we are tremendously grateful to have shared life with her.
