PATRICIA AGNES HOVELAND, CSJ
August 30, 1931 - August 17, 2009
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Irish Blessing
Patricia Agnes Hoveland, the daughter of Mary (McGowan) and Albert Hoveland, was born on August 30, 1931, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Three weeks later, on September 20th, she was baptized in the nearby Church of St. Anthony. It was in that historic parish that Patricia first came to know the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Following her graduation from St. Anthony High School, Patricia considered the possibility of a call to religious life. It was a blessed coincidence that at this time, the Diocesan Teacher’s College, under the direction of Father Roger Connole, expanded the student body by admitting lay women to the program. The bulletin for the 1949-50 school year offered a limited number of scholarships to lay women “who were willing to further the educational work of the Church by teaching in the Catholic schools.” The recipient would receive, tuition free, the minimum preparation for teaching in the elementary schools, that is, two years of normal school work. Patricia applied and attended!
On June 1, 1951, having successfully complete the two-year course of study for teaching in the elementary schools, she received her Diploma. Now Patricia was ready and well-prepared to respond to God’s call to religious life as a Sister of St. Joseph.
Patricia entered the postulate of the Sisters of St. Joseph on the feast of the Nativity of Mary, September 8, 1952. On the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1953, she received the habit and was given her religious name, Sister Albert Mary (later to be known as Sister Patricia). As was customary in those days, Sister made her first vows on March 19, 1955, and pronounced her final vows on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1960.
With her first mission to Blessed Sacrament School in 1955, Sister continued her ministry in Catholic education. As a well-prepared and enthusiastic educator, she taught in the elementary schools within the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis for over twenty-five years. Her missions in St. Paul included Blessed Sacrament, St. Luke and Highland Catholic. Out-of-town teaching assignments were at Guardian Angels, Hastings; St. Croix Valley Catholic School, Stillwater; St. Peter, Richfield.
In the summertime Sister Patricia taught religious classes in Granite Falls, Minnesota, and in Lakota and Tappan, North Dakota. Everywhere she found joy in the beauty of children’s art, in the delight of spontaneous storytelling, and in the challenge of each day’s wonder-filled surprises within the teaching/learning experiences.
As for her continuing education, Sister Patricia received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Catherine, with majors in Sociology and Education. During the summers she attended additional courses and workshops at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis), Cardinal Stritch College (Milwaukee), and Regis College (Denver). Sister often spoke of her field trips in Ireland as her greatest learning experiences wherein she witnessed firsthand continuing struggles for justice and peace.
As a great lover of Irish history and family heritage, Sister Pat visited her relatives in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, in 1981. In her 1982 report to the CSJ community she wrote that she “felt blessed for having the opportunity to know and to love a group of people who have such a tremendous faith in God, who live in oppression and fear, yet quietly live their Baptism-Confirmation promises.” She also shared the story of her visit to MAZE Prison where two of her cousins were political prisoners. Though brothers, they were never allowed to see each other! (A complete account of her report is available in our CSJ Archives, Together, April, 1982.)
Through the years, Sister Patricia shared her gifts generously. In 1980, she served as a member of the library staff at the College of St. Catherine. From 1986-2002, she fulfilled many needs as a volunteer secretary, office assistant, archivist, and associate editor for the Hibernian Life Insurance Fund. In 2002, Sister Patricia volunteered her services at Bethany and at Carondelet Center. In 2005, Sister Patricia came to Bethany where she continued to share her Irish history and heritage.
Sister Patricia died peacefully on August 17, 2009.
May she rest in peace.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Bethany Chapel on Friday, August 21, 2009. Burial followed at Resurrection Cemetery.
Sister Patricia is survived by nieces, nephews and cousins and the Sisters of St. Joseph, Consociates, and Caregivers at Bethany.
