Sr. Agnes Breitenbeck, CSJ

Agnes Breitenbeck was born on September 13, 1925, the daughter of William and Antoinettia (Markel) Breitenbeck, the third of seven children. She was a member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Detroit, Michigan. Her call to religious life was influenced greatly by being raised in a deeply faithful Catholic family and inspired by being taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph for twelve years at St. Margaret Mary Elementary and St. Bernard High School in Detroit.

She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph on July 1,1946 and received the name of Sister Wilmett at her reception on January 3, 1947 and later returned to her baptismal name. Sr. Agnes pronounced first vows on January 3, 1949 and final vows on January 3, 1952.

Sister Agnes earned a B.S. degree from Nazareth College. Her teaching ministry included Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth, MI; St. Patrick, Portland, MI; St. Augustine, Kalamazoo, MI, and St. Mary, Flint, MI. Following six years of teaching, she was asked to go into Hospital Administration and earned a Master’s in Health Administration from St. Louis University. Sister Agnes was instrumental in the early stages of the Sisters of St. Joseph Health System.

She served as Business Manager and Assistant Administrator at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. She also served as Assistant Administrator at St. John Hospital Detroit and President and C.E.O. at St. Joseph Hospital in Flint. For twelve years, Sister Agnes worked with the Adrian Dominican Sisters at the Dominican Consultation Center in Detroit, and also served at St. John Oakland Hospital in the Medical Library.

Following active ministry, Sister Agnes moved to Nazareth in 2011 continuing to serve in volunteer ministry. Sister wrote at the time of her Diamond Jubilee, “These many years of living and working as a Sister of St. Joseph has not only been a spiritually enriching and rewarding experience but has broadened my horizons by accepting challenges that I never thought I could accept….I consider myself blessed with parents who sacrificed much to give the family a Catholic education; with the love and support of my brothers and sisters, and with the Sisters of St. Joseph who accepted and educated me so that I could better serve in His vineyard. My gratitude is boundless!”

Sister Agnes lived a life dedicated to God and neighbor in countless ways. May she now know the greatest act of love and peaceful fulfillment in the eternal embrace of God, whose love is everlasting.

May She Rest in Peace!