Sister Justina Kandel, OSB papers

Sister Justina Kandel, OSB was born Angela (or Anna) in Chicago, Illinois on May 15th, 1863 to German immigrant parents. She entered the community on June 25th, 1888, and was invested on March 25th, 1889. Sister made her first profession on August 19th, 1890, after which she transferred to Saint Mary's Convent in Nauvoo, Illinois. When and why she was transferred is unknown. She made her final profession on May 31st, 1895 in the Nauvoo community. Her date of death is unknown.

Sister Justina (sometimes Justine) is remembered for her unique turns of phrase. A few examples include the following:

When away from the convent, Sister would say she felt like "a mouse out of water."

When ill, she would proclaim that "the bed was satisified."

When asked if she liked her new mop, she answered, "It was not as absolving as the last one."

Older Sisters in the Nauvoo community were known to repeat Sister's trademark expressions well into the twentieth century, long after Sister's death.