Sister Anselma Hoeser, OSB papers

Sister Anselma Hoeser, OSB, was born on December 27, 1843 in Menningen, Trier, Germany. She came to the United States with her family in 1866, where they joined Saint Joseph Parish in Chicago. The following year she joined the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. Sister made final vows in 1872, and observed her silver jubilee in 1893, as well as her golden jubilee in 1918.

Sister Anselma was a woman who fully embraced everyday tasks with mindfulness. She rang the rising bell at the convent for many years. Her work as a seamstress involved making and repairing habits. She mended the habits for the Priests and Brothers at Saint Joseph Parish. At Saint Bede Monastery and College in Peru, Illinois, she took care of the kitchen and laundry. Then, at Saint Scholastica on Ridge Blvd., Sister made and mended the Sisters’ habits. Reportedly, she always sewed a small medal of the Blessed Virgin into each habit.

During the great Chicago Fire, when the Sisters evacuated their convent, Sister Anselma is credited with carrying a small statue of the Blessed Virgin to safety. Today this statue is in the Heritage Room of our daughter house at St. Mary Monastery in Rock Island Illinois. Sister Anselma died December 23, 1921, and is buried in Calvary Cemetery. Her surname has also been spelled Heser and Heiser.