Sister Josephine Birchmeier, OSB

Sister Josephine Birchmeier, OSB was born in Switzerland in 1839. She was one of the first young women to apply and be accepted as a postulant by Mother Nepomucene Ludwig, OSB who opened this novitiate of St. Joseph Monastery. She celebrated her silver jubilee in 1892 and her golden jubilee in 1914. She was among those sisters who founded a motherhouse in Chicago; but also underwent the trials of the Chicago fire in which everything was lost. Sister Josephine was missioned to Colorado where she was a pioneer in establishing a school and convent in Breckenridge; she also experienced the joy of a thriving institution in Canon City, Colorado. At the age of 78 on January 23, 1917 Sister Josephine died after a long illness. She is buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Canon City, Colorado.