Annella Zervas
Encyclopedia
The Servant of God
Sister Mary Annella Zervas (born April 7, 1900, Moorhead, Minnesota
– died August 16, 1926) was an American
Benedictine
nun
who died after a three year battle with the skin disease Pityriasis rubra pilaris
. She is known for the most part simply as "Sister Annella".
. Her father, Hubert Zervas, a German
immigrant from the village of Immekeppel, Prussia
, was a butcher and ran a local meat market. Her mother, Emma Levitre Zervas, was born in Saint-Theodore-d'Acton, Quebec
.
Anna was raised as part of a large family which attended St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Moorhead, where her father was the choir director and a member of the Knights of Columbus
. At the time, the parochial school
from St. Mary's was looked after by priests and nuns of the Benedictine Order. According to Father Alfred Mayer, who was then Pastor of St. Mary's,
Hubert and Emma Zervas were reportedly very reluctant to part with their daughter at such a young age. Father Alfred, however, advised them, "Don't put anything in her way; she is not too young to give herself to God
." Hubert Zervas wrote several years later that he and his wife had then "gladly consented to Him from Whom they had received her."
as a postulant
in 1915 and entered the novitiate
in 1918. She would be remembered as a quiet and unassuming nun who was fond of reading The Following of Christ by Geert Groote
.
On June 17, 1918, she received the habit
in a ceremony conducted by Bishop Joseph Francis Busch
of St. Cloud, Minnesota
. According to Dr. James Kritzeck,
She took her final vows in 1922 and was assigned as a music teacher and organist to St. Mary's Convent in Bismarck, North Dakota
.
diagnosed her with Pityriasis rubra pilaris
.
was offered for her at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, New York
, Sister Annella's condition seemed to enter its final phase. According to her father,
According to Dr. James Kritzeck,
According to the Visitor, the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud
,
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
Sister Mary Annella Zervas (born April 7, 1900, Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
– died August 16, 1926) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
who died after a three year battle with the skin disease Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Pityriasis rubra pilaris refers to a group of chronic disorders characterized by reddish orange, scaling plaques and keratotic follicular papules...
. She is known for the most part simply as "Sister Annella".
Early life
Anna Cordelia Zervas was born in Moorhead, MinnesotaMoorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
. Her father, Hubert Zervas, a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
immigrant from the village of Immekeppel, Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, was a butcher and ran a local meat market. Her mother, Emma Levitre Zervas, was born in Saint-Theodore-d'Acton, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Anna was raised as part of a large family which attended St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Moorhead, where her father was the choir director and a member of the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
. At the time, the parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
from St. Mary's was looked after by priests and nuns of the Benedictine Order. According to Father Alfred Mayer, who was then Pastor of St. Mary's,
"She sought only to please GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and do His Holy Will in all things, and thence labored but for God's honor and glory. She sought to please God by an ardent desire and an earnest will to acquire virtue and perfection, a total renunciation and forgetfullness of the world and its vanities, and an invincible fortitude in her sufferings... It was during the summer vacation of 1915 that she one day called on me and expressed to me her desire of going to the convent at St. JosephSt. Joseph, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 4,681 people, 1,120 households, and 712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,517.4 people per square mile . There were 1,147 housing units at an average density of 616.8 per square mile...
and becoming a sister. I told her that I thought she had a religious vocation and advised her to carry out her holy design. She seemed to be so convinced of her religious vocation that she expressed no doubts or fears regarding it. After I had spoken some words to of encouragement and explained to her, in short, the excellence of the religious state, she left happy and contented."
Hubert and Emma Zervas were reportedly very reluctant to part with their daughter at such a young age. Father Alfred, however, advised them, "Don't put anything in her way; she is not too young to give herself to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
." Hubert Zervas wrote several years later that he and his wife had then "gladly consented to Him from Whom they had received her."
Benedictine Order
Anna entered Saint Benedict's MonasterySaint Benedict's Monastery
Saint Benedict's Monastery is a monastery of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The Sisters trace their roots to Saint Walburg Abbey in Eichstätt, in the Kingdom of Bavaria. Six of them emigrated to St. Cloud in 1857, moving to St. Joseph in 1863...
as a postulant
Postulant
A postulant was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a monastery or a convent, both before actual admission and for the length of time preceding their admission into the novitiate...
in 1915 and entered the novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
in 1918. She would be remembered as a quiet and unassuming nun who was fond of reading The Following of Christ by Geert Groote
Geert Groote
Gerard Groote , otherwise Gerrit or Gerhard Groet, in Latin Gerardus Magnus, was a Dutch preacher and founder of the Brethren of the Common Life and a key figure in the Devotio Moderna movement....
.
On June 17, 1918, she received the habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
in a ceremony conducted by Bishop Joseph Francis Busch
Joseph Francis Busch
Joseph Francis Busch was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lead and Bishop of Saint Cloud .-Biography:...
of St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
. According to Dr. James Kritzeck,
"This was the day which Anna had so eagerly awaited; in a simple, beautiful ceremony, she exchanged an elegant bridal gown for the severe religious habit. Her expression of happiness upon returning from the sacutary that day was termed 'angelic' by one eyewitness. A notable incident occurred after this ceremony. Anna rushed to tell her parents her new religious name, Sister Mary Annella. Her mother remarked, not unkindly, 'But there is no Saint Annella,' to which Sister Annella, concealing her slight disappointment at this reaction to the name by which she would henceforth be known, replied, 'Then I shall have to be the first one!'"
She took her final vows in 1922 and was assigned as a music teacher and organist to St. Mary's Convent in Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
.
Affliction
During the summer of 1923, Sister Annella noticed a small reddish brown patch on her arm which itched terribly. Despite attempts to quietly bear the disease, the spreading rash soon proved impossible to conceal and soon covered the majority of her body. Eventually, dermatologists at the Mayo ClinicMayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
diagnosed her with Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Pityriasis rubra pilaris refers to a group of chronic disorders characterized by reddish orange, scaling plaques and keratotic follicular papules...
.
Decline and Death
In 1924, Hubert and Emma Zervas received the permission of Mother Louise Walz, the Abbess of St. Benedict's, to care for their daughter at home. This in no way altered her status as a religious sister, as the Abbess remained carefully informed of Sister Annella's condition. After a brief remission of her symptoms, the disease returned full force in the summer of 1926. As a novenaNovena
In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...
was offered for her at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...
, Sister Annella's condition seemed to enter its final phase. According to her father,
"Lying on her left side, her head slightly bent forward, her eyes partly open, her mouth... drawn in a faint smile, her knees bent, the entire form presenting a picture like the stationsAfter a Roman Catholic requiem mass, her remains were transported to St. Benedict's and buried in the convent cemetery.Stations of the CrossStations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
where Our Lord lies prostrate under the cross, Sister Annella peacefully breathed her last. Death occurred at 3:15 AM on the Vigil of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saturday, August 16, 1926. Sister Annella had desired to die before Our Lady's feast, God willing. Our Lord had granted her wish."
Legacy
According to a 1989 newspaper article,"Within seven months of her burial at St. Benedict's Convent, Bishop Joseph BuschJoseph Francis BuschJoseph Francis Busch was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lead and Bishop of Saint Cloud .-Biography:...
was hearing rumors of cures and favors granted through Sister Annella's intercessionIntercessionIntercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
. He asked Father Alexius Hoffmann, OSB, St. John's Abbey, to collect information on "the circumstances of her sickness and death and the origin and progress of the cultus, if any, in her regard and any evidences there may be of miraculous intervention through her intercession." In April, 1927, Father Alexius reported to Bishop Busch that five cures had been reported. He also submitted a biographical sketch written by Sister Annella's parents. While there is no evidence that Bishop Busch took further steps in the case, devotion to Sister Annella spread through the efforts of her father and a priest from St. John's Abbey, Father Joseph Kreuter, O.S.B. While the policy of St. Benedict's Convent was to not promote canonization procedures for one of its own members, the sisters fulfilled requests for relics, memorial cards, and biographies.
According to Dr. James Kritzeck,
"A short life scetch of Sister Annella's life was written ...by the Reverend Joseph Kreuter, O.S.B., entitled An Apostle of Suffering in Our Day. This account first appeared in the Josephinum Weekly, published at that time in Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and a GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
translation, made by the author himself, appeared in Der WandererThe Wanderer (newspaper)The Wanderer is a lay Roman Catholic weekly newspaper published in St. Paul, Minnesota and distributed to a national market. It was founded by Joseph Matt on 7 October 1867...
, a German Catholic weekly published in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. The Grail, a monthly magazine of the Benedictine AbbeySt. Meinrad ArchabbeySaint Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 98 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world....
at Saint Meinrad, Indiana, reprinted the English article in July, 1928, and, to satisfy a large number of requests for copies, published it in booklet form in 1931. A German booklet, reprinted from Der Wanderer, was issued some time later, and there were also DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
translations. A translation into Singhalese, after appearing in a Catholic paper in Ceylon, appeared in booklet form. A French translation, of the same sketch, with a preface by the Very Rev. Canon Cyrille Labrecque of QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, was published by the Librairie d'Action Catholique in Quebec in 1945. A second edition of the English booklet, published by Saint John's AbbeySaint John's AbbeySaint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota is a Benedictine monastery affiliated with the American Cassinese Congregation. The Abbey was established following the arrival in the area of monks from Saint Vincent Abbey of Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1856. Saint John's is the second-largest...
Press, followed in 1946.
According to the Visitor, the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota. It was founded on September 22, 1889, out of territory that had been evangelized by the missionary priest Father Francis Xavier Pierz...
,
"...While the St. Paul Daily News exaggerated when it reported that "thousands" were visiting her grave, there were some pilgrims to the convent cemetery, and many of them took a handful of dirt from Sister Annella's grave for a souvenir. Interest in Sister Annella dwindled during the 1960s1960sThe 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, but she still has some fans. At least one of them, no one seems to know who, puts flowers on her grave regularly.
Urban Legend
According to "The Record," a newspaper published by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University,"Students who need a shoulder to cry on or a little advice can visit the St. Ben’s monastic graveyard. They may be fortunate enough to be greeted by the ghost of S. Annella Zervas. S. Annella belonged to the monastic community at St. Ben’s in the early 1900s. She was believed to be “very holy,” S. Owen said, and she was blessed with the ability to cure physical illness and ease restless minds. As the legend goes, her mother’s finger was infected and needed to be amputated, until she touched S. Annella’s neck. A few days later, any sign of disease vanished. Despite the young sister’s death in 1922 [sic](+), S. Annella has not left St. Ben’s. Her ghost is said to be seen in the graveyard from time to time as she counsels distressed Bennies as they pass by. Want to pay her a visit? If you’re lucky, you may see the little white cloud that hangs over her grave on some nights, announcing her presence."
Quotes
- "Resign yourself to the Holy Will of JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, our Heavenly Spouse, Whose infinite love will not permit Him to forsake those who place their hope and their trust always in him... Haven't we a wondrous lot to be thankful for! GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
has surely shown us every special favor and we must give all we can in return."
- "The time when I feel most confidence in prayer [is] after Holy Communion, when Jesus is so close that He hears the gentlest whispers and knows the unuttered prayers, and at the Elevation of the MassMassMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, when Christ prays for us Himself... I have known from experience that what we may ask for at these times we may be sure God has heard, and will grant what He sees best."
- "Yes, Lord, send me more pain, but give me strength to bear it."
- "God did not see fit to answer the Little Flower's prayer with a sudden cure. What He has in store for me, I do not know, but all He does is well, so there is no need to worry. God has given me the grace to be resigned, and I thank him heartily for this, but also for all else He has given me with my illness... I often wonder what great harm of body or of soul I may have suffered had not God given me this 'blessing in disguise'"
Further reading
- King, Brendan D., "The Apostle of Suffering: The Life and Death of Minnesota's Un-Canonized Saint," Catholic Family NewsCatholic Family NewsCatholic Family News is a Traditionalist Catholic monthly publication, edited by traditionalist Catholic journalist John Vennari, printed and published in the Western New York/Southern Ontario region...
, December 2008, pages 1, 23–26. - Kreuter, O.S.B., Very Reverend Joseph, "Sister M. Annella Zervas, O.S.B.; An Apostle of Suffering in Our Day," St. Meinrad ArchabbeySt. Meinrad ArchabbeySaint Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 98 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world....
, 1928. - Kritzeck, James, "Ticket for Eternity: The Life of Sister Annella Zervas, O.S.B.," St. John's Press, 1957.
External links
- http://cdm.csbsju.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISORESTMP=results.php&CISOVIEWTMP=item_viewer.php&CISOMODE=grid&CISOGRID=thumbnail,A,1;title,A,1;subjec,A,0;descri,200,0;none,A,0;20;relevancy,none,none,none,none&CISOBIB=title,A,1,N;subjec,A,0,N;descri,200,0,N;none,A,0,N;none,A,0,N;20;relevancy,none,none,none,none&CISOTHUMB=20%20(4x5);relevancy,none,none,none,none&CISOTITLE=20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOHIERA=20;subjec,title,none,none,none&CISOSUPPRESS=1&CISOTYPE=link&CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=title&CISOBOX1=&CISOOP2=exact&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOBOX2=&CISOOP3=exact&CISOFIELD3=descri&CISOBOX3=&CISOOP4=exact&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOBOX4=Annella+Zervas&c=exact&CISOROOT=allMentions of Annella Zervas in Vivarium], the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Digital Image Collection