Help us remember our Sisters by sharing a story about a Sister who touched your life, or making a gift in their honor.
Mary Edna Wagner, seventh of the nine children of George and Mary Rose Knodle Wagner, was born in Emmitsburg, Md. on Dec. 4, 1923. Named Mary in honor of her mother, she was baptized and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1923. Mary Edna wrote in her autobiography, “When I was old enough, I started school at St. Mary’s School, Hagerstown, Md.” She was taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 12 years of grammar and high school at St. Mary’s, graduating in 1943.
Sister Madeleine was a truly wonderful person. She had a joyful spirit, with a smile and a kind word for everyone. Friendship and love of life were exemplified in her knack for making friends and keeping them. She could make each one feel welcomed and valued. She met the needs of others when and where she could and enjoyed the simple things in life.
In death, we say our ultimate human yes to God. Trusting in God’s power to bring us to the fullness of life, we conclude our earthly life with an act of worship: in the action of death we proclaim God as God, and ourselves as God’s creatures. We are called by God and sent by the community; we go in joy!
- You Are Sent, Constitution of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
