2007 Assembly Joint Resolution 112
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: commending the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Whereas, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes was founded in 1858 in the Village of Barton, Wisconsin, by Father Casper Rehrl to educate the children of immigrant families, marking the beginning of the congregation's commitment to Catholic education and faith formation which endures to this day; and
Whereas, Sister Mary Agnes Hazotte was elected the congregation's first general superior when she was only 17 years old and served in this position for 40 years; and
Whereas, under her courageous and pioneering leadership, the congregation grew and flourished, moving from Barton to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1870, to provide greater educational and ministerial opportunities for the sisters; and
Whereas, in 1896, the congregation founded St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, which has evolved into Agnesian HealthCare, a healthcare system that presently employs 2,800 people, contributing over $167 million to the local economy in annual salaries and benefits and providing over $22 million in community benefits to the underinsured in the Fond du Lac area; and
Whereas, in 1936, the congregation founded Marian College, which now educates 3,000 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students, employs 425 faculty and staff for an additional $17.4 million to the local economy each year in salaries and benefits, and provides $7.5 million in annual financial aid to its students; and
Whereas, through generous gifts of over $5.5 million, the college also funds the Working Families Grant, which provides 44 single parents with dependent children an opportunity to graduate from college and 33 students the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate degree; and
Whereas, in 1939, the congregation established St. Clare Hospital in Monroe, Wisconsin, which, through a merger in 1992 with the Monroe Clinic, has become a major rural health care provider in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois and employs 1,065 employees, contributing over $74 million to the local economy in annual salaries and benefits; and
Whereas, in 1945, the congregation began their Latin American missions and are committed to social justice for people in Nicaragua, Honduras, and all of Latin America; and
Whereas, the congregation is committed to social justice through its work in promoting peace and nonviolence, furthering the role of women, working against the trafficking of women and children, supporting efforts to celebrate diversity, sponsoring programs to educate citizens on foreign policy through its work at the United Nations, and taking an active role in the legislative process by being a voice for the poor and marginalized in our society; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature congratulate the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes on the sesquicentennial of the congregation's founding; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide a copy of this joint resolution to Sister Joann Sambs, General Superior of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
