Six Decades of Faithful Presence and Compassionate Care
For Sister Josephine Pelster, the call to religious life began in the quiet rhythms of family, faith, and the natural beauty of her childhood home. She grew up on what her father called a “stump ranch,” land that had been logged before her family settled there. “It was a good place to grow up, very close to nature,” she recalls. As the fifth of nine children, she experienced early the importance of community, connection, and shared life. These values she learned as a child would later shape her vocation. Faith was woven deeply into family life. Each day, her mother prayed intentionally for her children to pursue religious vocations.
“My mom, each day, would pray that one of us six girls could be a Sister,” Sister Josephine says. “It was a great honor to the family to be a Sister or Priest.”
Those prayers planted seeds that would grow steadily in in Sr. Josephine’s heart. Her first personal encounter with the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon left a lasting impression. The Sisters came each summer to teach religious education, and Sister Josephine saw them filled with both devotion and joy. “I saw firsthand that religious life was more than being in church and praying,” she said. “Those Sisters showed me that it was about joy, about living and enjoying life. That really influenced me.”
Even at a young age, Sr. Josephine sensed God’s gentle invitation. “I was probably about six years old when I first thought about being a Sister,” she remembers. “But it was a secret.” Through those early years, that quiet awareness grew into clarity. When she eventually came to live and discern with the Sisters, she experienced a deep sense of belonging. “Being here, I just felt like I belonged here,” she says. “There was a sense of peace, feeling joy, a welcoming calm. Spending time reading and praying Scripture was very nourishing, and I just wanted more of it.”
That sense of belonging became the foundation for six decades of faithful service.
Sister Josephine’s ministry took shape through nursing, where she served for 30 years at Maryville. There, she cared for residents with skill, compassion, and reverence. She accompanied them through the joys and challenges of aging. “I found it to be so much more than passing medicines and making phone calls to the doctors,” she said. “It is really journeying with the person through the rest of their life.” Reflecting on her years at Maryville, she adds, “I probably worked at Maryville because I wanted to figure out how to ‘be’, as my parents got older and as they passed away, I wanted to understand how people go through this and still keep a sense of balance in their life?”
Near the end of her nursing career, she realized she received a lot of energy and joy from just being with people at their bedside. She saw the health benefits of being present with people. How that helped people beyond treatments and medications. This led her to chaplaincy, where she spent 20 years as the Director of Spiritual Care. Sr. Josephine found joy in studying theology and preparing to be a chaplain. It was a natural fit that brought satisfaction, even through the long hours studying.
“I really felt called to chaplaincy,” Sr. Josephine said. “I found joy and satisfaction being present with people and praying with them.”
A defining moment in her spiritual journey came after 27 years in the convent, when she attended a 36-day silent Ignatian retreat. “It was all about you and God praying scripture,” she recalls. “There was just something very calming and joyful about just praying.”
Later, Sr. Josephine returned to direct that same retreat, an experience she calls “one of the blessings of my life.” Those years of nursing, chaplaincy, and retreat work shaped a quiet art of presence. She explains, “Just to be with a person, hear spiritually how they are worshiping, to learn who their God is. Each resident is so wonderfully unique.” she said.
Grief often surfaces unexpectedly, Sr. Josephine noted. Her experiences helped her sense those unique needs in each resident. “Some residents need structured prayer; others need someone to just journey with them through whatever’s happening in their life,” she said. “Being there when someone says, ‘Oh, I really miss my mom. It’s been so long,’ opens the door to deeper healing.”
Now, even in retirement, she continues to volunteer regularly at Maryville. “It’s different, but it’s very fulfilling to still be there and to be present with people and their families.”
This year, Sister Josephine celebrates her 60th Jubilee during the historic milestone of the 140th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. “This jubilee is filled with gratitude. It is 60 years of living religious life, being supported, challenged, and nurtured by the Community,” she says.
Marking 140 years invites both remembrance and renewal. Sr. Josephine says, “Looking back at the history of our community and how we have changed over these 140 years, it’s a long time and we are still here, still present.”
From sisters serving in parishes and schools to many now gathered at the Motherhouse, the mission has evolved, but the spirit remains the same. For Sister Josephine, this moment is both personal and communal. It is a time to praise God for His goodness to each of us.
Sr. Josephine’s life stands as a testament to the quiet power of faithfulness. Through decades of ministry, as a nurse, spiritual caregiver, retreat director, and prayerful presence, Sister Josephine has brought comfort, hope, and peace to countless lives. As the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon celebrate 140 years of legacy, her Jubilee is both a personal milestone and a reflection of that living tradition, a life shaped by prayer, sustained by community, and offered in loving service to God and others.
