Sister Ann Clemens

FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY 

Cecelia Helen Clemens (Sister Ann Clemens)
7th of 11 children of Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara Nigon
Born: Jan 25, 1908, Cascade Township, Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Died: Nov 1, 2003 (age 95), Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; acute leukemia
Buried: Nov 5, 2003, Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Vocation: Sisterhood in 1929; Catholic Nun, Sisters of St. Francis
Education: BSE in Elementary Education; Bachelor of Arts in History in 1959 at College of Teresa in Winona
Occupation: Educator (teacher, educator, principal, religious superior); Assisi Heights bursar/professional financial administrator, and seamstress

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Timeline and Records

Spellings and information in the census and other records
are retained as in the original documents.
(italicized clarifications or corrections are in parentheses)

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Apr 19, 1898: Marriage of Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens & Barbara Nigon, the parents of Cecelia Clemens, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

00. (stillborn twins, female and male)
1898–1898
1. Mary Ann Clemens
1899–1994
2. Elizabeth Barbara Clemens
1900–1996
3. Amelia Rose “Mele” Clemens
1902–1972
4. Dorothy Helen Clemens
1903–1903 (died at 4 months)
5. Aloysius Michael “Louie” Clemens
1904–1929
6. Carl John Clemens
1905–1986
7. Cecelia Helen Clemens (Sister Ann Clemens)
1908–2003
8. Agnes Catherine Clemens
1909–2005
9. Anna Frances Clemens
1911–1995
10. Lawrence Matthew Clemens
1912–1978
11. Joseph William “Joe” Clemens
1914–2010

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Jan 25, 1908: Birth of Cecelia Helen Clemens, 7th of 11 children of Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara Nigon, on the family farm in Cascade Township, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

abt Apr or May, 1908: Helen Reiland and Cecelia Clemens:

abt Sep 1909: sisters: Agnes Catherine Clemens (b. Jun 27, 1909), Cecelia Helen Clemens (b. Jan 25, 1908)

Apr 27, 1910: U.S. Federal Census, Cascade, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:
Name Mathew Clemmons (Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens)
[Mathew Clemens]
Age in 1910 36
Birth Date 1874
Birthplace Germany
Home in 1910 Cascade, Olmsted, Minnesota
Race White
Gender Male
Immigration Year 1881
Relation to Head of House Head
Marital Status Married
Father’s Birthplace Germany
Mother’s Birthplace Germany
Native Tongue English
Occupation Farmer
Industry General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other Employer
Home Owned or Rented Own
Home Free or Mortgaged Free
Farm or House Farm
Naturalization Status Naturalized
Able to read Yes
Able to Write Yes
Years Married 12
Enumerated Year 1910
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship:
Mathew Clemmons Age 36, Head, Married 1, 12 years, born Germany (Minnesota), father born Germany, mother born Germany (Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens)
Barbara Clemmons Age 36, Wife, Married 1, 12 years, born Minnesota (Germany), father born Minnesota (Germany), mother born Germany (Barbara (Nigon) Clemens)
Mary Clemmons Age 10, Daughter, born Minnesota (Germany), father born Germany, mother born Germany (Mary Clemens, born Oct 29, 1899)
Elizabeth Clemmons Age 9, Daughter, born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Elizabeth Barbara Clemens, born Oct 15, 1900)
Amelia Clemmons Age 8, Daughter, born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Amelia Rose Clemens, born Jan 17, 1902)
Alvinia Clemmons Age 6, Daughter (Son), born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Aloysius Michael Clemens, born May 5, 1904)
Charles J Clemmons Age 4, Son, born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Carl John Clemens, born Sep 25, 1905)
Celia H Clemmons Age 2, Daughter, born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Cecelia Helen Clemens born, Jan 25, 1908)
Agness C Clemmons, Age 0, Daughter, born Minnesota, father born Germany (Minnesota), mother born Germany (Agnes Catherine Clemens, born Jun 27, 1909)
Sebastian Bosneyk Age 26, Hired Man, born Austria, father born Austria, mother born Austria, farmer laborer on general farm

circa 1911: Cecelia’s sister, Agnes & Cecelia Clemens (abt age 3):

Fall of 1912: Clemens’ farm in Cascade Township, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:

Mathew Clemens, Sr., Matt Sylvester Clemens (Grandpa), mid-rear is Jane Nigon (Elizabeth Susanna “Jane” Nigon, Grandma’s youngest sister), the nine children (Joe, the youngest, was not yet born), Barbara (Nigon) Clemens (Grandma) holding Lawrence, Anna Mary (Reiland) Clemens at far right (Grandpa’s mother)

abt 1914: Clemens siblings, l-r: Carl, Anna, Agnes, Amelia (tallest girl), Lawrence, Aloysius, Cecelia (far right in dark dress)

Everyone had their place at the table and everyone had good table manners. As she was left-handed, Cecelia sat on the end next to Carl. She was his pet. He called her “Chub” and he got all her desserts. “Now Chub, if you don’t want your ice cream, I’ll eat it.” She thought he was pretty grand. When Carl left home, she stepped into his shoes with the chores and the milking.

1917: Clemens sisters: Anna, Agnes, and Cecelia:

Jan 12, 1920: U.S. Federal Census, Cascade, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:
Clemens, Mathew S: head, male, white, owns, age 45, born Minnesota, father born Germany, mother born Germany, farmer, general farming
Clemens Barbara: wife, female, white, age 46, born Germany, father born Germany, mother born Germany, year immigrated 1881, year naturalized 1890
Clemens Mary A: daughter, female, white, age 20, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany
Clemens Elizabeth Z: daughter, female, white, age 19, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany (Elizabeth A.Clemens)
Clemens Amelia R: daughter, female, white, age 18, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany
Clemens Aloysius M: son, white, age 15, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany
Clemens Charles J: son, female, white, age 14, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany (Carl John Clemens)
Clemens Celia H: daughter, female, white, age 12, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany (Cecelia Helen Clemens)
Clemens Agnes C: daughter, female, white, age 10, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany (Agnes Catherine Clemens )
Clemens Laurence M: son, male, white, age 7, born Minnesota, father born Minnesota, mother born Germany
Clemens Joseph W: son, male, white, age 5, born Minnesota, father born Germany, mother born Germany

Apr 28, 1923: Silver (25th) Wedding Anniversary of Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens & Barbara Nigon, parents of Cecelia Helen Clemens

Apr 28, 1923: Mathew & Barbara Clemens family: Amelia, Lawrence, Barbara (mother), Mary, Agnes, Aloysius, Cecelia (in middle, white dress), Joe (young boy in front), Matt (father), Elizabeth, Anna, and Carl

Apr 28, 1923: Clemens and Nigon cousins on the family farm outside of Rochester:

Slightly different photo with all present identified:


Note: #37 (infant Clair Nigon) is in the arms of #1 (Mary (Clemens) Wallerich)

circa 1926: Clemens sisters: Anna (abt 15), Agnes (abt 17), Cecelia (abt 18):

1927: U.S. City Directory, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota (pg 111):
Name Cecelia Clemens
Residence Year 1927
Student at St. John’s High School
Street Address R F D No 1
Residence Place Rochester, Minnesota
Occupation Student
Publication Title Rochester, Minnesota, City Directory, 1927

1927: Cecelia Helen Clemens graduates from St. John’s High School, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

Nov 22, 1927: Marriage of Patrick “Pat” Conway, II & Amelia Rose “Mele” Clemens, the sister of Cecelia Helen Clemens, in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; St. John’s Catholic Church

Nov 1927: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:
The bride was gowned in white satin with trimmings of white silk lace and wore white kid slippers. Her veil was of white tulle held in place by a wreath of intertwined orange blossoms and pearls. The bride’s attendant, Cecelia, wore a dress of powder blue crepe with a matching hat.
The bride carried a bouquet of pompom chrysanthemums and swansonia, and the bridesmaid a bouquet of butterfly roses. John Conway, the brother of the groom, acted as best man.
After the ceremony a three-course wedding breakfast was served to sixty guests at the home of the bride’s parents.
After a wedding trip, Mr. and Mrs. Conway will reside on a farm eight miles west of the city. The bride is a graduate of St. John’s High School and has been employed in the John E. McGovern insurance office. The groom has been engaged in farming west of the city.

Wedding: John Conway, Patrick Conway & Amelia (Clemens) Conway, Cecelia Clemens:

AS I WAS TOLD: Graduating from St. John’s in 1927, Cecelia entered the novitiate, wanting to join the convent, but she honored her mother’s request to wait a year. “Will you stay home until Agnes gets out of school?”

Standing side-by-side in the kitchen washing dishes with Amelia and discussing what Saint’s name would be assigned to her, Amelia worriedly asked, “What if you get Sister Kundegunda?” Both were relieved when Sister Ann was the name chosen for her, and another girl was stuck with Sister Kundegunda. Cecelia fared well in her new surroundings, although she found the food unusual, nothing like home-cooked farm fare. “The first time I had canned peas, I was so amazed that every pea was the same size.”

Sep 8, 1928: Cecelia Helen Clemens is admitted to St. Teresa College in Wiwona from St. John Parish in Rochester

Jun 28, 1929: Cecelia Helen Clemens joined the Sisters of St. Francis as novitiate Sister Ann Clemens, receiving her habit, in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

Jun 28, 1929: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota (pg 5):
Note: Sister Ann is mentioned 14 lines up from the bottom

Jun 28, 1930: Sister Ann Clemens made her first vows at the Motherhouse in Rochester

1930: Sister Ann began her teaching ministry as a 6th and 8th grade teacher at St. Priscilla Parish in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, where she remained for nine years.

3545 Nora Ave, Chicago, Illinois, as a private residence today:

Jun 18, 1934: Sister Ann made her perpetual vows as a Catholic Nun in the Order of St. Francis

1936: Sister Ann with her parents, Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara (Nigon) Clemens

Nov 8, 1937: Death of Barbara (Nigon) Clemens (age 64), 1st of 13 children of Nicholas Nigon & Barbara Leinen, wife of Mathew Sylvester Clemens, and mother of Sister Ann Clemens, in Pepin Township, Wabasha Co., Minnesota; of a stroke

Nov 8, 1937: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota (pg 5):

Nov 1937: Burial of Barbara (Nigon) Clemens, at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; Section CC 30 13

Nov 1937: Mathew Sylvester Clemens with his daughter Sister Ann (Cecelia Helen Clemens) at Barbara’s funeral:

abt 1937: Clemens sisters: Agnes Catherine (Clemens) Hauser, Elizabeth Barbara Clemens, Anna Frances (Clemens) Walsh, Mary Ann (Clemens) Wallerich, Sister Ann Clemens, Amelia Rose “Mele” (Clemens) Conway (possibly taken at the time of their mother’s funeral)

1939: Sister Ann taught 8th grade and became principal (Mother Superior) at St. Joseph School in Winona, Minnesota, and remained in that position until 1945.

Summer of 1941: Clemens kin, Minnesota:


1. Frank Peter Wallerich 1890–1953
2. Margaret Nigon (cousin) 1892–1992
(was caring for her sister’s children, Don & Betty Kleist)
3. Annie Schabo? 1869–1962
4. Joseph William “Joe” Clemens 1914–2010
5. William Francis “Bill” Hauser 1913–1996
6. Amelia Rose (Clemens) Conway 1902–1972
7. Betty Rose 1906–1994
(lifelong friend of Elizabeth Barbara Clemens)
8. Joseph Matthew “Joe” Wallerich 1926–2018
(son of Mary & Frank Wallerich)
9. Robert Michael “Bob” Wallerich 1930–2022
(son of Mary & Frank Wallerich)
10. Mary Ann (Clemens) Wallerich 1899–1994
(married to Frank Peter Wallerich)
11. Sister Ann Clemens 1908–2003
12. Donald F. Kleist 1928–2007
(cousin, son of Elizabeth “Jane” Nigon & Clarence Kleist)
13. Mathew “Matt” Clemens 1874–1947
(father of the clan)
14. Agnes Catherine (Clemens) Hauser 1909–2005
(married to William Francis “Bill” Hauser)
15. Elizabeth Barbara Clemens 1900–1996
16. Norbert John Wallerich 1930–living
(son of Mary & Frank Wallerich)
17. Barbara Ann Hauser 1939–1986
(daughter of Agnes & Bill Hauser)
18. Elizabeth Margaret “Betty” Kleist 1930–1962
(cousin, daughter of Elizabeth “Jane” Nigon & Clarence Kleist)
19. Francis Carl Wallerich 1934–2017
(son of Mary & Frank Wallerich)
20. Richard Francis “Dick” Hauser 1932–2024
(son of Agnes & Bill Hauser)

abt 1942: Barbara Ann Hauser (abt age 3), 2nd of 3 children of William Francis “Bill” Hauser & Agnes Catherine Clemens. (The habits for Barbara and her doll were made by Sister Ann, Barbara’s mother’s sister)

1945: Sister Ann transfers to Columbus Grade School in Austin, where she teaches grades 7th and 8th, and is the Principal from 1945 to 1946.

1946: Sister Ann attended CST (St. Teresa College) from 1946 to 1949, working on her degree while also serving as Mistress of Postulants.

Mar 30, 1947: Death of Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens (age 73), husband of Barbara Nigon, and father of Sister Ann (Cecelia Helen Clemens), at the Colonial Hospital during surgery for throat cancer, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; bronchopneumonia

Apr 2, 1947: Burial of Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; Section CC 30 14

May 27, 1949: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota (pg 19):
Sister Ann Clemens graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Saint Teresa:

1953-1958: Sister Ann transferred to Saint Mary’s in Sleepy Eye, Brown Co., Minnesota, where she was the Principal

Clemens and Gregoire cousins in the priesthood and sisterhood:

Sister Loyala (Mary Grace Gregoire), Father Gregoire (John Baptiste Gregoire), their mother, Anna Mary (Clemens) Gregoire, Sister Prosper (Grace Magdalen Gregoire), Sister Ann Clemens (Cecelia Helen Clemens) 

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Anna Mary Clemens
5th of 7 children of Peter Clemens & Maria “Mary” Reiland
Born: Sep 10, 1862, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Died: Feb 24, 1949 (age 85), Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Buried: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Married: Sep 10, 1883, John Baptiste Gregoire, Red Wing, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Four children:
1. John Baptiste Gregoire (Catholic priest, Monsignor)
1st of 4 children of Jean/John Baptiste Gregoire & Gertrude Huberty
Born: Nov 6, 1884, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Died: Dec 1, 1958 (age 74), Winona, Winona Co., Minnesota
Buried: Saint Marys Cemetery, Winona, Winona Co., Minnesota
Ordained: Jun 1, 1912
2. Glen George Gregoire
1886–1917
3. Grace Gregoire (Sister Loyola)
3rd of 4 children of Jean/John Baptiste Gregoire & Gertrude Huberty
Born: Feb 16, 1890, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Died: May 8, 1972 (age 82) Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Rochester, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Vocation: Sisters of St. Francis
Occupation: Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the College of St. Theresa
4. Walter Anthony Nicholas Gregoire
1894–1948

Grace Magdalen Gregoire (a twin) (Sister Mary Prosper)
8th 11 children of Michael Henry Gregoire & Anna Smith
Born: Jun 25, 1895, Bellechester, Goodhue Co., Minnesota
Died: Jun 10, 1965 (age 69)
Buried: Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; Sec C 4 44
Vocation: Sisters of St. Francis

Cecelia Helen Clemens (Sister Ann Clemens)
7th of 11 children of Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara Nigon
Born: Jan 25, 1908, Cascade Township, Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Died: Nov 1, 2003 (age 95), Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; acute leukemia
Buried: Nov 5, 2003, Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota
Vocation: Sisters of St. Francis; Sisterhood in 1929
Occupation: Educator (teacher, educator, principal, religious superior)

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1955: Sister Ann Clemens celebrates her Silver Jubilee (25 years)

1955: The Sisters of St Francis moved from the original Motherhouse to the newly completed Assisi Heights

Assisi Heights is the motherhouse of the Sisters of St Francis. It was built from 1952 to 1955 to resemble the Franciscan convent in Assisi, Italy, home of the nuns’ patron saint. It sits atop a hill on 100 acres of land.
The Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women founded in 1877. The spacious buildings can house 600 sisters, serves as their home, a center for worship, and includes grounds designed with a respect for nature and the environment.

1958-1960: Sister Ann Clemens, teacher of Home Economics at Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth, Scioto Co., Ohio

Note: Notre Dame is a private Roman Catholic high school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Ohio.

1960-1962: Sister Ann transferred to Cotter Schools (a Roman Catholic School) in Winona, Minnesota, where she taught home economics

1962-1971: Sister Ann transferred to Sacred Heart in Waseca, Minnesota (Diocese of Winona, Rochester), as a teacher of home economics and remained there until the school closed in 1971

Jun 1966: Sister Ann on the school steps of Sacred Heart in Waseca:

1971: Sister Ann retired to Assisi Heights, a residence for the Sisters of Saint Francis, in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

1971: Minnesota: Marie Clemens (Carl’s wife), Aunt Teresa (Nigon) Loundagin, Sister Ann, Aunt Margaret Nigon, Carl Clemens, Anna (Clemens) Walsh, Elizabeth Clemens 

1974: Sister Ann becomes Bursar at Assisi Heights and holds that position through 1982

1976: Clemens reunion siblings & spouses: Marie (McCartney) Clemens, Elizabeth Clemens, Carl Clemens, Mary (Clemens) Wallerich, Lawrence & Pearl Clemens, Anna (Clemens) Walsh, Betty (McGeary) Clemens, Sister Ann, Joe Clemens; at Hok-si-la City Park, Lake City, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

1976: Clemens siblings, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:
Siblings: Elizabeth Clemens, Carl Clemens, Mary (Clemens) Wallerich, Sister Ann, Lawrence Clemens, Anna (Clemens) Walsh, Joe Clemens; at Hok-si-la City Park, Lake City, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

And this is how they did photos then… Poloraid cameras:
Sister Ann, Elizabeth, Lawrence, Marie (Carl’s wife), Mary, Carl, and Joe:

Jun 28, 1980: Sister Ann celebrates her Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary) at Assisi Heights, commemorating 50 years of devotion, in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

Jun 28, 1980: Clemens reunion for Sister Ann’s Jubilee: Lake City, Goodhue Co., Minnesota: Mary (Clemens) Wallerich, Carl Clemens, Anna (Clemens) Walsh, Sister Ann, Joe Clemens, Elizabeth Clemens, Agnes (Clemens) Hauser

1980s: Sister Ann visiting her brother, Carl, and his children, Cathy (Clemens) Sevenau and Gordon Clemens, at Carl’s home in Santa Rosa, California

1984: Sister Ann Clemens became sewing room co-ordinator at Assisi Heights

Aug 4, 1985: Peace Ribbon event, Washington D.C., Sister Ann standing in center:

In August 1985, the Peace Ribbon event was held in Washington, DC. Here are Ss. Antonia Rostomily, Ann Clemens, Romaine Boch, and Nicholas Jahner with a few of the panels that Rochester Franciscans contributed to help create the 18-mile-long ribbon (eventually comprised of 27,000 panels).
Source: https://www.facebook.com/rochesterfranciscans

The Ribbon International is a United Nations non-governmental organization that created a large decorated cloth promoting nuclear disarmament and care and protection of the earth. In an event held on August 4, 1985, panels were connected in an 18-mile long strip stretching from the Pentagon into Washington D.C. The event was covered in the film The Ribbon Starts Here by Nigel Noble (1988). Individual sections of the Ribbon are exhibited internationally.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ribbon_International

Sister Ann with her St. Francis needlepoint:

1988: Sister Ann Clemens: Autobiography (7 pages, page 1 is missing):

1989: Anna (Clemens) Walsh and Sister Ann, visiting their sister Elizabeth Clemens in Florida

1990: Sister Ann celebrates her Diamond Jubilee (60th year) at Assisi Heights

1994: Sister Ann is a member of Assisi Heights Ministries

Aug 30, 1998: Visit to Assisi Heights: Rita & Joe Clemens, Elizabeth “Liz” (Clemens) Duchi (niece), Sister Ann Clemens:

2001: “Make a Difference” tribute to Sister Ann:

Dec 2002: Sister Ann, Assisi Heights sewing room:

Dec 30, 2002: Retirement of Sister Ann Clemens
Note: Until her retirement, Sister Ann, talented with needles and thread, spent hours as coordinator in the sewing department, working with a group making the voluminous drapes covering the 1,215 Assisi Heights windows.

Drape fabric and colors:

Jun 14, 2003: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota (pg 39):

Father Gerald Conway with his aunt, Sister Ann:

Nov 1, 2003: Death of Sister Ann Clemens (Cecelia Helen Clemens) (age 95), 7th of 11 children of Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara Nigon, at the Assisi Heights Medical Care Center in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota; of acute leukemia

Nov 1, 2003: Minnesota Death Index:
Name Sr Ann Clemens
Gender Female
Marital Status Never Married (Single)
Death Age 95
Record Type Burial
Birth Date 25 Jan 1908
Birth Place Rochester, Minnesota
Inferred Residence Date Abt 2003
Residence Place Rochester, Olmsted, Minnesota
Occupation Educator
Education 4 Years College
Industry or Location Education
Death Date 1 Nov 2003
Death Place Rochester, Olmsted, Minnesota
Death Registration Date 2003
Burial Date 5 Nov 2003
Cemetery Calvary Cemetery
Burial Place Rochester, Minnesota
Mother’s Maiden Name Nigon
Informant Mayo Clinic
Informant Relation Hospital Records
Father Matthew Clemens (Mathew Sylvester Clemens)
Mother Barbara Nigon
Certificate Number 2003-Mn-034811

Nov 3, 2003: Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota:
Sister Ann Clemens – Rochester
ROCHESTER – A funeral Mass for Sister Ann Clemens will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights, with her nephew, the Rev. Gerald Conway officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.

Sister Ann, 95, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, who served as an educator, died Saturday at Assisi Heights.

Cecilia Helen Clemens was born Jan. 25, 1908 in Rochester and entered the Franciscan Congregation in 1928 from St. John Parish. She made profession of vows in 1930 and began her teaching ministry at St. Priscilla Parish in Chicago. For most of the next 30 years she served as a teacher, principal and religious superior, including in Austin, Winona, Chatfield, Sleepy Eye, Owatonna and Waseca, Minn., and Portsmouth, Ohio. She served as postulant mistress and assistant novice mistress from 1946 to 1949. In 1971 she became a member of the Assisi Heights team, serving as bursar for 10 years, assisting in the infirmary, working as sewing room coordinator and continuing in the sewing department until her retirement in 2002. She celebrated her diamond jubilee in 1990.

Survivors include her Franciscan Community; a brother, Joseph Clemens of Rochester; and a sister Agnes Hauser of Whittier, Calif.

Tribute to Sister Ann Clemens from Assisi Heights:

Nov 5, 2003: Burial of Sister Ann at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, Olmsted Co., Minnesota

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Assisi Heights

“Built in Romanesque style and modeled after Italy’s Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, this 100-acre center sits atop a high hill, allowing it to keep a watchful eye on Rochester’s goings-on. Founded in the 1870s by members of the Franciscan Order, Assisi Heights is home to the convent of the Sisters of St. Francis, a conference center, a healing center, and offices for Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian officials. The grounds feature beautifully manicured gardens and the main buildings are adorned with beautiful stained glass windows imported from Germany.”

Rochester Historical Landmark Series: Assisi Heights
Assisi Heights, modeled after the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, was dedicated as the motherhouse for the Sisters of Saint Francis on October 4, 1955. The Sisters of Saint Francis have been a part of the history of Rochester since the late 1870s, when they arrived in the area. Not too long afterward, a devastating tornado hit the area in 1883. In response to the catastrophe, Mother Alfred Moes spearheaded the building of St. Marys Hospital after she persuaded Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his sons to serve as primary physicians. The rest is a fascinating history. St. Marys Hospital is now a part of Mayo Clinic, and the Sisters still have an important presence on the campus.

The motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Francis comprises seven distinct units: Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, administration center, college section, Novitiate and Postulancy, Sisters infirmary, guest center and the retreat facilities.

When first built in 1955, Assisi Heights was a 1,000-bed facility, which housed an infirmary, a retirement home for aging sisters, a school for novices (those preparing to take the vows), common rooms, cafeterias, kitchens, a chapel, a sanctuary, laundry, garage, power plant, and offices. Today, it is a home for retired sisters, and a spiritual center that hosts retreats, spiritual discussions, and classes throughout the year.
Source: https://rochesterlocal.com/mom/rochester-historical-landmark-series-assisi-heights/

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2025: Researched and compiled by Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau
Photos and record sources: the photo album of Sister Ann Clemens (my father’s sister), Father Gerald Conway (my cousin), Gordon Lawrence Clemens (my brother), and the Congregational Archives of the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota, Assisi Heights (via S. Marisa). I stand on their shoulders. They were and are the keepers of the lines and the repositories of photos and records. Without them, these Clemens genealogy posts would not have been nearly as interesting and complete, especially this one.

Father Gerald and his aunt, Sister Ann

Sep 2003: Sister Ann and her nephew Gordon, her brother Carl’s son

Direct line of Catherine and Gordon:
Peter Clemens & Maria Mary Reding (gg-grandparents)
Nicholas/Nikolas Nigon & Barbara Leinen (gg-grandparents)
Mathias “Mathew” Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland (great-grandparents)
Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens & Barbara Nigon (grandparents)
Carl John Clemens (brother of Sister Ann Clemens) & Noreen Ellen Chatfield (parents)

Note: The cemetery headstone photos from Find A Grave contained herein are the property of those who photographed them.