Triggs Obituary Page
Mary and Cecilia Triggs were little girls when this family picture was taken in Spring Valley,
Minnesota.
Sister Mary Rita (Cecilia) Triggs
Sister Mary Rita (Cecilia) Triggs was born on August 27, 1905 to John and Frances O'Connor Triggs. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet in 1923 and made her final vows in 1929. She died Septtember 23, 1992 at Bethany Convent, St. Paul, Minnesota. Visitation and a Mass of Christian Burial were celebrated at Bethany on September 25; internment was in Resurrection Cemetery, St. Paul, on September 26. She is survived by her sister Sister Alma Rita (Mary Jane) Triggs and by her nieces and nephews
.
"I rejoiced because everyone said to me, "We will walk to the house of God."
I am now standing at your gates, O Jerusalem.
For the sake of my family and friends, I say, "Peace be within you." Psalm 121
Sister Mary Rita (Cecilia) Triggs said it herself, "I grew up very much loved. We had a very happy home." Love and happiness -- what wonderful gifts to accompany a person throughout life, gifts shared with family and friends along the way, gifts which continue to mature without diminishment. Being one of eleven children and one of only two girls, young Cecilia enjoyed still another gift -- a sense of humor that brought perspective not only to the good natured teasing inflicted by nine brothers but also to life itself.
Cecilia grew up on a farm close to Spring Valley, Minnesota. By the time she was ready for high school, her family had moved to Winona, where she met the School Sisters of Notre Dame. A few years later, she became acquainted with the Franciscan Sisters who ran St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. Young Cecilia always wanted to be a Catholic sister... and so it was that in 1923 the two sisters journeyed to St. Paul to join the Sisters of St. Joseph, a community suggested by their parish priest.
Sister Mary Rita received an excellent education in nursing -- she received her RN and Minnesota nursing license in 1928; ten years later her BA; and in 1941 her master's in nursing education. All of this equipped her for what was to be characterized as a "distinguished ministry in nursing." She taught classes in nursing education; she served as a director and supervintendent of nurses; she became a floor supervisor. She was tremendously influenced by Sisters of St. Joseph a generation or two older, whose lives established a professional community ministry: Sisters Jerome McCarthy, St. James Mulheron, Grace Aurelia (Gracie) Green, and Harriet Tillemans. Later, Sister Mary Rita worked as activities director for sisters at Bethany where she arranged for guest singers and dances, brought in travelogues... and served as director of many performances on Bethany's stage.
People will remember Sister Mary Rita's expertise in all that she did, they remember even more her tremendous compassion and love for people. Her ready smile really said it all, setting people at easte while they recognized that here was a woman who wanted to do all she could to make life easier and more comfortable for others. She was such a patient person, ever-willing to accompany those who needed her companionship.
This was poignantly true in Sister Mary Rita's relationship with her only dear sister over the past few years. Seeing the two of them together was so beautiful -- two women, obviously so concerned about each other; two women, so glad to be with each other; two women so absolutely delighted to see you. In the end it was wthe radiant, loving, welcoming smile that continued to characterize Sister Mary Rita's life.
God's gifts continue to shine.
Sister Alma Rita (Mary Jane)Triggs
Visitation and a Mass of Christian Burial were held for Sister Alma Rita at Bethany on January 28, 1993; she was buried in Resurrection Cemetery on the same day next to her beloved sister. She is survived by nieces and nephews.
Lift up your eyes, look about:
You will see and shine with joy, your heart will be thrilled,
You will possess the wealth of all families. Isaiah 66
We can only imagine the happiness as Sister Alma Rita and Sister Mary Rita were reunited in the mystery of God's eternal life. Sister Alma Rita died peacefully on January 15, 1993 at Bethany Convent, not quite four months following the death of her beloved sister. In the days and weeks following Mary Rita's death, our hearts ached as we heard Alma Rita walking Bethany's halls, knocking on doors asking, "Mary, are you there? Mary, are you coming?" Their conversations never ended, it seemed and within the last two weeks one of Bethany's nurses overheard Alma Rita telling Mary Rita, "I'll be with you in a little while." Certainly, we can only rejoice with Sister Alma Rita's death.
She was born on December 8, 1903, in Spring Valley, Minnesota, to John and Bridget O'Connor Triggs and was bapized Mary Jane in the community's Catholic Church of St. Ignatius. Following her graduation from Cathedral High School, Winona, Mary Jane and her sister Cecilia (Sister Mary Rita) left home in 1923 to join the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Paul. Sister Alma Rita was assigned to education and in 1925 began the first of 45 years as a seventh and eighth grade teacher coupled, at times, with responsibilities as a principal. Following her "retirement" from education in 1970, Sister Alma Rita managed to contribute 12 more years in elementary schools as a tutor and library aide.
So many have said Sister Alma Rita was a "superb teacher and principal" and they contribute this to her basic respect for people. Teachers and students learned the "new math" from her; she had a "command of the King's English;" she actually enjoyed having students work on her nice clean blackboards before school even began in the morning; she had a love for art and music that encouraged the creativity of children; she had a sense of perspective and humor about life that convinced others that difficulties were often not as big as they seemed.
Above all, there was a sense of innate joy, gentleness and graciousness about Sister Alma Rita -- and perhaps they were family traits, as Sister Mary Rita shared them, too. We can almost hear Alma Rita saying, "Well, thank you very much" or "You'll come again, won't you?" Perhaps the latter were the words she said over and over again in faith to her beloved sister... and, as we all know, Sister Mary Rita did come again:
"They saw one another and their hearts were filled with joy."
Click on the cross to read the story of the O'Connor immigration from Ireland.
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