“If the world takes something from us on the one hand, God will give us something on the other.”
St. Louise de Marillac
Sister of Charity Barbara Hagedorn Celebrates Diamond Jubilee
When Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Barbara Hagedorn was a senior at Seton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, her plans for the future suddenly began to change.
“Throughout that year I felt a ‘nudging’ that I could not ignore,” she recalled while looking back on 60 years with the Community. “I had no thoughts or plans to become a Sister, but my plans were not God’s.”
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Sister Barb went to St. William School and Seton High School. Upon graduating, she entered the Community on Aug. 28, 1966, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s birthday. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of Mount St. Joseph (now Mount St. Joseph University) in Cincinnati, and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Dayton (Ohio), she began her ministry in education. She taught at Catholic Central in Cincinnati from 1970-1975 and Carroll High School in Dayton from 1975-1981 before serving as the congregation’s formation director from 1981-1988.
In 1988, Sister Barb’s ministry took her to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she served in various positions, including administrator at Julie Penrose Center, researcher and writer at St. Elizabeth, and vice president of mission effectiveness at Penrose Hospital.
She returned to Cincinnati in 1995 after being elected as a congregational councilor. During her time on the Leadership Council, she was in charge of the major renovation of the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the Motherhouse, completed in 2000. She served on the council until 2003, when she was elected to two terms as the Community’s president through 2011.
Her years as president were filled with many significant milestones for the congregation, including the merger of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, and the founding of DePaul Cristo Rey High School in 2011.
“The ‘professional activity’ that has meant the most to me has been my involvement in opening DePaul Cristo Rey High School,” she said on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2016, a sentiment that still holds true today. “The journey of being involved from concept to reality and experiencing the school’s continued growth and the success of its graduates has been remarkable. Many people helped make this dream come true and I am so proud to be a part of this mission.”
Following her presidency, Sister went on to coordinate client services and front desk volunteers at Good Samaritan Free Health Center in Price Hill until 2018. Since then, she has served on the boards of Good Samaritan Foundation and Catholic Health Initiatives. In 2023, she was elected once more as a congregational councilor, a position she continues to hold.
As she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, Sister Barb reflects, “The ministries in which I have been involved have shown me that anything worth doing cannot be done alone. Seeing how others believe in the SC mission, and how we join together to risk and care for others, is a wonderful collaboration in spreading God’s love.”
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