Sister Joanne Graham

Sister Joanne Graham, 76, a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, entered eternal life Monday, April 11, 2011, at a Bismarck care facility. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 16 in the Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel in the Benedictine Center for Servant Leadership. A wake service is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 in the Chapel of Annunciation Monastery. Sister Joanne served in leadership positions for 50 years as a monastic woman. She was a nurse, nurse educator, hospital administrator, prioress of Annunciation Monastery, chancellor of the Bismarck Diocese and vice chancellor of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn. She was born March 8, 1935, in Hot Springs, S.D. to Edmund A. and Eunice F. Kinghorn Graham and given the name, Rita. She grew up with a younger brother, Charles. While earning a bachelor's degree in nursing from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo., she felt a tugging at her heart to try religious life and was drawn to the Benedictine charism. Shortly after graduation in 1958, she boarded a plane to a place she had never seen before, Annunciation Monastery and the prairies of North Dakota. Here she began life as a Benedictine sister and received the name Joanne. She made monastic profession July 11, 1960. After teaching in the St. Alexius School of Nursing and working in obstetric nursing, she was asked to earn a master's degree in hospital administration from St. Louis University and was appointed administrator of St. Alexius Medical Center in 1966, a position she held for 10 years. Then she was elected prioress of Annunciation Monastery in 1976. After completing her term as prioress, she served as associate administrator at St. Alexius. In 1986 she was appointed vice chancellor of the Bismarck Diocese by Bishop John F. Kinney and later became chancellor of the Diocese, serving in that post until 2003. Sister Joanne earned a pontifical degree in canon law in 1988 from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. At the time she became chancellor, she was one of only six women in the United States to fill that position in the Catholic Church. She also served from 2005 to 2006 as vice chancellor of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Sister Joanne worked with canonical matters for the Federation of St. Benedict and Annunciation Monastery, was a certified spiritual director and chaired the Annunciation Monastery Sponsorship Group. She served as a member of the University of Mary Board of Trustees for 30 years and was awarded an honorary doctorate in leadership by the university in 2009. A woman with exceptional leadership gifts, Sister Joanne shared her expertise as a member of numerous local, state and national boards. She appreciated the Benedictine way of life and was committed to living it fully. Even when her health declined, she was faithful to the common life of the sisters, to community prayer and to the ministries of Annunciation Monastery. With a grateful heart, she always thanked those who assisted her in any way. Last summer on the occasion of her 50th anniversary as a Benedictine sister, she said, "My greatest reward has been watching people with whom I've ministered develop their gifts and serve God." Sister Joanne is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Rita Graham, her aunt Elaine M. Hill, all of Denver, Colo., cousins, many friends and the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. Memorials may be made to Annunciation Monastery.

Sister Joanne Graham

March 8, 1935 - April 11, 2011