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Sr. Magdalen Stanton OSB

Sister Magdalen Stanton, OSB, age 84, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab on February 15, 2022. Lain Swafford Stanton was born on July 23, 1937 in Shreveport, Louisiana, to William Swafford and Jeannette Lain Swafford . She graduated from Germantown High School in Germantown, Tennessee, in 1955. Lain was a wonderful big sister to her brother and sister who were several years younger.


Before entering St. Scholastica Monastery, Lain was married and worked as an interior designer, bookkeeper, and photographer in Memphis. In the 1970’s she attended Memphis State University part time. After her divorce, she moved to Fort Smith to be near her sister, Patty O’Brien. She converted to Catholicism and was baptized at Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith in 1993. A few years before entering the monastery, she lived in Subiaco and worked at the Gift Shop in Coury House.


Lain entered St. Scholastica Monastery in 1997 and became a novice in 1998, taking the name Sister Magdalen. She made perpetual profession on June 24, 2003. In the monastic community, Sister Magdalen taught calligraphy classes at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and gave calligraphy workshops. She was proud of the work of some of her students who continued practicing calligraphy. Using her calligraphy skills, she completed a beautiful necrology book, listing all the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery who had died. From 2001 to 2012, Sister Magdalen was Director of the Oblate Program. After learning to play the autoharp, she enjoyed playing for some of the community liturgies. Because of declining health, Sister Magdalen moved to the Infirmary in 2009 and later moved to Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab.


Sister Magdalen was a gracious Southern lady for whom art and beauty were very important. She was a voracious reader. She loved being surrounded by books and beautiful things.


She was preceded in death by her parents and sister-in-law, Cathie Swafford. She is survived by her brother, Bill Swafford in Boulder, Colorado; her sister, Patty O’Brien (Jim) in Fort Smith; her nephews, John Calhoun and Michael O’Brien; her nieces, Kym Wootton and Mary O’Brien; three great nephews and nieces; and members of her Benedictine community.


A Vespers Service will be on April 8 at 7:30 p.m. The funeral Mass will be on April 9 at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Cassian Elkins, OSB and Rev. Joseph Chan presiding. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery. Burial will follow in St. Scholastica’s cemetery.

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Sr. Jo Ann Senko OSB

Sister Jo Ann Senko, OSB, age 87, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab on November 02, 2022.  Sister Jo Ann was born on February 21, 1935, in Slovactown, Arkansas, to John Senko, Jr. and Frances Dorothy Garrich Senko.  She graduated from St. Scholastica Academy in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1952. Sister Jo Ann was a wonderful big sister to her brothers Frederick, Gary, and Michael and to her sister Shirley who were several years younger than Sister Jo Ann.    


Before entering St. Scholastica Monastery, she worked at the Daily Leader Newspaper in Stuttgart. She was an excellent typist and possessed an engaging and outgoing nature with people. Sister Jo Ann entered the monastery on October 7, 1956, and became a novice on June 24, 1957, where she took the name, Sister Mary Chrysostom. On June 24, 1959, she made her first profession, and in 1962 she made her perpetual profession as a member of  St. Scholastica Monastery. 

Her first ministry assignment was to teach at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Paris, Arkansas. She was a good teacher, and her students did well under her guidance; however, she quickly surmised that teaching was not meant to be her profession. Sister worked as a cook at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in North Little Rock and Subiaco Abbey. Sister Jo Ann loved to cook and loved to help people. Over time, she became a clinical dietitian. She earned a bachelor of science degree in Home Economics from the University of Missouri. In the 1970’s she began her Dietetic Internship with Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and continued her studies until she graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1972. Sister Jo Ann was a clinical dietitian at St. Mary’s Hospital, Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Edward’s (Mercy) in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1977 Sister Jo Ann was asked to be the monastery Procurator for the community. She did this for two years. From 1979 to 1981, Sister Jo Ann worked in Social Work in Amarillo, Texas. She returned to work in St. Louis at St. Mary’s as a clinical dietitian from 1981 to1996. From 1996 to 1997, Sister Jo Ann took a sabbatical, attending classes at St. John’s University in Minnesota.   Following her sabbatical, Sister Jo Ann was the director of food hospitality for St. Scholastica Retreat Center. She served her sisters and many people in this role for four years. 

Because of declining health, Sister Jo Ann moved to the monastery infirmary in 2001 and Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab in 2017. 


Sister Jo Ann was an enthusiastic, outgoing person. She took great pleasure in preparing healthy and tasty meals for people to enjoy. She possessed a love of humor and the arts. Sister Jo Ann loved the symphony and the Opera. She enjoyed poetry and writing haikus. She was well-read. She played the accordion and loved community events. She was proud of her Slovak heritage and family history. Her hometown in Stuttgart, the Rice Capital of the World, was dear to her. Growing up on her father’s farm somewhere along the line, she developed a love of cute pig figures and amassed a great collection of these throughout her life.  


She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Gary Senko, and her sister-in-law, Linda Senko. She is survived by her brothers, Frederick, and Sister-in-law, Marilyn, in Henderson, Nevada. Her brother  Michael in North Little Rock, Arkansas; her sister, Shirley Senko, from Memphis, Tennessee and her nephews, Mark, Paul, and Fred Senko; her nieces, Pamela Senko Spencer, Paula Senko Woloeiec, Patricia Senko Stallard, Angela Senko Hynum, and Lydia Senko; beloved great nephews and nieces; and the members of her Benedictine community.   

A Vespers Service will be on November 27, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. The funeral Mass will be on November 28, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., with Rev. Jerome Kodell, OSB, and Rev. Joseph Chan presiding. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery. Burial will follow in St. Scholastica’s cemetery.

Memorials may be made to St. Scholastica Monastery Continuing Care Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Fort Smith, AR 72913.

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Sr. Agatha Knittig OSB

agatha

Sister Agatha Knittig, age 99, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died March 18, 2022, at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab in Fort Smith, Arkansas, thirteen days before her 100th birthday. Anna Marie Knittig was born March 31, 1922, in Morrison Bluff, AR to Albert and Mary Neuman Knittig. She was the oldest of eight children. Sister Agatha entered St. Scholastica Monastery in 1940, made first profession on June 24, 1943 and final profession on June 24, 1946. She loved her 46 years teaching elementary students in Clarksville, Atkins, Fort Smith (St. John’s and St. Boniface), Russellville, Rogers, and Little Rock (St. Theresa’s) in Arkansas and in Moberly and Lebanon in Missouri. After retiring from teaching, she worked in the diet kitchen at St. Scholastica’s for seven years, then was director of religious education at Subiaco for four years. After retiring to the monastery in 2000, she helped in various household du-ties and was a regular visitor to residents in nursing homes.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, TX and attended many workshops on religious education. As long as she was able, Sister Agatha enjoyed baking breads and cookies and making candy for the monastery’s bake sales. She faithfully kept in touch with family and friends through phone calls.
The Sisters at St. Scholastica Monastery thank Sister Agatha’s caregivers at St. Scholastica’s and at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab for their loving care for her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Marie Zaloudek and Rose Enderlin; and her brother, Charles Knittig. She is survived by her sister, Lona Weisenfels; and three brothers, Edward Knittig (Annette) of Fort Smith, Eugene Knittig of Southfield, MI, and Louis Knittig of Conway; her sister-in-law, Mary Alice Knittig; her many beloved nieces and nephews; and members of her Benedictine family. Her brother, Eugene, died two days after Sister Agatha.

A Vespers Service will be Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. The Mass for Christian Burial will be Thursday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m., with her former student, Fr. Jerome Kodell, OSB, as presider, Fr. Joseph Chan as concelebrant, and Deacon Greg Pair as deacon. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery Chapel with burial in St. Scholastica Cemetery under the direction of Ocker-Putman Funeral Home of Fort Smith.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Scholastica Monastery Continuing Care Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Fort Smith, AR 72913-3489.