“If the world takes something from us on the one hand, God will give us something on the other.”
St. Louise de Marillac
By the Grace of God: S. Annette Muckerheide Receives Lifetime Service Award from Mount St. Joseph University
By Sebastian Isaacs, Communications intern
In April, S. Annette Muckerheide was honored with Mount St. Joseph University’s “Lifetime Service Award,” recognizing the 34 years she taught at the school.
On April 13, S. Annette Muckerheide humbly received the Lifetime Service Award from Mount St. Joseph University, celebrating 34 years of unwavering devotion to the school’s mission as founded by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. However, S. Annette’s long-time connection to the school actually traces back to her senior year of high school when, by the grace of God, she chose to attend a class at the College of Mount St. Joseph on-the-Ohio alongside a friend that lived down the street.
When S. Margaret Loretto Ryan walked in and smiled as she peered around at the girls crowded into her classroom (now the Art Room in the Motherhouse), S. Annette knew that “this was going to be my college,” and it would also come to be her home for more than 60 years.
Still, it would be a few years before S. Annette discerned her call to religious life, and many more before she discerned a return to the College of Mount St. Joseph. It wasn’t until the late S. Paula Gonzalez “twisted my arm” to take her position teaching biology at the College while on sabbatical that S. Annette even considered teaching in higher education.
Her path to vowed life was not an easy one to follow, unlike her ministry in education, which she knew she would pursue since she was a young girl born to a teacher and a chemical engineer. Despite her love for education, being missioned to Albuquerque as a novice to teach biology brought its own challenges. When S. Paula first requested that S. Annette take over for her, S. Annette was coming to enjoy her second placement at Holy Name School in Cleveland, where S. Elizabeth Cashman sent her after encouraging her to try one more ministry.
But S. Annette’s father had passed, and her mother needed support in Cincinnati, so she said, “I gave in and took the job. I had never taught college before, and the first few days were really hard. But then I fell in love with my job again; I fell in love with the students.”
After S. Paula returned, S. Annette took another challenging assignment at a Cincinnati high school for a year before pursuing her doctorate, allowing grace to lead her back to Mount St. Joseph where she felt called to teach.
“But what is grace?” she asked, sitting in the current Communications Office, where as a student she remembers her peers walking in and out of the journalism wing. Just down the hallway, her first call to vowed life came when S. Ignatius Sanche slung an arm around her shoulder and asked if she would stay more than 60 years ago. “Is it a little lightning rod, or a little bundle of goodies?”
An educator at heart, S. Annette paused with a smile before answering, “No, grace is the living presence of God with you,” and it is what has carried her through both the hardships and the joys of her life.
Mount St. Joseph University (formerly the College of Mount St. Joseph) is where S. Annette found her place. In her 34 years ministering there, she taught and served as the chair of the biology department and honors program. Even after her retirement in 2011, she remained connected, serving on the university’s Board of Trustees until her eight-year term concluded earlier this year.
During her time as a professor, S. Annette taught more than 1,000 students biology, emphasizing “the connection between everything and everyone.” She witnessed the college being rebuilt down the street and watched it grow into a university. Over the years, she recognized the changes in her students, as well as the ways the school itself evolved before her retirement.
Still, she agreed the change has been necessary “to grow as we had to grow, to stay in existence. The atmosphere is still there. But is it the same? No, there are different ways of being. The whole thing is about balance.”
It’s about balance, it’s about connection, and it’s about grace. Even though her relationships with faculty have changed as new members have been introduced, S. Annette still sees the importance placed on interpersonal relationships at the school. She mentioned, “Could you imagine the president giving me an award with his arm around me? You know, there’s nothing to it except that we’re all family, and it’s been a great gift.”
As S. Annette reflects on the honor received, it is certain she will continue to find connection with Mount St. Joseph University through every chapter of her life, as gently guided by God’s grace.
S. Annette Muckerheide’s longest ministry was as a professor of biology at Mount St. Joseph University, where her love for education and the sciences intersected.
S. Annette Muckerheide’s longest ministry was as a professor of biology at Mount St. Joseph University, where her love for education and the sciences intersected.
S. Annette Muckerheide’s longest ministry was as a professor of biology at Mount St. Joseph University, where her love for education and the sciences intersected.
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