70th Diamond Jubilee
JoAnn Mary (Sister Coman) O’Connell
Birthplace: St. Louis
Entrance: 1956
First profession: 1959
Final profession: 1964
Education: Bachelor’s in Latin, Mundelein College, Chicago, 1961
Master’s in teaching religious studies, Webster College, Webster Groves, 1973
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Religion teacher, St. Timothy School, St. Louis, 1975-78
Religious education coordinator and teacher, St. Timothy, 1978-82
Service outside the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Teacher, St. Eugene School, Chicago, 1961-62
Teacher, Our Lady of Peace School, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1962-69
Teacher, Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein, Illinois, 1969-70
Latin and religion teacher, Our Lady of Peace, 1970-73
Director of religious education, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Paul, 1973-75
Campus and youth ministry, Regis-O’Hara High School, Kansas City, Missouri, 1982-86
Campus and youth ministry, St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, Logan, Utah, 1986-91
Pastoral associate, St. Edward and Holy Spirit, Creston, Iowa, 1991-95
Parish ministry, St. John Church, Waterloo, Iowa, 1995-2002
Pastoral associate, Queen of Peace Parish, Waterloo, Iowa, 2002
About Sister JoAnn Mary O’Connell: Joy was never just a concept for Sister JoAnn. She embraced it every day and even taught a high school religion class on the subject. One creative expression of that joy was clown ministry. Sister JoAnn became “Jo-Jo,” a gentle, wordless presence whose exaggerated gestures and attentive stillness brought laughter and invited connection with others. As Jo-Jo, she served as a summer volunteer in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at Damien House, a residential clinic for people living with Hansen’s disease. She loves music, dancing, nature and baking — especially sharing her family’s Irish soda bread recipe.
