Sister M. Jacoba and Beverly McCormick,
Saint Clare's Villa resident.
Sister M. Jacoba believes in the importance of making God’s merciful love visible to everyone through day-to-day caring and little things that make a difference, like taking the time to smile, send a card or show a kindness.
As number 10 of 11 children growing up on a dairy farm, Sister Jacoba has always been used to lots of people and activity. She found the same loving, family feeling of support in the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George convent, located adjacent to Saint Anthony’s Hospital when she joined the order 26 years ago.
Sister Jacoba attended high school in Michigan. She played sports, dated, graduated from college and began working as a medical assistant in a local doctor’s office before she made the decision to enter religious life. In fact, she struggled a little with her faith during her college years, and she almost got married. “But I just didn’t have peace in my own mind,” Sister Jacoba said. “I kept feeling there was something more that I needed in my life. “I began praying the rosary to and from work,” she said. “When I realized God was the ‘more’ in my life, I felt a tremendous grace.”
“I think living in the country growing up, we were more in tune with faith. We lived on the same block as the church,” she said. “Everything we did began and ended at the church, so it was a very strong influence in my life.”
One of her sisters who is 16 years older than her became a Dominican Sister in Michigan, not far from where they grew up.
She contacted several convents and was very impressed when, unlike some of the other Orders, she received a very personal, hand-written letter from the Sisters of St. Francis in Alton. “The letter talked about spiritual things rather than asking general questions,” she said. “I came to visit and felt an incredible peace and joy. It felt like home and there was no reason to look any further.”
After the three year novitiate period, she attended St. Louis University where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing, later earning a Master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. She worked at Saint Anthony’s Hospital as a nurse, later in pastoral care at a nursing home in New Jersey, then several years at Saint Anthony’s in pastoral care, visiting and praying with patients and their families.
“I’m so thankful that I was able to be there for people when they needed someone,” Sister Jacoba said.
She later served as the superior of the convent and cared for retired Priests in New Jersey before coming back to Alton to become director of pastoral care. Her experience in many areas has been very helpful in her role for the last two years as director of Saint Clare’s Villa.
Sister Jacoba’s responsibilities at the Villa vary between administrative work, working with and developing her staff, prayers and encouragement for the 64 current residents. Oh, and one other thing she likes to do at the Villa is dance. She is sometimes referred to as “the dancing nun.”
“I love working and visiting with seniors,” Sister Jacoba said. “Our favorite time here at the Villa is meal time or an afternoon social when everyone comes together. We put on music and I can get them to ‘shake and boogy’ those arthritic shoulders and knees!
“Best of all, they are having fun, laughing at me making a fool of myself!”
Sister Jacoba sees every day as an adventure and said she’s been involved in many things through her service in religious life that she would not have done otherwise.
She says Administrative Assistant Pam Stratton is her right arm at the Villa, and the 21 employees or “Mission Partners” who care for the residents in various ways are a very dedicated and loving bunch who enjoy their work and each other. “They are a wonderful team and I am very proud of them and the way they strive to make Christ’s merciful love visible. Daily and on-going support from top Administration – Mark Weber, E.J. Kuiper and Sister M. Mikela – has also been a blessing to the Villa in keeping it a wonderful place to serve our seniors.”