Sister Hannah Turns 100!

What does 100 years, with over 80 percent spent as a vowed woman religious, look like? If you measure by Sister Hannah Cox, it looks like a life well-lived in service of those in need.

Hannah has been on a journey of transformation her entire life. As she celebrates 100 years on June 25, 2023, she can look back on a life of service. She served as an educator, worked with the poor and provided care and compassion in a nursing home. “I have worked with all different ages and all different ways of life,” she explains. “We all look for love and for peace of mind. It’s the same thing we all struggle with.”

She has also evolved through the changes in religious life that Vatican II brought, as well as the current transformation in religious life.

At every point in her life and through each of her ministries, Hannah has had a unique gift for bringing out the best in those around her. So many of them comment on what a difference she made in their life. A recent Facebook post featuring her garnered hundreds of comments, many thanking her for being kind and compassionate, as well as for her great sense of humor. Below is a small sample of the comments:

... a truly special person and a great leader.

Sister Hannah, so loved by so many of us! Thank you for the best memories of St. Helen and the Catholic school years!

She is a blessing to all whose lives she has touched. God bless you, Sister Hannah. I’ll always remember you for your kindness towards me.

Sister Hannah was such a wonderful principal. I will never forget what she did for me.

I remember how you sat and prayed with me during my pregnancy. My daughter still has the cross you gave her when she was born.

What a caring, dynamic lady! May God bless her always!

You talked and prayed with me when my mom passed; I will never forget your beautiful heart.

Hannah praises the partners and collaborators with whom she has been blessed to work. “I can never say I did anything alone,” she states. “We always did it together. God gives you a certain gift and he doesn’t give you every gift. Other people have gifts and you put them all together.”

Hannah explains that in sharing ministry with one another each person can use his/her gifts and it produces a friendship and sharing. “You’re happier when you’re working in a group,” she reminds us. “And if you’re going to do any work, you have to be happy.”

Still active in the prayer association ministry, retiring is not on Hannah’s mind. “Some people tell me I should retire and enjoy myself,” she says. “I enjoy doing ministry. Everyone has to feel needed; they have to feel like there is something they are living for.”

“I wake up in the morning and say, ‘What am I going to do today?’” she explains. “I talk to God. I have peace in my mind. I am thankful for the gift of community and our time of life and prayer together.”

“I have hope for the future,” she concludes. “I have hope that Nano Nagle’s love for the poor and giving of oneself have been passed on in one way or another, not just by religious but by lay people who are sharing in this work.”