By Katie Hyde

Sister Joan Tolle, STA’s only remaining Sister of St. Joseph, has chosen God many times in her life.

Tolle’s life, a story of choosing God, begins when she was in kindergarten.

The first of three children, Tolle decided that instead of attending the public school across the street from her house, she would attend a Catholic grade school.

“My mother asked me if I wanted to attend the public grade school or go to the Catholic grade school and learn about God,” Tolle said. “I knew it was important to know Him and grow with Him, so I decided to go to the Catholic school.”

Tolle grew up in a Catholic family that attended Church weekly. Although she found God daily through prayer, she was first called to a religious vocation when a missionary visited her school in fifth grade. After hearing the missionary speak, Tolle felt a calling from God.

“I liked the way the missionary approached God,” Tolle said. “From that point on, the idea to become a sister was always in the back of my head.”

“I liked the way the missionary approached God,” Tolle said. “From that point on, the idea to become a sister was always in the back of my head.”

When Tolle began planning her future in her senior year of high school, she remembered how the missionary had inspired her.

“I just realized how much God did for me, and I wanted to do something for him,” Tolle said .

“I just realized how much God did for me, and I wanted to do something for him,” Tolle said .

Tolle spoke with Sister Marie Loyola, her homeroom teacher, about her idea to become a sister. Because Tolle wished to work with the poor in missions, Loyola suggested the Maryknoll Sisters and the Sisters of Saint Joseph because both had international missions.

Loyola told Tolle to pray a novena, or a prayer repeated each day for nine days asking for a special grace.

“During my novena, I thought about God’s plan for me and asked God to show me which order was right,” Tolle said.

After kneeling before the altar in prayer, Tolle felt called to become a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She joined the order in September 1954, after graduating from STA. After joining the order, Tolle spent six months in postulancy, a period of candidacy for the order.

Tolle took the name Sister Jerome Francis and officially became a Sister of St. Joseph in 1955 when she took vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.

“I chose the name Francis because I had read about Francis of Assisi in school, and I admired him for the work he did with the poor and his love of animals,” Tolle said. “His lifestyle was inspiring.”

Tolle changed her name back to Joan after the order told the sisters they could return to their birth names.

Although Tolle never worked in the missions as she had initially intended, she worked at inner city schools in St. Louis, Michigan and Jefferson City.

“I like working in the inner city because I get to work with the poor,” Tolle said.

After teaching in schools outside of her hometown, Tolle decided to return to Kansas City.

“Although I moved a lot, I did not mind the changes,” Tolle said. “I like the challenge. I enjoy moving and meeting new people.”

After working in the Catholic Worker House and the Agnes House, two shelters for the poor and jobless, Tolle decided to apply for a job as a computer teacher at STA.

“I wanted to get into computers,” Tolle said. “I like breaking them apart and figuring things out.”

“I wanted to get into computers,” Tolle said. “I like breaking them apart and figuring things out.”

Tolle contacted Sister Barbara Verheyen, the principal at the time, and asked if she could work with computers at STA.

Tolle finds God at STA, where she has worked in the computer lab since she was hired in 1984.

According to principal of student affairs Mary Anne Hoecker, Tolle reflects principles of service and kindness.

“[Tolle] is one of those steady people that just keeps on ticking, ” Hoecker said. “She is a behind-the-scenes kind of person. She takes care of all of the little things that maybe are not so little.”

Although Tolle is the only Sister of St. Joseph at STA, Hoecker believes Tolle continues the order’s legacy.

“There’s not a mean bone in her body,” Hoecker said. “She’ll give an SBR if needed, but she’s very kind. I see kindness and service to others in everything she does here at STA. Its part of who she is and how she lives.”

Computer teacher Kathy McCarthy also believes Tolle exemplifies the motto of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

“Sr. Joan is all about the phrase ‘neighbor to neighbor without distinction,'” McCarthy said. “She is a very, very dear person. She’s so quiet, but she’s there.”

In her life of choosing God, Tolle encourages others to listen to Him as she did.

“God is everywhere, really,” Tolle said. “You just have to tune in to Him.”

“God is everywhere, really,” Tolle said. “You just have to tune in to Him.”