S. Mary Agnes Saffer

Music was always an important part of S. Mary Agnes Saffer’s life. Both her parents were professional musicians and many of her relatives were also. Everyone played or sang something. As early as the second grade Sister went to the Cincinnati Symphony concerts at Music Hall with her mother. “I remember sitting in the side gallery of that packed hall – watching, listening,” she once said. “I was one excited kid!”

Church music was always part of Sister’s family. Her mother was an organist and soon she would b, too. S. Mary Agnes spent a huge part of her life in a choir loft, either playing the organ or directing the choir.

For more than 60 years S. Mary Agnes was privileged to share her love for making music in many ways; with many people young and old, rich and poor; in rural areas like Georgia and Kentucky and in cities like Cleveland and Detroit; in schools grade through college; in homes and in the nursing facilities; even in the dining room at Mount St. Joseph. “It has been exciting to watch others learn to share this God-given gift of expression, to see faces come alive in sheer joy as they learn to make music together,” she said.

“For me, what is most important is the fact that music is the superb means of uniting one’s whole being with God,” S. Mary Agnes continued. “And that has been my life, helping others discover this deep form of prayer. As a child I watched my mother work with the boys in her choir and saw her faith inspire others. It was contagious. That was a gift, and hopefully, I learned from her.”