Sister Therese Even, SSND

“Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” Psalm 89

Our beloved Sister Therese (Mary Gerald) Even, SSND, 94, died peacefully at 6:38 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2019, in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato, Minnesota. It was fitting that Sister Therese, who often spent the early hours of the day in prayer, died in the early morning. Sisters had been praying with her in the days preceding her death.

Funeral services include a Prayer of Remembrance at 9:00 a.m. and a Funeral Liturgy at 10:30 a.m., with Father Eugene Stenzel as presider, on Monday, November 11, in Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel. Burial will follow in the Good Counsel Cemetery.

We extend our sympathy to Sister Therese’s brothers Tony and Ted (Dolores), her sisters-in-law Connie and Bernice Even, nieces and nephews and their families, her friends, colleagues and former students, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Rose (Mangrich) Even, her sisters Monica Even, SSND, and Mary Fischels, and her brothers Cletus, Joseph, Norbert, Leonard and Gerald.

Sister Therese, the third child and first daughter in the Even family, was born on a farm near Gilbertville, Iowa, on July 3, 1925. Two days later she received the name Therese Ann in baptism at Immaculate Conception Church in Gilbertville. She later wrote, “I received the name Therese in honor of the Little Flower, who had been canonized in May of that year. From little on my mother would read to me about St. Therese and I would express my desire to be like her.” She described her early years, “My first five years at home were as eventful as any child’s could be in the midst of four brothers. My greatest thrill came at the end of my fifth year when I welcomed my first little sister, Monica.” Therese entered first grade at Immaculate Conception School in 1931 and was taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame. On the day of her First Solemn Communion, she told her mother that Jesus wanted her to be a sister. “From then on, the thought of becoming a sister was uppermost in my mind. Letters from my three aunts in the convent [Sisters Henrietta, Margaret and Thecla Mangrich, SSND] increased my longing to give myself to God.” Following the completion of eighth grade in 1939, she hoped to enter the aspiranture at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mankato, but was needed at home to help care for her younger brothers and sisters. However, the next year she did become a freshman aspirant at Good Counsel. With the help of a summer course in senior English taught by a Franciscan sister in Waterloo, she was able to complete four years of high school in three years, and entered the SSND candidature in the fall of 1943. After five months in the candidature, she received an assignment to her home parish to be a replacement for a teacher who became ill and taught 67 third and fourth graders, including her brother, Ted. She returned to the candidature in June for summer school and then went back to Gilbertville to teach the same grades. However, after a few months, she was sent to St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul to teach primary grades. She became an SSND novice in 1945, receiving the name of her youngest brother (and godchild), Gerald. She later returned to her baptismal name. After first profession of vows in 1946, Sister Mary Gerald began her teaching and administration ministry with one year at St. Clara, Clara City. Because she was also a student at Diocesan Teachers College and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, her next two teaching assignments were at St. Francis de Sales and St. Matthew, both in St. Paul. In 1952, she moved to SS. Peter & Paul School, Springbrook, Iowa, and stayed until 1954. From 1954 until 1959, she taught upper grades at Sacred Heart, St. Paul. In addition to teaching at the schools, she was also the principal at St. Francis, Buffalo (1959-65) and St. Dominic, Northfield (1965-66). Following one year as a school supervisor for both SSND and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, she served as full-time administrator at Sacred Heart (1967-69.) During her years of teaching and administration, she earned a BA in English from the College of St. Catherine (1952), and an MA in Education from the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul (1961). In 1969, the focus of Sister Therese’s ministry changed to pastoral ministry and adult education at St. Peter Parish, Forest Lake. When she was principal at Sacred Heart and working with families, she heard parents “crying for help.” According to an article in the Catholic Bulletin, she took a “businessman’s course in affirmation” and began to share the positive things she learned with those Sacred Heart parents. Social workers and nurses who heard her presentation asked her to prepare a similar day with them and their co-workers. This led her to move from the classroom to adult education. Recognizing the need and desire for growth in personal and family life, Sister Therese established her Creative Christian Living Program. From 1972 through 2007, she directed retreats, conducted days of prayer and gave lectures throughout the United States. She talked to seminarians and mothers’ clubs, Catholic and Protestant church groups, and secular organizations. She addressed the Minnesota Vikings and a 3-M breakfast meeting attended by approximately 1,000 persons. Based first at St. John the Baptist Convent in Savage, then at Totino-Grace Convent in Fridley, and finally at Winslow Commons in St. Paul, she traveled by car to deliver her message. She often spent the winter months in Arizona and California, where she would not have to contend with snow and ice. As detailed in a St. Anthony Messenger article, her message was clear: “God sees our struggles and longs for us to recognize how he is ready to come into our lives and give us the strength we need. But often we are so caught up with the details of daily life that we miss the signs of God’s presence in us.” The article continued, “The program speaks directly to people’s daily struggles with relationships, inner tension, past experience and self-esteem, placing all in the context of a connection with God, the loving creator.” She designed the content to fit the audience, for example, parents or teachers. Various Creative Christian Living brochures described options for the full 10-15 hour course: a weekend retreat or weekly sessions of a few hours each. The brochures also contained several testimonials from participants who found her message valuable. As technology improved, she offered the course in cassette and video tapes. In 1998, she published the course in print. In 2007, Sister Therese retired from actively promoting Creative Christian Living and continued to reside at Winslow Commons where she volunteered at Assumption Parish and other locations. She moved to Good Counsel in 2015 and continued her special ministry of prayer for phoned-in special intentions. Encouraging and affirming sisters, staff and visitors was also part of her Good Counsel ministry. She maintained strong ties with both family members and former students and colleagues. In these last months, Sister Therese longed to see Jesus face to face and seemed disappointed when other sisters preceded her in death. May she now be rewarded for her lifetime of singing the goodness of God!