Benedictine Sister Colleen (Joanne) Haggerty, 91, died Jan. 11, at Saint Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. The Eucharist of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, with burial in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call at Saint Scholastica Convent on Tuesday, Jan. 16, for a 3 p.m. prayer service followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m. or for a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 1 p.m. until the time of the funeral on Jan. 17.
The daughter of William and Olive (Okeson) Haggerty, Joanne was born May 29, 1932, in St. Paul. She attended grade school in Hillman and St. Anthony’s School in Watkins, and high school at Kimball High School in Kimball, and St. Boniface High School in Cold Spring. She entered Saint Benedict’s Monastery Sept. 12, 1951, was received into the novitiate as Sister Colleen June 18, 1952, made first profession July 11, 1953, and perpetual monastic profession July 11, 1956.
Sister Colleen received a bachelor’s degree in dietetics with a minor in philosophy at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph and completed a one-year dietetic internship of graduate study at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also studied at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, and Saint John’s University, Collegeville.
At the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Sister Colleen served as therapeutic and teaching dietitian and as director of the dietary department. She was also the director of the hospital’s General Services Division and construction manager during the first major expansion project in the early 1970s. In 1975, Sister Colleen served as food service director at Saint Benedict’s Monastery for one year, returning to the hospital as assistant administrator in community relations and development. After this, she moved to Saint Benedict’s Monastery and served as second vice president of the Community Corporation, coordinator of the physical plant, and director of building renovation projects.
In 1991, Sister Colleen was elected president of the Federation of Saint Benedict and served two terms, a total of 12 years. Upon completion of her second term, she served as gift planning specialist for the monastery’s development and communications department.
Sister Colleen was heavily involved in community organizations and offered her skills in many ways: as president of the Board of Trustees of St. Benedict’s Hospital in Ogden, Utah; as member of the design committee for Saint John’s Abbey and University; as member of the Monastic Council; as member of the College of Saint Benedict’s Board of Trustees; as member in Zonta International and as president of the Zonta Club of the St. Cloud area; and as board member of Quiet Oaks Hospice House as it was being planned and built. She was named Volunteer of the Month at the St. Cloud Hospital in October 2016 and volunteered there until 2019.
Sister Colleen is survived by her Benedictine community and her two brothers, William and James (Donna), as well as nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister and brother-in-law, Eileen (Richard) Fleischhacker.
Please direct memorials to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict Outreach Ministries.