Sister Agnes (Mary) Cunningham

Sister Agnes (Mary) Cunningham was born Middlesbrough Country N. Ormesby, Yorkshire, England to Michael and Monica (Burns) Cunningham on May 26, 1923. Raised in Chicago, she was a parishioner of Visitation and St. Gall parishes in her youth. She entered the congregation of the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary in 1940 and professed vows on January 25, 1943. Sister ministered in education, teaching elementary school through post-graduate students. She was a professor of church history and patristics at Mundelein Seminary, St. Mary of the Lake, from 1967 to 1991, where she helped to educate and form a generation of lay men, priests and bishops. In addition, she served as a freelance writer, theological consultant and translator for her religious community. She was the first female president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Sister Agnes was a great storyteller and a devoted friend and mentor to many. Her mission statement stated: I, Sister Agnes, a believer, know that everything I am comes from the love of God and His grace flows back -points-to Him”. On her 80 th jubilee she mused, “I wish that everybody knew that as we are passing through times of darkness, challenge and doubt …, God still gives us strength and love to support others”. Sister Agnes answered the call to eternal life on January 22, 2025 in Clifton, Illinois at the age of 101. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister and brother-in law, Helen and Harry J. O’Kane, nephew Philip O’Kane and niece Cathy Lyon. She is survived by niece Nancy (James) Misch; nephews, Michael, and James (Sheila) O’Kane, and their dearly loved families. She will be missed by her birth family, her religious family, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary, scores of friends and colleagues, and the residents and staff of La Bella of Clifton. Sister Agnes requested that you thank God for the gift of her life, remember that she loved you, and, please, pray for her. Visitation will be on Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. until the time of the 6:00 p.m. prayer service at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home, Kankakee. Additional visitation will be on Friday, February 7, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Beaverville. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Beaverville. Memorials may be made to Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary or University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois.

Sister Agnes (Mary) Cunningham

May 26, 1923 - January 22, 2025