Reflections - Sister Agnes Coveney

Sister Agnes Coveney speaks with gentle but firm conviction about her commitment to helping others live dedicated lives as followers of Christ. Her calm demeanor sometimes belies her intense zeal for life. Growing up in a Catholic family with seven siblings, including a twin sister, in Columbus, Ind., Sister Agnes developed a strong faith and sense of service. After graduating from Purdue University in 1980 with a BS in clinical dietetics, she moved to Louisville, Ky., where her twin was working as a nurse. Their apartment was adjacent to St. Joseph Children’s Home, and it was there that Sister Agnes first met Ursuline Sisters Alodia and Nunilo Thomas, blood sisters from Morgantown, W. Va., who had entered the community many years earlier. Recollecting about her initial impression, Sister Agnes said, “They were in their ‘retirement’ ministry, still in full habit, hard-working, steadfast with a zest for life. They lighted the spark that inspired me as a 20-something to ask, ‘How can I make that happen in my life?’” She got to know them better through visits, conversation and card playing. Eventually, the contacts with the Thomas sisters led her to become an Ursuline Sister herself.

Through her hospital work as a clinical dietitian, Sister Agnes pursued her interest in end of life issues and ethical questions. With the encouragement of the Ursuline Congregation, she completed her doctoral studies at Loyola University, Chicago, in moral philosophy with a specialty in medical ethics. She now works at Bethesda and Good Samaritan Hospitals in Cincinnati as Director of Mission Integration. In this role, she helps the hospital communities to identify the spirit behind the ministry and, for Good Samaritan Hospital, to actively maintain its Catholic identity. No matter what one’s religious or spiritual heritage, she says, she wants the hospital to be a good place to work. She sees herself as an encourager of others and reflects the Ursuline virtues of hospitality and service which first attracted her to the Congregation. In her ministry, Sister Agnes also deals with the everyday effects of life decisions. Critical issues, such as informed consent and the ethical implications regarding the end of life, are daily concerns. Sister Agnes frames everything she does within the context of the question, “What are the values that undergird how we treat the persons we serve?”