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Sister Rosemarie “Rosie” Kasper, SNJM
Sister Mary Agneda
October 20, 1924 – August 27, 2025
Sister Rosemarie “Rosie” Kasper, SNJM departed this life on August 27, 2025 in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Sister Rosie celebrated 100 years of life and 81 years of her religious profession.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at Holy Names Chapel in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Her burial will follow at Holy Names Cemetery in Marylhurst, Oregon.
Sister Rosemarie Kasper, SNJM
October 20, 1924 – August 27, 2025
Sister Rosemarie “Rosie” Kasper, SNJM, 100, died on August 27 at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Mass of Resurrection is Tuesday, September 23, 11am, Chapel of the Holy Names, Marylhurst. Burial follows at nearby Holy Names Cemetery.
Sister Rosemarie was born on the Umpqua River near Roseburg, Oregon, but grew up in Portland. Soon after her graduation from St. Mary’s Academy, she entered the novitiate of the Holy Names Sisters at Marylhurst, eventually receiving the religious name Sister Mary Agneda.
For 40 years Rosemarie was a classroom teacher in Holy Names’ schools in Oregon and Washington. In her later years in education, she was an art teacher bringing her love for art to children from primary grades to junior high. Following that, she studied library science and spent several years as a school librarian.
When she left the schools Rosemarie traveled to the Southwest to help care for her nephew and spent time supporting unwed mothers.
Returning to Oregon, Rosemarie started her final and most beloved ministry as Archivist for the Oregon Sisters of the Holy Names. With loving dedication, she worked to preserve the history and heritage of the Holy Names in Oregon since their arrival in the Pacific Northwest in October 1859. With a desire to raise the level of professional expertise for archivists for women religious, she co-founded the Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR), a national association assisting archivists in the management, interpretation, and preservation of the historical record of Catholic sisters and nuns in the United States and worldwide.
Rosemarie was also instrumental in the creation and design of the Holy Names Heritage Center located on the Sisters’ property at Marylhurst. The Heritage Center now houses an expanded archives including all the SNJM regions across the United States.
Of Native American heritage, Rosemarie was proud of her Karuk and Quinault lineage. She had her own specially made hand drum and attended weekly drumming classes at Mary’s Woods. She loved sharing this part of her Native American heritage with residents and friends.
For many years she also participated in the local Kateri Circle of Native American Catholics and others who incorporate Native American spirituality into worship and liturgy. The Circles are named for St. Kateri Tekawitha (1656-1680), a young Mohawk/Algonquin woman in upper state New York who led a devout Christian life. In 2012 Rosemarie was thrilled at the opportunity to attend the canonization in Rome of Kateri Tekawitha as the first Native American saint.
Rosemarie will be remembered as an engaging teacher of primary students, middle-school students, and of art. She will be remembered for her passion for the history of the Sisters of the Holy Names and her foundational work at the national level for archivists for women religious. She will be remembered for her pride and love of her Native American heritage. Lastly, Rosemarie will be remembered as a lover of nature and of dogs, as an adventurous spirit who loved to travel, and as a faithful friend.
A Holy Names Sister for 81 years, Rosemarie is survived by her sister, nieces, nephews and cousins and the members of her religious community. Remembrances may be made to Sisters of the Holy Names, PO Box 398, Marylhurst, OR 97036 or online at www.snjmusontario.org/donate.