Meet Sister Annette Relf,

the soul behind the mission

that we serve to this day

Sister Annette Relf was a nurse and the first Episcopal Deaconess in Minnesota.

In 1894, moved by the plight of the destitute "aged and infirm," Sister Annette committed the rest of her life to serving these vulnerable souls. She rented a small home in St. Paul and raised funds by going door-to-door.

When Sister Annette died in 1915, her example of undaunted courage and commitment inspired others to continue her mission. In 1920, that mission found a permanent home with the purchase of our present site in Saint Paul 's Midway.