Critical acclaim

"Elsa Hofmeister and the Sisters of the Visitation have collaborated on a powerful history of remarkable individual lives in an enduring and beloved institution. An intensely moving document, detailed, attentive, and refreshingly candid -- a real treasure."

-Patricia Hampl
award-winning author of The Florist's Daughter

Media coverage

Source: The Catholic Spirit
Publication date: May 6, 2009

"Some assignments take a little longer to finish. Elsa Thompson Hofmeister’s final submission to her beloved English teacher comes five years after her death and half a century after Hofmeister sat in her classroom.

It is worth the wait."

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Media coverage

Source: Thisweek Newspapers
Publication date: April 30, 2009

"Hofmeister’s interview subjects range from their 40s to 101 (Sister Margaret Agnes, born in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in 1908). When she encountered bashfulness or reluctance, Hofmeister gently prodded her subjects, which shows in the book’s giving exchanges between subject and interviewer.

The result is a rare chronicle of the lives of low-profile nuns going about their vocations each day, serving their community through the worldwide order of the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary."

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About the author

Elsa Thompson Hofmeister has a long association with the Visitation Sisters, as both an alumna (Class of 1956) and a retired administrator of their school. A career educator, she holds degrees from three universities in English, counseling and administration.

This book is an expression of her profound appreciation for the spiritual insight the sisters imparted to her as a student, colleague and, especially, through the interviews contained in this book.

Elsa lives in Burnsville, Minn., with her husband, Don, who shares her love and admiration for the Visitation Sisters. This is her first book.