Mary Agnes, the seventh child of William Asa and Catherine Stengell Williams, was born on January 29, 1905 at their home in Owensboro, Ky. She had three brothers and two sisters older than she and a younger brother. Soon after birth Mary Agnes developed a severe eye infection which robbed her of sight in the right eye. Father George Conner, their parish priest, was asked to come to the home to baptize her on February 2. In his haste to respond, he forgot to bring the baptismal water. He used, instead, the Lourdes Water her mother had on hand.
She began her formal education at St. Frances Academy taught by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. When a junior in high school, she came to Mount Saint Joseph Academy where she graduated in 1923. In September 1924, she began teaching the primary grades at Mount Saint Joseph Academy, 12 students in a small room in back of the stage in the auditorium. On January 21, 1925, Mary Agnes entered Mount Saint Joseph Novitiate and on August 15, 1925 received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Agnes Catherine. She continued teaching the primary grades in the Academy.
In the fall of 1927, after taking temporary vows, she was missioned as primary grade teacher at St. Columba School, Louisville, Ky., for one year. She returned to the Mount and taught at St. Alphonsus until 1935. She then returned to St. Columba, Louisville until 1944. She then spent one year at Calvary, and five years at Raywick. In 1950 she was assigned to Sts. Joseph and Paul for 16 years. During this time she taught speech correction classes at Brescia College after school, on Saturday and during the summer semester, was Student Teacher Supervisor, and after opening the Speech Clinic in 1953, served as the coordinator. In 1967, Sister was missioned to Seven Holy Founders School in Affton, Mo., where she remained until retiring to the Motherhouse in 1988.
In retirement, she continued her zest for life. She stayed in touch with hundreds of her former pupils; enjoyed many friends; remained a voracious reader; knitted; visited blessed the sick; was a devoted caregiver to her sisters, Sisters Charles Asa and Joseph Marie in their final days and spent hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Even during the last few days of her life she remained genuinely aware and radiated joy.
Sister Agnes Catherine had the privilege of two trips to Europe: a Holy Year Tour with Cardinal Carberry in June 1975, and to Oberammergau, Germany to see the famous Passion Play in 1984.
Sister Agnes Catherine died in St. Joseph Villa, August 9, 2007. Glenmary Fathers David Glockner and Tom Kirkendoll presided at the funeral Mass on August 13. Her former pupils as pall bearers led the procession of family, friends, former pupils, and the Ursuline Sisters to the convent cemetery where her remains are buried. Sisters Joseph Marie and Charles Asa, her Ursuline sisters, preceded her in death.