Nothing spoke so clearly of God’s loving presence than Sister Jovita Quintana’s quiet and gentle ways. Sister Jovita exuded joy in life. She was born in Capulin, Colorado and was baptized Augustina. She made her monastic profession on January 1, 1948 at Mt. St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas and is a charter member of Benet Hill Monastery.
Sister Jovita received her BS in education from Mt. St. Scholastica and taught in California, Colorado and Kansas in parochial and public schools for forty years. She attended Adams State College and Regis College in Colorado for continuing education.
After retiring from teaching, Sister Jovita ministered at Benet Pines Retreat Center. One of her greatest pleasures was creating beautiful decorations and flower arrangements in the sisters’ dining room.
Although Sister Jovita was quiet, it was easy to see that she loved her family, community, work and her God. She carried a deep love for Christ in the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother and for monasticism, which radiated through her sixty-four years of vowed life.
“I like people to see me the way I am,” Sister Jovita once said in an interview. It can be honestly said that she exemplified the ideal set forth by Saint Paul, “and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” Loving and gentle, gracious and Christ-like, this is how Sister Jovita is remembered in our hearts.
