Anne Bonokollie has been working for the Sisters now for just over a year.  The renovation work on the monastery was concluding and the new facility required additional housekeeping. Anne was looking for a change of focus in her work.  You see, Anne is the very busy mother of seven children ages 9 to 19! She needed her evenings and weekends to tend to her family, including a special needs child.  A mutual friend from Benet Academy put in a good word for Anne with the Sisters and the timing worked out for both. 
Anne grew up in the St. Petronille Parish in Glen Ellyn, one of three children.  She attended Benet Academy and from there found just the right college at the University of Dallas.  She dreamed of a career as a vet, studied the sciences and interned in this field.  Unfortunately, an odd allergy to anesthetic used regularly in veterinary medicine forced Anne to consider other paths.  She took some education courses for fun and fell in love with the field.  After enjoying a semester of study at the University’s campus in Rome, and some personal reflection regarding a religious life, Anne graduated with a double major:  Biology and Education. 
Two years in the Peace Corps in Liberia followed, where Anne used her education degree to teach science at the high school level.  She reflects that this time was the beginning of an 18-year teaching career, which includes a Masters of Education from National Louis University.  Anne met her husband George while in Liberia.  She returned to Glen Ellyn to teach and she and George corresponded during this period.  During a summer break in 1986, Anne returned to visit George and they decided to marry and begin their life together.
As Anne’s family grew, she pursued her teaching and sought out the best schooling for her children.  Her first three children attended Marva Collin’s Westside Preparatory School on the west side of Chicago.  While living in Maywood, Anne home schooled her children for a period of time until she and George moved back to Glen Ellyn.
Anne’s life seems to have come around in a circular fashion.  She and her daughter are involved in a horse therapy program in Winfield, and volunteer together each Saturday at FTEA (Friends for Therapeutic Equine Activities).  Here Anne can enjoy her passion for animals and connect again with her early pre-vet education.  At the monastery, of course, Anne has found herself in the warm embrace of the Benedictine Sisters, a lifestyle she explored when she was a young college coed. 
Anne would honestly say that she misses her teaching career but has found a new, welcoming place at the monastery.  She has formed a warm friendship with her co-worker, Magda, and she simply cannot say enough about the Sisters.  She reflects, “They thank you.  They hug you.  You are always in their prayers.”