Penelope Jane (Penny) was born April 16, 1941, to Ida Margaret and Quinto Joseph Toigo in Chicago, Illinois. Fourteen years later when her sister, Ava, was born, Penny's number one concern was caring for her. Her mother was suffering from the disease of alcoholism and was often incapable of caring for her daughters. However, every year the family went on a vacation that became the highlight of Penny's life. Through their travels in the United States, including Hawaii, Canada, and Cuba she developed a great love for culture, history, animals, and the beauty of nature.

After completed high school, Penny occasionally visited our Convent in Mundelein, Illinois. She felt attracted to the monastic contemplative lifestyle centered in adoration of the Eucharist. She entered as a postulant at Clyde on March 2, 1959. On September 12, 1961, she pronounced her first vows and received the name, Sr. Mary Angela. Sr. Angela was one of the pioneers of our St. Louis Monastery in 1964.

On the day of her final vows, September 17, 1966 her mother fell, seriously injured her head, and went into a coma. She died six days later in the hospital in St. Louis. Sr. Angela was one of the pioneers of our St. Louis Monastery in 1964. Soon after her final vows. Sister moved to San Diego and from there, in 1970, requested a year's leave to care for her sister, Ava. Once she was satisfied that she was well cared for by her Father and beloved Grandfather, she returned to San Diego. 

In 1974 she was part of a group experimenting in a small monastery in Payson, Arizona. After three months, she returned to San Diego where she remained the rest of her life.

Angela's creativity flowed into every aspect of her life and was expressed in things like planting flowers in her courtyard garden, playing classical guitar, befriending a homeless tortoise she named, Troya, planning the community's Liturgy, and writing poetry. Her life had the quality of a continuous liturgy, worshipping God by celebrating life.

One of her delightful accomplishments was the publication of her book, “God and a Mouse.” Originally a poem written as a nameday gift for her friend, Sr. M. Rosario, who had started a mouse collection, the poem-prayer became a challenge for the great Southwestern artist, Ted DeGrazia. "That mouse won't let me sleep!" he wrote as he began illustrating the work that became famous in this country—in 1990 it is in its 7th printing and has been translated into Italian, German, British English, and Hungarian. Her second book, also illustrated by DeGrazia, "Caves & Canyons" in 1979 is no longer in print.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983, Angela was treated with radiation. When this proved ineffective, Sister chose to have no further treatment or surgery. For seven years she lived life to the hilt in the San Diego community.

January 1, 1990, Angela became very ill and it seemed that she would soon die. She experienced a profound and happy reconciliation with her mother who seemed to be coming for her. It was difficult to wait hours, weeks, months as her body slowly weakened. However, by March, 1990, she was again in her flower garden, working with her book orders, helping Troya dig a hole for laying eggs, peeling apples to cook for the sisters' supper, or helping Sr. Mercedes put together a picture puzzle. Her loving presence was a precious gift to her sisters and friends.

By August, Angela was unable to leave her room though she still enjoyed visitors. Her sister, Ava, came in early November and stayed with her will she died on the 19th surrounded by her loved ones. Steve, Ava's husband, and their children, Sierra(9), Adam (7), Stephanie (5) and her uncle, aunt and two daughters flew in from Chicago for her funeral Liturgy the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, in San Diego.

Angela left us a legacy of gentle, creative love. She was a gifted woman who truly lived according the legacy of St. Benedict. “Saint Benedict will be near me when I die, I just know it!" she exclaimed. As liturgy-planner she aimed to highlight the legacies and lives of our Benedictine Saints. It was on the feast of our great St. Mechtilde that Angela died.

Shortly before her death she was asked if she had a message to leave us, she said simply: "Find the beauty in life!" Angela not only found it, she helped to create it and desired to continue even after death as is shown by this request:

"I wish that at death my body be cremated. I find in this a deep spiritual significance briefly...as my body is naturally composed of earthly elements I wish to unite with the element of God's fire, and oneness with creation.

"Life has borne for me many fires, some gentle, some blazing. Fires of love, of ecstasy, of purification, light and guidance, of pain, of virtue, of failings. May God consume all this in mercy. Place these ashes in mother earth. As she has rejoiced me in life, so be it in death."

January 26,1990, Angela had a dream:

My sprinkling can, the gallon size

has daily felt my clutching hand filling, watering, refilling her (those flowers need their watering)

Up and down the rows I trod

rejoicing thirsty roots and cooling tender leaves

all day I've been a'watering.

The sun has set, the moon has come

yet still, I'm a'watering.

New land I' ve dug and soil prepared.

Now new roots will soon appear.

And there I am, in darkness

with my sprinkling can all filled

but at day's end, this time I've found

that I'm a'watering me!

Yes, it will be, with the dawn

in some new days' sun that I’ll bloom

before the face of God.