Agnes Grace Felten’s grandfather came to America with his bride before the Civil War and built a house 5 miles south of Boonville, Missouri, which later became the home of Agnes’ parents, Michael Joseph and Mary Brummel Felten. There they raised their family of six girls and three boys, among whom Agnes was the youngest girl, born on July 5, 1899. She was five years old when her mother died at age 39. 

Her first ideas of convent life came through contact with the Benedictines who conducted a boarding school at Pilot Grove. The six older children went there in preparation for first Communion. After her mother’s death, her father sent three of the older girls to St. Joseph’s Academy in Clyde, Missouri to have the advantage of a higher education. Her father’s younger sister, Katie, had attended the Academy soon after its founding, and a cousin of his, Anna Esser (Sr. M. Annunciata Esser) had entered the Clyde community. At age 11, in preparation for her First Communion, Agnes attended the parochial school of SS. Peter & Paul in Boonville. She credited the beginning of her "Eucharistic vocation" to an assignment given in Bible History class when they had to memorize Chapter 6 of St. John’s gospel. From 1912 -1916 Agnes attended the Academy at Clyde and began to pray for the grace of a vocation. 

Her sister Florence (Sr. M. Imelda) entered when Agnes was in her first year at the Academy. During her third year Agnes wrote to her father for permission to enter the convent but an answer came from her pastor, Fr. Kussman advising her to wait awhile. Finally on March 15, 1916, with her father’s permission, she entered the postulancy while still attending classes at the Academy. Investment Day was August 24, 1916, and First Profession of vows on August 24, 1917. Final profession was February 10, 1923. Already as a novice she was assigned to teach in the Academy and continued to do so for 18 years, teaching physical geography the first year, and then most frequently English and Latin.

While in the novitiate she also started going to the barn and became one of the regular milkers. Besides teaching, she continued to study and took college courses through correspondence. Any of the Sisters remember her as one of the best teachers in  the Academy, one who always took a personal interest in helping the children. In 1935, after the school was closed, she went to Tucson, partly because of her health, but also to help establish the temporary convent, along with Srs. Carmelita, Ursula and Euphrasia. When she developed tuberculosis she was infirm for about four years. They moved into the new convent in December 1940. 

In 1941 Sister was named subprioress. In December 1941 she was appointed prioress, with Sister M. Carmelita as her subprioress. After 35 years in Arizona, she returned to Clyde on March 29, 1971. She also lived for shorter periods of time in Kansas City and in San Diego. On June 11, 1988 Sr. M. Elfleda moved into the St. Benedict Health Care community at our St. Louis monastery. In 1992 she had the rare joy of celebrating her real Diamond Jubilee, 75 years since her monastic profession.

Sister M. Elfleda was always a delightful and gentle lady, sedate in her bearing, humble and open in her responses to circumstances in life. She had a sweet voice and a friendly smile. Someone remarked that as a teacher she was always patient with the students and never raised her voice to them. This gentle patience remained constant in her life and was ever apparent when she was enduring the infirmities of old age. With failing eyesight she had to give up her love for reading, but never complained. 

On September 7, Sr. M. Elfleda had received Holy Communion in the morning, not knowing this was Viaticum for her. By evening she was not feeling well. During the night, around 2 AM, the night nurse checked on Sister and found that she was in a dying condition. Sisters were called and gathered in prayer at her bedside. 

At 6:35 AM we bade farewell to a gentle and humble lady who went to celebrate the Nativity of Mary on September 8, and share with the gentle and humble Mother of God this "Birth-Day" for which she had been preparing herself for 94 years. May our Sister M. Elfleda rest in peace! And may she continue to teach us to be alert and interested students in the school of the Lord’s service as we search and probe even more deeply into the wisdom and love of our God.