Katherine Reardon was born in St. Louis, Mo. on December 6, 1857. Both parents came from Ireland. Later the family settled on a farm about ten miles east of Stanberry. In those pioneer days, Abbot Frowin went from Conception Abbey about once a month to offer Holy Mass for the Catholics in that vicinity. On special occasions, like First Communions, etc., the Catholics would make the trip to Conception Abbey in their lumber wagons. This was a twenty-five mile trip and necessitated starting about 2:00 a.m. When Katherine met our Sisters at Conception she was thrilled to know that they could attend Holy Mass every day, and asked to join them. She was invested with the Benedictine habit on May 7, 1880, and was professed May 7, 1881 as Sister M. Joseph. Perpetual vows followed on May 7, 1886.

The patronage of St. Joseph was to mean much in her life, which was dedicated to hard, sacrificial labor. In the beginning of her religious life she worked in the kitchen, but as the heat from the stoves brought on severe headaches, she was given outdoor work. Before too long she was placed in charge of the farm and cattle. One of her chief concerns was to have a good garden so the Sisters might have sufficient nourishing food, which was frequently lacking, as the following incident shows: One evening when Sr. M. Joseph came in for supper rather late, after her usual hard day's labor, the cook had nothing to offer her but a plateful of tiny boiled potatoes. As Sister looked rather crestfallen, the cook went to the cupboard and found a few raisins, which she sprinkled over the potatoes in an effort to make them a little more delectable and nourishing. These potatoes had in fact been provided by Sr.M. Joseph, who, in company with Sr. M. Anselma Joy, made the rounds of the neighboring farms each fall to gather up the small potatoes which the farmers discarded. As these small potatoes would not keep for long,  they had "potatoes upon potatoes."

Another concern of Sr.M. Joseph's was to build up a good dairy herd of Holstein cattle. With the help of her uncle (Sr.M. Patricia Kelly's father), the first three Holsteins were brought to Clyde from King City. This marked the beginning of a blue-blood herd which in later years was to gain international fame. Sr. M. Joseph would certainly have felt well compensated for her efforts, could she have known that at some future date a young bull from this herd would be sent to Castelgondolfo to augment the Holy Father's dairy herd.

In Sister's day the community prayed the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. Those unable to be present when the Hours were prayed in choir were expected to make up privately the Hours they missed. It is said that Sr.M. Joseph wore out three office books carrying them around with her in a large pocket in her apron, made especially for this purpose. However, she was nearly always present for Matins and Lauds in the evening, despite fatigue after a hard day's labor. As a senior member, she proudly exercised her privilege of intoning an antiphon, though her Latin was not faultless. Younger members found it hard to repress their chuckles when, for example, she loudly proclaimed: "Jam hiems transiit" giving it an English rather than a Latin pronunciation. But her prayerfulness was an inspiration to all.

When the Sisters were granted permission to receive Holy Communion daily, Sister wrote to a relative: "I have great, great joyful news for you: now we may receive our dear Lord every day!" When in failing health in her later years, she was confined to the old infirmary, she spent hours in the little infirmary chapel in silent prayer. Her rosary beads slipped through her fingers constantly. Her illness of several years was borne with patience. 

She died peacefully on July 25, 1919, conscious to the last, surrounded by Rev. Father, Rev. Mother and quite a  number of the Sisters.  Being one of our oldest Sisters, she had brought many hard sacrifices for the good of the community.