Anita Caspary

Life & Legacy

Anita M. Caspary, IHM (November 4, 1915, in Herrick, South Dakota – October 5, 2011, in Los Angeles, California) was an American former religious sister and later the president of an ecumenical Christian community. Under her leadership as Mother General, over 300 sisters relinquished their canonical status as Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and formed the new Immaculate Heart Community of California.
Caspary and her former IHM sisters organized the new Immaculate Heart Community as an independent religious entity. They are a religious community without any official church affiliation. The majority remained lay Catholics. In addition to her leadership role with the Immaculate Heart Community, Caspary was president of Immaculate Heart College (1958–63), English professor, popular teacher and lecturer, published author and poet.
Acknowledged as a transformative leader in the post Vatican II Catholic Church, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine, February 23, 1970.