Obituaries Bernardine Franciscan Sister Laetitia Okoniewski, a graduate of St. Hedwig School. Diverse ministries serving the marginalized involved teaching English, providing transportation, helping with housing and offering support to those experiencing mental illness. Sister Francis Marie Vallone, 96, was Franciscan nun for 75 years 21 News Local Police & Courts Business Politics State & Regional History National World Multimedia COVID-19 News Tip. Sister Jean has been selected to be honored with the Viterbo University Pope St. John XXIII Award, the highest non-academic award bestowed by the university, in May 2020. It is grounded in the sacredness of all life . She attended Sacred Heart Grade School there, taught by the FSPA. You will no longer be notified of photo requests for this cemetery. During this time, Sister Rosile supervised all lay employees and building projects. When funding ended, she was invited to join the staff at the Salvation Army in Spokane as Family Welfare Director. She was a people person, warm and giving of her time and helpful to anyone in need. Their honeymoon was to travel west to bring Sister Anita back home and reunite the family. Obituary Sr. Miriam Sitarz OSF Sister Miriam, 100, a sister for 84 years, died June 3, 2017 at Mary, Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. From 1981 to 1984 she worked as a baker in West Glacier, Montana, then three years at a university in Lockport, Illinois. Later, she received a masters degree in pastoral studies from Loyola Institute of Pastoral Studies in Chicago. As Franciscans, we experience God's presence in all creatures, and we extend our care and concern for all our brothers and sisters in our common home. She served numerous people for ten years through the health department before retiring. Next, Sister Rita Marie taught at Holy Family School in Ashland, Wisconsin (1962-1966), then St. Henry School in Eau Galle, Wisconsin (1966-1969). In 2009, she received the Bishop Robert F. Morneau Distinguished Service Award from the conference. We, the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, witness the Gospel in joy and peace, committed to prayer, service, and care for all creation. She attended Holy Family Grade School and DePadua High School. She later returned to her baptismal name. Three years later cancer prevented her from performing all of her duties there but she continued on as an assistant to the new parish administrator. Posted June 15, 2022 Sister Anna Louise Aherne, O.S.F. Sister Karen Crawford . She later went back to her baptismal name. This academic year she still served as chaplain for the Viterbo University womens basketball team. Breakfast and lunch will be served. During that time, she earned a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Catherine University in St. Paul and did pastoral studies at Loyola University in Chicago. In addition to teaching, Sister served as principal at St. Marys, St. Wenceslaus, Cathedral and St. James. She then returned to St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing to teach and later assist with the transition of the school to the baccalaureate degree nursing program at Viterbo University. February 19 Discerning Young Women: St. Clare and Eucharist Zoom February 17 Novice Experiences Michigan Mission Site February 27 Sister Karolyne Rohlik, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 87 died of natural causes on May 17, 2020 at Villa St. Joseph, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Sister Evelyn entered St. Rose Convent in the fall of 1958. It is one of our missions that provide educational, spiritual and advocacy programs to help the nearby residents build better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. After raising her family, Joanne resigned from her position at the Salvation Army and entered the Benedictine Community at Mt. After leaving the classroom in 1976, she was on staff at Northern Province House in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin with responsibility for food service and maintenance. Sister Ladonna made her home at St. Rose Convent in 2016. She was an excellent teacher, a compassionate pastoral by Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Jun 5, 2017 | Franciscan Sisters News, Obituaries. This led her to think about what she would do with the rest of her life. Sister Cecilienne Goetz, FSPA, 97, died February 4, 2021 at Villa St. Joseph, La Crosse, Wisconsin. She made her first profession of vows on August 12, 1948. She received her call to be a Franciscan Sister at a young age, and loved being a Franciscan Sister of Our by Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | May 6, 2020 | Franciscan Sisters News, Obituaries. To Love is to Give - March. Later she went back toher baptismal name, Karolyne. Just last week, she shared with one of the sisters that she said a prayer every night during the pandemic before she went to bed and she would sing a lullaby to the earth and to all of its inhabitants that they would sleep well and safe. After attending the Creation Spirituality Program in Oakland, California, Sister Donna served on the retreat staff at Holy Cross Center in Merrill, Wisconsin. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of. She completed her bachelors degree at Viterbo College (University) with a major in education and a minor in music. Thats what I take.. Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois in 1917, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1930 and. With her health declining, Sister Clara Mae moved to Villa St. Joseph in 2015. She always showed upfor events, parties, fundraisers, meetings and assorted other occasions. She retired to St. Rose Convent in 2008, where she continued sharing her artistic creativity. Until 2010, Sister Rita Marie had neither taken a pill, no been hospitalized. She attributed her good health to the daily walks/runs to the hermitages located on the Villa property. Sister Jean maintained connection with her foreign exchange brother and sister throughout her life, even visiting them abroad. Read inspiring reflections from our sisters and keep up-to date . Many remember the fun time Sister Jean provided through her Annual Doctor Sister Dean Jean Golf Scramble at the end of each school year at Viterbo University. She was very appreciative of FSPA for enabling her to minister to those often forgotten or ignored by society. She had a great passion for Ecospirituality, which she wove into most of her conversations and actions. Sister Bernadette Milada Prochaska was born on June 15, 1932 in Montfort (Castle Rock), Wisconsin to Frank and Victoria (Roh) Prochaska, where she grew up with her nine brothers and sisters. In the picture above, Sr. Karen (left) and Sr. Loretta (right) "God has constantly been our companion on the journey as we walked with much joy..". AUBURN Starting in the 2021-22 academic year, two Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist will join the staff at Saint Dominic Academy as teachers while also overseeing and enhancing campus . Community members, family and colleagues will remember Sister Donna as a caring, creative person who loved life and loved her God. From 1997 to 2007, she continued providing support services to elderly in Guttenberg through volunteer work at River Living Center and St. Marys Parish. She saw beauty in creation and in people. She had a quick wit and always had a come back for everything. August 16, 1935 - July 10, 2020 IN THE CARE OF Whalen & Ball Funeral Home Sister Maureen Kelly, FSP, formerly known as Sr. John Agnes, was the second child of four born in New York City to John and Agnes Kelly. The twinkle in her eyes made one wonder what she was planning next. Franciscan Sister Elaine Urbanek passes away December 27, 2022, at the age of 99 years. She served as principal in both Carroll (St. Lawrence School) and Calmar. September 9,1941 July 1, 2022, by Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Oct 28, 2021 | Franciscan Sisters News, Obituaries. She made her first profession of vows on August 12, 1954. A second sister, Kathy, was born following the familys return to the States. Her devotion for the missions remained with her long after she left the South. Sister Kathy, as she was lovingly called, was small in stature but large in spirit and generosity. She thrived on helping people and especially loved her adoration hours. After a years sabbatical, Sister Kathleen volunteered at Villa Maria Retreat Center in Frontenac, Minnesota,then returned tothe Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse. Her final days of retirement were at Villa St. Joseph. A community of Franciscan women religious based in Clinton, Iowa with a mission of active nonviolence and peacemaking. Following her formation program, she began teaching in parish schools in Wisconsin . She made first profession of vows in 1956 and final vows in 1962. After receiving a bachelors degree in English from Viterbo College (University), La Crosse, she went on for a masters degree in English from Marquette University, Milwaukee. Sister Cecilienne taught music in numerous elementary and secondary schools in Wisconsin at Blessed Sacrament School and Aquinas High School, La Crosse and elsewhere in Marathon and Ashland. Rapnicki - Sister Mary David, FSSJ Sister Mary David died peacefully on Thursday, January 9, 2020, at St. Francis Park, in the 88th year of life and the 70th year of religious life. Her family hosted foreign exchange students from Iceland and Italy. Mangaluru, Oct 18: The provincial Ursuline Franciscan Sisters had their VIII Province Chapter in Shanthi Dham Provincialate, Derlakatte from October 17 to 21 on the theme 'Ursuline Franciscan Sisters: Commissioned to Launch into the Deep'. Sister Ceciliennes ministry was in the area of music. Follow Felician Sisters. Sister Erlinda was from a large, very close family in Cebolla, New Mexico. For recreation, Scrabble was her passion, along with a good card game now and then. In 2010, due to her deteriorating health, she chose to move to St. Rose Convent and in 2014 made her home at Villa St. Joseph. by Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Sep 13, 2022 | Franciscan Sisters News, LCWR, Obituaries, Uncategorized. Friends had always been important to Sister Jean. A second church, that could hold 500, was built in 1930. RUTH JASINSKI OBITUARY Sister Ruth Jasinski, 94, of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Third Order Regular of St Francis, died on Monday morning, August 23, 2021, at Reading Hospital-Tower. Bernardine Franciscan Sisters: Our Story In 1894 Mother Veronica Grzedowska and three companions left their cloister in Poland to respond to the educational needs of children of immigrant coal miners in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She was also a great entertainer, knowing how to make her audience laugh. As boarders, Sister Margaret and Helen got home one weekend a month. It was Bishop John Martin Henni who invited the women from Bavaria to the Lake Michigan shore to help with the needs of the 19th century German immigrants. Entering the field of education, Sister Margaret served as a primary teacher for 27 years in schools in Iowa (Carroll [St. Joseph] and Roselle) and Wisconsin (Greenwood, Marathon, Dodgeville, Halder, La Crosse [Holy Cross and Blessed Sacrament], Odanah, Big River and Menomonie). From 1963 to 1968, Sister Bernadette ministered as superintendent of Catholic schools on the island of Guam, returning there at the request of the Bishop in 1971 for another five years. She had taken several business subjects in high school, so she did secretarial work for three years before entering St. Rose Convent in La Crosse on July 29, 1941. Her keen mind could question and analyze any situation. Sister Pat continued to minister in Elroy as a private music teacher and parish volunteer until moving to Villa St. Joseph in 2008. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1921, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help |, Celebrating the Life of Sister Elaine Urbanek, OSF, Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Celebrating the Life of Sister Rose Marie Przybylowicz, OSF, Celebrating the Life of Sister Carolyn Mruz, OSF, Celebrating the Life of Sister Angelita Laws, OSF, Celebrating the Life of Sister Gale Bednarek, 1943-2021, Celebrating the Life of Sister Victoria Munoz, 1941 to 2021, Celebrating the Life of Sister Charlotte Struckhoff, OSF 1939-2021, Celebrating the life of Sister Kathryn Ann Geringer, OSF 1941-2020, Celebrating the life of Sister Erlinda Gurule, OSF 1939-2020, Celebrating the life of Sister Mary Philip Patin, OSF 1927-2020, Celebrating The Life of Sister Marilyn Smolinski, OSF 1933-2019, Celebrating The Life of Sister Jovita Chierek, OSF, Celebrating The Life of Sister Loraine Brzozowski OSF, Celebrating The Life of Sr. Judith Tokarczyk OSF, Celebrating the Life of Sister Maria Tessari, Celebrating The Life of Sr. Miriam Sitarz OSF. From 1990 to 1993, she served as Director of Pastoral Care at St. Anthony Hospital and Nursing Home, Carroll, Iowa and then pastoral minister at St. Jude Parish in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Playing cards and putting jigsaw puzzles together also gave her great pleasure. Martina Mary was born the fourth oldest of 13 children, seven sons and six daughters, to Henry and Helen (Julich) Stork on January 30, 1916 on a farm near Breda, Iowa. She was in the seventy-seventh year of her religious profession. She was a truly humble, prayerful woman of faith and courage whose spirit always radiated joy and peace. Sister Lydia was received into the Novitiate on August 12, 1940, and was given her own name, Sister Lydia. Sandy loved being a nurse in Africa. Born on April 4, 1928, in Ashland, Wisconsin, Sister Margaret Ann was the oldest child of Carl and Josephine (Rogalski) Mason. Gertrude was received into the novitiate on August 12, 1946 and was given the name Sister Barbara Jean. From 2016 to 2019, Sister Jean was back at Viterbo University teaching classes in Franciscan Traditions and Values. In Iowa she taught at St. Lawrence School and Kuemper High School, Carroll, as well as in Breda, West Point and Spencer. After a one-year stint in the St. Rose Convent cafeteria, Sister Rita Marie moved to Villa St. Joseph where she assisted in many community service roles, such as receptionist, sacristan and organist. How surprised, and disappointed, was Sister Lydia when Louise (Sister Joan Marie) entered FSPA in La Crosse. She was in the eighty-first year of her religious profession. Sister Karolyne continued to faithfully serve in a variety of ministry assignments that defined her loving commitment to religious life. She liked the work and desired to become a nurse. She boarded with the sisters Monday through Friday and it was customary to make a retreat between the two semesters. Judith attended St. Louis School in Batesville, and later when her family moved to a farm on Shrine Road, she attended Holy Family School in Oldenburg before enrolling at Oldenburg Academy. After her class of six boys and six girls graduated from the eighth grade, she spent the next year at home helping her parents. At the completion of her term she moved to Sun City, Arizona, where she served as parish administrator of St. John Vianney Parish. Is a publication about the Bernardine Center in Chester, PA. Helen again pushed the idea of a vocation out of her mind until December 1944 when she was assigned to the Sisters ward at the hospital. At entrance into the novitiate, she received the name Sister Alicita. In 1950, Sister Anita was received into the novitiate and given the name, Sister Mary Kenneth. Sister Ladonna was interested in helping others in any way she could, whether training someone to work in the business office, caring for students in the residence halls, teaching someone about bookkeeping, organizing the annual neighborhood picnic on the Viterbo campus or working toward improving a neighborhood with new street lights and a neighborhood garden. Sister Joan was received into the FSPA novitiate on August 12, 1957, and was given the name Sister Vernamae.