The Joliet Franciscan Magazine - Winter 2020-2021

The Joliet Franciscan A Publication of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate - Joliet, IL

WINTER 2020

Letter from the President

Sister Dolores Zemont, OSF

Dear Friends, It is safe to say that we are all looking forward to the day when we can once again gather safely with family and friends. Although as a Congregation we were not able to gather as a community, we nonetheless were able to gather in ways that were creative and unique.

On Monday, June 8, Sisters and Associates living in the Joliet area and residents from the Village at Our Lady of Angels took to their cars, decorated with signs and balloons, to form “The Happy Parade.” The 27-car parade drove past Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, honking horns and yelling out greetings, as a way of letting the residents, including many Sisters, know that we were thinking of them. The OLA residents have been adhering to the guidelines of the Illinois Department of Health since the beginning of the pandemic. So, it was refreshing for them to be outside in the sunshine to view the parade while maintaining the proper protocols.

On Saturday, September 12, we livestreamed our annual Mission Ceremony – usually held at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home - to Sisters and Associates into their homes.

Sr. Dolores Zemont, OSF Central Administration members, along with Darcy Mason, Director for Associates, led prayers and songs while I read the names of each Sister and Associate, including those who minister in Brazil. Through the initial broadcast and later visits to the replay on our website, 230 views of the Mission Ceremony took place.

A few weeks later, on Saturday, October 3, we celebrated Transitus, again inviting Sisters and Associates to participate through the Livestream broadcast. The initial broadcast and replay on the website brought 167 views. Transitus is celebrated the day before the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and is the day we commemorate his death. Transitus is a Latin word meaning passage or crossing over.

On Saturday December 5, we provided an Advent Reflection through Livestream presented by Father Michael Jennrich, OFM. Our Sisters and Associates were invited to attend. The title of Father Jennrich’s presentation was “A Pregnant Pause: A Reflection On Our Time Of Confinement.” If you are interested, it is available on our website.

As we gather with loved ones throughout the holiday season in whatever way we can safely do, let us also remember the reason why we gather – the birth of Jesus who lives within all of us throughout the world.

I ask that you remember our Sisters in your prayers. I am grateful for your presence in our lives and for the many ways that you support us. You are remembered in my prayers every morning as I begin my day. I send you best wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Peace and all good, Sister Dolores Zemont, OSF President Cover photo: Sisters Rosemary Huzl and Brigid Jacobs wait outside to see the “Happy Parade” at Our Lady of Angels.

The Joliet Franciscan (Winter 2020) CONGREGATION LEADERSHIP Sr. Dolores Zemont, OSF Sr. Rosemary Fonck, OSF Sr. Elaine Kerscher, OSF Sr. Barbara Kwiatkowski, OSF

EDITOR / LAYOUT DESIGN Lucy Sanchez Director of Communications lsanchez@jolietfranciscans.org

COPY EDITORS Sister Ann Freiburg, OSF Renee Cipriani

Joliet Franciscan Center - JFC / 1433 Essington Rd. / Joliet, IL / 60435-2873 / (815) 725-8735 © 2020 - Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, Joliet, IL. All Rights Reserved

Advancing the Mission Hello Everyone, Before anything else, I want to thank you for your support of the appeals we have sent out over the past several months. You responded in a gracious way to all of them. I cannot adequately tell you the impact your generosity makes. As you know, your donations help support our retired Sisters, those in ministries whose salary does not adequately cover living expenses, and our Sisters who volunteer without monetary compensation. Many of you are volunteers and understand that.

There is only one more appeal this calendar year – our most important one – and that is the annual Christmas appeal. Thank you in advance for your support.

The past several months has tested all of us. The life stories of those affected by the virus can be particularly touching. I found myself hoping that family, friends, and acquaintances were aware of the stories and the extent of the uniqueness that each individual possesses.

It prompted me to start my own personal blog for family and friends (www.lifetimeofminutes.com) posting stories from parts of my life that they might not know.

My brother even commented, “I never knew that.”

This also prompted me to find some unique stories about the Sisters that I could share with you in this issue of the magazine. And I found a good one. Later in this issue you will find “One to Another,” the story of Sister Delphine McMahon and Sister Ludmilla Skluzak. Sister Delphine’s Congregation file had next to nothing in it. Her Alleluia letter did not provide her birth date. I decided to stop at St. John’s Cemetery on my way to work one morning. I knew where Sister Delphine would be buried. She would be among the earliest to have died. But she was not there. I walked up and down the row of graves again, but she was not there.

Walking over to Sister Ludmilla’s grave, I bent down to take a photo of her grave marker and asked out loud,

Nan Nagl “Where’s your friend?” Back in my car a minute later, two words come into my consciousness. “Check Mansfield.” Once in the office, I asked Sister Lourdes Boyer, the Congregation’s General Secretary, if she could check the database of all the Sisters for Sister Delphine. She gave me her birth date, her profession date and finished by tellNan Nagl ing me that Sister Delphine Director of Mission Advancement was buried in Mansfield (Ohio). Coincidence or was it a friendly voice from the past helping to finish my story. I know what I think!

If you are at least 70 ½ years of age, remember that the IRA Charitable Rollover is available to those who wish to make a charitable contribution of up to $100,000 from an IRA without paying income tax on the IRA funds. Limitations on the provision include: • • •

The donor must be 70 ½ or older.

Caps on annual IRAs are limited to $100,000.

Contributions must be made as a direct gift to the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate.

For more information, please contact a financial professional. You may also call the Mission Advancement office for the Sisters of St. Francis at 815-725-8735 x116.

With that, on behalf of Lucy Sanchez, Director of Communications, and myself, I send best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for all you do for the Sisters. Until next time, be careful, stay healthy and enjoy the miracle of each new day.

Fiscal Year 2020 which ended on June 30. The total given was $951,851.

Thank you for your wonderful support.

Estates - 55% General Operations - 22% Retirement - 9% Events - 5% Restricted - 5%

Stock 1% Bluestem Earth Festival 1% Brazil 1% Other 1%*

*includes St. Clare House of Prayer and JPIC

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Meet My Ministry Meet Sister Margaret Hoffman, OSF. Sister Margaret has a long and illustrious career as an educator. After completing her student teaching with first graders in Joliet, she was assigned to St. Francis Academy (Joliet Catholic Academy), to teach English. Her next assignment sent her to her beloved Ohio and to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville and later to Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1990, she has been teaching English at St. Charles Preparatory School in Columbus, Ohio. Following is her story.

My classmates, Sisters Kathleen Rossman, Odelia Kloc, Maria Pesavento and I were blessed to enter the convent at a time influenced by Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council. Pope St. John XXIII encouraged sisters to go out into the world, saying, “The moment has arrived when we must recognize the signs of the times, seize the opportunity and look far abroad.”

That was followed a few years later by the Vatican II document on the renewal of religious life, which urged sisters to go back to the foundations of their orders, determine the original intentions of their founders concerning the individual order’s apostolate, prayer life, even their dress, and adapt them to contemporary life.

In 1973, our congregation responded to that call by giving sisters permission to go into other ministries beyond teaching.

I admired the ministries that some sisters chose: midwifery on the Amazon River, nursing AIDS patients in Chicago, parish ministry, hospital chaplaincy, and campus ministry in many locales. But for me, teaching was my first love.

I did my student teaching with first-graders, and I cherished the experience. There were 60 children in first grade at Saint Raymond School in Joliet, and my supervising teacher, Sister Kenneth Hans, came up to my shoulder. There was not a sound in the room, but that control came from Sister’s kindness and knowing the nature of children. One day when a fire engine went by, Sister Kenneth said, “Everyone get up and look out the window.” She explained to me, “We all wanted to; why not allow a few minutes for that and then return to work?” Later I learned the custom of saying a prayer for those involved in the emergency. Another in-sight resulted from my inexperience with first graders. About five youngsters had been out sick, and Sr. Kenneth Sr. Christine on their return I was asked to give them a test that they had missed. The objective Hans Fahrenbach was for them to circle the appropriate shape mentioned by the teacher for each row on the page. They all did the task with varying degrees of accuracy, and I proudly gave Sister Kenneth the papers. There was only one problem. None of the papers had a child’s name on it. It was impossible to tell which paper belonged to which student from their circles. I wrote the names on new papers, we did the task again, and I learned a lifelong lesson.

When it came time for my first full-time position, however, Saint Francis Academy in Joliet, an all-girls school with 1000 students, needed an English teacher, so that is what I was assigned to do, and I have been teaching high school English ever since. My class of sisters was the first group from our congregation to receive college degrees before going out to teach. This was a great advantage to us and a blessing of the era in which we entered the convent, as the efforts of the Sister Formation Conference were calling for such a change. Even in earlier years, however, our congregation, and most others at that time, had a built-in system for teaching teachers. You lived with other sisters and learned by watching and listening to them. This developed camaraderie and what now would be described as a type of mentorship.

The person that instilled in me the principles of education that have stayed with me even to this day was Sister Hortense Fahrenbach, later known as Sister Christine. Sister was the principal of Saint Francis Academy. It was she who first

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translated the Franciscan motto, “Primo unctio et postea speculatio” in a practical way for me. She said, “The one who sees the problem is anointed to solve it.”

I teach that motto to my students every year. It is liberating for those who want to take the initiative and are afraid that they will be criticized for doing so. On the first parent night of each year, I suggest to the parents that it be put on the refrigerator. If the calendar page needs to be turned in the classroom, the students, instead of pointing out the situation, know that it can be changed by them. I think that this saying is true for life, and I assure the students that taking the initiative is admirable in my estimation.

Sister Hortense’s second principle that has helped me was her explanation of Sister Margaret with some of her students at St. Charles Preparatory School the meaning of grades. To many students a grade is an evaluation of the person. I learned from Sister that a grade is really a number that represents simply the percentage of what has been presented in the classroom that the student is able to give an account of at each academic period. As a result, a student is much more than his or her grade. I put on my classroom board each grading period, “You are not your grade.” Assessments are objective data, not a judgment of a person.

That first year Sister also taught me through the faculty meetings that we had. She said that an idea was like a football.

We “kicked it around” but we were not kicking the person who presented the idea. There was a time when young teachers were expected to be silent at faculty meetings. This was not so at Saint Francis Academy under Sister Hortense’s administration. All were welcome to suggest ideas that would be discussed by the faculty. Everyone knew that the idea was separate from the person who presented it, and the presenter knew that she was not being criticized but only the suggestion was. I have instructed my students that when a paper is presented to an audience, it is not the writer that is being criticized; it is the essay. That concept is important if a writer or committee member is going to feel confident and comfortable and willing to present ideas to a group.

After two years at Saint Francis Academy from 1965-1967, I taught ninth through twelfth grade English from 19671975 at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville, Ohio, near Canton, from 1975-1990 at Bishop Watterson High School and since 1990 at St. Charles Preparatory School, both in Columbus, Ohio. I enjoy teaching English because of the significance of writing and literature to everyone. The skill of writing is something all people need, regardless of their age or occupation. And literature is transformational. It is very important, especially at this time when so much is changing, to introduce students to literature that can have an impact on the way they think and that comes from a multitude of cultures. That has always been my aim.

Being able to work with young people is what keeps me involved in education. Young people have not changed in my 55 years as a teacher, but their worlds have changed. They give me hope. People often ask if I am ready to retire, but I enjoy teaching as much as I ever did and hope to continue as long as I can be an effective teacher.

I am fortunate to be among the sisters who knew the life of the Church before and after Vatican II. People sometimes say to me, “We need more sisters in the schools.” My response is that those of us who are sisters are so proud to have trained, supported and passed the torch to what now are three generations of men and women who are teaching in our Catholic schools and doing so beautifully. We do the work that God has given us to do and as things have changed, we have changed with them.

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Connections

by Lucy Sanchez

In this issue, I interviewed Associate Natalie Bayci. Natalie is an extraordinary woman who has spent her life volunteering. Years earlier, when she was organizing mission trips abroad, she carried cement blocks off a truck while on a worksite in the Philippines.

Today, she continues to follow God’s call to serve others in all her endeavors.

While actually joining the Congregation was not far from Natalie’s mind, she unexpectedly met her future husband at Joliet Catholic High School in the Fall of 1951 while putting up decorations for the Football Dance at the school. She married Robert Bayci in 1955 and subsequently had five children: William, Nancy, Barbara, James and Michael. She has nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. “Robert went home to the Lord on May 16, 1996,” said Natalie. They were happily married for over 40 years.

Natalie entered the workforce once all of her children were in school. She was employed at the College of St. Francis as a bookkeeper and secretary. She also continued to volunteer at Joliet Catholic High, St. Francis Natalie attended St. Francis Academy (now Joliet CathoAcademy and at the Cathedral of St. Raymond. It was at lic Academy) from 1949-1953. She came to know and St. Raymond where she got to know Bishop Blanchette. appreciate the Sisters on a deeper level.

When a position became available “The Sisters who taught us at St. at the Diocese of Joliet in 1977, Francis were extraordinary! Not only Bishop Blanchette called and ofdid they prepare us to work and live fered her the position of becoming in the world, but they also prepared us his Executive Secretary. Unbeto minister to others,” she said. It was knownst to Natalie at that time, she through the Sisters’ varied ministries would remain in this position for that Natalie and her classmates were nearly 30 years, working for a total able to appreciate the Sisters comof four different Bishops before mitment to education, jail ministry, retiring in 2006. Although “redomestic violence, counseling, and tired,” from employment, this gave working with minorities and anRobert and Natalie Bayci her a new avenue for her continued swering God’s call. “volunteerism.”

Natalie Bayci

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God, Family and Community are three words that describe the essence of Natalie Bayci’s life. It was her parents who first taught her what it meant to be a part of a faith community, but it was also her years spent knowing the Joliet Franciscan Sisters that impacted her life. “I have always felt that what I do is a reflection of the rich gifts I have been given by my parents and Franciscan Sisters whom I have had contact with,” said Natalie.

The Joliet Franciscan

To name a few of her endeavors, Natalie is a lector at the Cathedral, brings communion to the homebound, and volunteers at Daybreak Center (30 years and counting!). Natalie continued to help wherever she was needed.

She found ways of sharing with the youth and young adults of her parish, began accompanying college students on Mission Trips to Sucre, Bolivia, and the Philippines where they built homes for the poor and fed the neediest.

She is a Chaplain for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, she sends birthday cards to prisoners and is a member of the Visitation & Aid Society. The list goes on and on!

Natalie Bayci (center) with her children, their spouses and some of her grandchildren.

From left: Sister Meg Guider, Sister Sue Bruno, Sister Peggy Quinn, Natalie Bayci, Sister Mary Rose Lieb and Sister Lourdes Boyer

When Natalie decided to enter into the Joliet Franciscan Associate Relationship in 1987, Mother Borromeo wrote the following in her recommendation letter, “Natalie was always interested in serving people and was an inspiration to her classmates.” She went on to say, “Natalie had the real Franciscan Spirit!” Natalie chose Sister Carol Novak as her companion. Sister Carol had encouraged her to join the Young Christian Students at the Academy where Natalie learned so much about Scripture and how to put it into action. They remained in contact throughout the years, meeting occasionally for breakfast.

Today Sister Vivian Whitehead is her companion.

In 2009, the Sisters honored Natalie with the Mother Alfred Moes Award. This award was established to honor the spirit of those who, like Mother Alfred, respond to the needs of the times with vision and determination. Natalie continues to exemplify the spirit of Mother Alfred and we are grateful for all that she has done and continues to do.

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The Associate Journey During the last eight months, our Associates have been adjusting to “life during a pandemic.” Since the Congregation’s events have been cancelled indefinitely, we are trying to find creative ways to stay in touch with each other.

On December 7, 2020, we will finally have the opportunity to honor our four Associates who are celebrating their anniversaries. A Mass will be celebrated in their honor at St. John the Baptist Church in Joliet. Associates Ann O’Brien and Anne Tietyen are celebrating forty years, while Harry Davis and Dorothy Spencer are celebrating twenty-five years (they were featured in our last issue of The Joliet Franciscan).

Darcy Mason

Director of Associates

We are also planning to begin a new series of virtual meetings to continue a discussion started last year at the day-long gathering. This will be a first for us but hopefully we have all improved our computer skills. Our planning committee has been working to plan these exciting sessions for the near future.

For about five years now, the Associates have been assigned to nine regional groups. They usually gather monthly for a time of fellowship and prayer. It affords them the opportunity to renew bonds with Associates who have not been able to come to other events in the past. Time is set aside for prayer and other celebrations including birthdays and holidays.

Before the Covid pandemic, seven of the regional groups met in a member’s home. Another group held their meetings via telephone. Our ninth group usually met in person about once a year, given they lived in different areas of Ohio. Since Covid, some continue to speak frequently by phone, most of these groups have been using Zoom video-conferencing by computer.

Associates Julie Kowalczyk and Kate Stair, are members of the South Suburban Illinois group. Because they are unable to prepare and serve meals at Daybreak Center in Joliet, they have been visiting different neighborhoods near their home, to collect food for local food pantries in their area. They are now collecting food to take to other pantries throughout the Joliet area.

Taken during the Associate Gathering held last year at the Joliet Franciscan Center.

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Jeanne Foley, convener of the telephone group, shared the following: “Our Franciscan Prayer Group has been meeting by conference call on the last Wednesday of the month since 2015. For an hour or so each month we’ve shared Community issues, personal and family prayer intentions, as well as national and global events that affect the vulnerable in society and on our home planet. We take turns planning and leading, using the prayer services on our community website or other services that have been available. Recently, we’ve prayed the services that have come from LCWR. Sharing these and the daily issues of our personal and family lives has been a very spiritually supportive experience for each of us. Our current members are Rose Mines, Dorothy Spiczak, Anne Tietyen, Anne Craig McEldowney, Paul Bovyn and myself. Over the years we have prayed some into eternity and welcomed new, always enriching our practice of Franciscan core values and learning from each other. We also try to keep up by phone or card to the Associates who cannot be active due to health or other circumstances. It seems like we have been preparing for this pandemic for the past five years because we are now used to this very convenient and powerful way of gathering by phone.”

Dorothy Resh, convener of one of the Joliet Regional Groups wrote: “Our prayer group is small but we are a strong, faith-filled and supportive group. During the pandemic, we have continued to meet. For the first few months we met by Zoom, then outside, and now “our bubble” meets inside one of the member’s home.* We have each consciously agreed to protect each other by following the recommended guidelines. We believe that each of us benefits significantly because we are very bonded and we find it easy to share our faith.

We use the beautiful reflections written by Associate Roberta Spencer. Her writings always lead to good discussions about current issues and thoughtful conversation. Our prayer group has experienced both great joy and loss. Since the beginning of our gatherings, we have experienced the death of Karen Kietzman (just over three years ago) and now the recent passing of Jean Konrad. When Karen was in hospice care, our group held a special Franciscan gathering at her bedside. Jean’s unexpected death took us by surprise, but we were honored that we had our last meeting in her home only two days before she was hospitalized. It was a joyful, prayerful, and laughter-filled gathering. We are saddened, but both of them smile and bless us from their heavenly home. We vow to continue as a group because we treasure being together and sharing our Franciscan charism.”

The Associates have found innovative ways to stay in touch during these unusual times. We are also blessed to have these smaller prayer groups available where we can share and support each other as we continue to live our Franciscan charism. *Editor note: Dorothy wrote this before the increase in cases of Covid in Joliet. They now meet by Zoom.

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By Nan Nagl

One to Another

When I first began thinking about writing something that would honor the Joliet Franciscan Sisters’ 155th anniversary of their founding, my plan was to present short pieces on eight to ten Sisters from the first 75 years – Sisters you would have not known. As I started to read through the early Alleluia letters now available on our history website at www.jolietfranciscanshistory.org, I came upon a Sister whose Alleluia letter was linked to the Alleluia letter of another. They are Sister Delphine McMahon and Sister Ludmilla Skluzak. They did not know each other. They never met. In fact, one died before the other entered the Congregation. Yet, they are linked together. I hope you will find this to be an interesting piece of Joliet Franciscan history just as I did. But first, let me put some context in place.

In the years from 1880 – 1890, the United States population saw enormous growth with the addition of two and one-half million immigrants. People from Poland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and Bohemia were among the many who were making their way to what they hoped would be a better life in the United States, a little more than a hundred years old at the time.

The growth of the country brought new challenges.

Many of the immigrants were Catholic, a faith they lived deeply – a faith in which they wanted their children to be educated. Teachers who spoke languages other than English were needed in many schools where English was spoken little, if at all.

Sisters were sent to St. Wenceslaus, the first Czech school in Chicago, and St. Procopius, also a Czech school. Working side by side with a pastor or lay teacher who spoke the Czech language, the Sisters provided the education that the children needed.

St. Wenceslaus Church located on DesPlaines and DeKoven Avenues in Chicago was founded in 1863.

The Joliet Franciscans began their teaching minisSr. Delphine (Margaret) McMahon was only six try at St. Wenceslaus in 1869 and remained there years old when she appeared in the 1870 Census. until the parish closed in 1955. The church had the Found on Ancestory.com distinction of being just yards away from the start of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Although much of the city was destroyed in the fire, the church survived. Upon hearing of the fire and concerned for the Sisters serving at St. Wenceslaus, Mother Alfred Moes, the Congregation’s founder and General Superior, along with a companion Sister, set out in a carriage on the 40 mile journey to Chicago bringing jugs of water and coffee to them.

Sister Delphine’s Congregation file holds only two things: her Alleluia letter and a 5”x7” piece of lined paper holding a few short notes written in exquisite penmanship. Using my ancestry.com membership and other external resources for additional information, we learn more. Born Margaret McMahon, she was the middle of five children. Her mother, Catherine, was born in Ireland. Margaret and her two older siblings, Mary and John, were

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born in England. Her two younger brothers, Thomas and Peter, were born in Ohio. They were living in Mansfield, Ohio, at the time of the 1870 U.S. Census.

Based on information obtained from Mansfield’s St. Peter parish website, we learn that Margaret came to the Joliet Franciscans in 1878 (the Joliet Franciscans served at St. Peter’s from 1871 to 2015). She was about 13 years of age at the time. Margaret became Sister Delphine.

Sister Delphine arrived at St. Wenceslaus in 1881 where she became a protégé of the pastor, Father Joseph Molitor, who taught her to speak Bohemian to be able to teach the students of Bohemian heritage. She took to the language very quickly. In September of 1882, she became ill and was diagnosed with consumption, now known as tuberculosis. There was no hope for her recovery, she was given only a few months to live.

Her mother, still living in Mansfield, was notified of Sister Delphine’s illness. She arrived shortly thereafter along with her daughter, Mary, to visit for about a week and asked that Sister Delphine be allowed to return to Mansfield. General Superior Mother Celestine Sontag agreed. Sister Delphine traveled to Mansfield where she would live with the Sisters at St. Peter’s thereby allowing her mother to visit with her frequently.

Before Sister Delphine left for Mansfield, Father Molitor said to her, “After I have taken so much time in teaching you Bohemian, now you want to die?” Sister Delphine replied, “Father, when I get to heaven, my first request to our Lord shall be that He may inspire a Bohemian girl to take my place in the convent.”

Sister Delphine died on April 2, 1883, at the age of 19 and is buried in Mansfield Catholic Cemetery. She had only made her Final Profession of Vows in the last year. The hand-written note in Sister Delphine’s file closed with the words, “She passed away to receive her reward. A good faithful religious.”

After Sister Delphine left for Mansfield, Father Molitor wrote an article for the Catholic newspaper in his native Bohemia highlighting the need for teachers for the Bohemian schools in the United States. A couple living in Ultavotin, Bohemia, saw Father Molitor’s article and sent it to their daughter who was now living in the United States.

Copy of the ship’s ledger where Marie Skluzak’s name appears.

Found on Ancestory.com

At the age of 17, Marie (Mary) Skluzak was living with her parents Thomas and Maria in Ultavotin, Bohemia.

She was restless. She wanted to see the world and all that it offered. She continued to ask her parents to let her leave home and begin her exploration. Her parents resisted her pleas until they finally relented. Marie began her voyage aboard the Rhenania to the United States on October 23, 1881, arriving in New York on November 7, 1881. Imagine the mix of confidence and fear felt by both traveler and parents for the journey that lay ahead.

She made her way to Detroit where she would live with relatives who had already settled in the United States.

However, Marie was still restless and felt as constrained in her new country as she had in her old. And then the newspaper article, written by Father Molitor, arrived from her parents. Now 19 years old, her life was about to change.

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Although these Sisters never met, they will forever remain linked together.

Tombstone of Sister Delphine McMahon. She is buried in Mansfield, Ohio.

Tombstone of Sister Ludmilla Skluzak. She is buried at St. John’s cemetery in Joliet, Illinois.

Marie was soon on her way to Joliet where she was enthusiastically accepted by the Joliet Franciscans. She would be known as Sister Ludmilla. As a postulant, Sister Ludmilla was sent immediately to St. Wenceslaus School where she began teaching the Bohemian children to whom she was called. Almost half of her religious life would be spent teaching children in primary grades at St. Wenceslaus School. The last ten years in her teaching ministry were spent at St. Procopius School working with kindergarten students.

Sister Ludmilla became ill in April 1932. She had surgery and although she had hoped to be able to return to the classroom in September, it was not to be. She died on December 1, 1932, in her 49th year of religious life and is buried in St. John Cemetery in Joliet.

Sister Delphine’s request that the Lord send a replacement for her, working in concert with Father Molitor’s request for vocations from his homeland, brought Sister Ludmilla to the Joliet Franciscans. In the end, one nineteen-year old placed her ministry safely in the heart and hands of another nineteen-year old, both called to something greater than themselves.

For Your Information • Although surviving the Chicago Fire of 1871, St. Wenceslaus Church on DesPlaines and DeKoven Avenues was demolished in the early 1960s to allow for the expansion of the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower Expressways, as well as the construction of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.

• Father Molitor died in 1906. In 1872, Father Molitor, along with pastors of two other parishes with large immigrant populations, purchased 21 acres of land to serve as a cemetery for their parishioners. It became known as St. Adalbert Cemetery, located in Niles, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. They deeded the land to Bishop Thomas Foley, Bishop of Chicago. Chicago was not yet an archdiocese; Joliet was not yet a diocese.

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W

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S isters

Sister Mary (Ursuline) Franz, OSF In the quiet evening on May 7, 2020, in the month of Mary, our Sister Mary Franz completed the last leg of her journey to God amidst the isolation of “shelter-inplace” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks before her 104th birthday, Mary was living her faith journey moment to moment, waiting to finally meet her God. Born May 23, 1916, to Rosa (Miller) and Joseph Franz in Columbus, Ohio, Mary Elizabeth was one of twelve siblings, nine brothers and two sisters. Having lost her mother on her 10th birthday and her father when she was eighteen and a first year novice, Mary was aware that the moral and spiritual values she learned in those early years from her parents lived on in her and through her large extended family who remained important to her throughout her life. She was aware that she received from them a living faith and a care and compassion for others and for the world.

Sister Mary Franz Born May 23, 1916 Postulancy September 8, 1932 Novitiate August 12, 1933 Final Profession August 12, 1938 Entered Eternal Life May 7, 2020

Deeply rooted in German Village, Mary started her education with the Joliet Franciscans at St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in German Village, Columbus, Ohio. At sixteen she entered the convent in Joliet, Illinois, and finished her high school work at St. Francis Academy. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the present University of St. Francis and a master’s degree from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Sister Mary spent 30 years in schools teaching math, biology and religion or administrating throughout the grades, mostly in high schools and college in Illinois and Ohio. She spent four years in the congregation business office before she stepped into another form of education and accepted the Congregation responsibility as Director of Postulants, ever faithful to the “duty of the moment.”

During the turbulence of the 70s, Mary began a shift into Pastoral Ministry. At age sixty she took a year sabbatical in order to study Clinical Pastoral Education along with workshops in RCIA. Her pastoral work continued when she moved into semiretirement in her 80s. She continued with scripture sharing groups, tutoring as a second language, and founded a parish project to create and send computer designed cards.

Returning to Joliet, Sister Mary lived at Guardian Angel Home until 2014. At ninety-eight years of age Mary moved to independent living at Our Lady of Angels, followed by moves to assisted living and then nursing care. Her pastoral ministry continued throughout these years until eventually her eyesight, hearing and walking became difficult.

Every morning Mary blessed herself and prayed the words, “another day for God, another day for heaven.” And now she is with God in heaven where she can live every moment praising God in glory and peace.

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Sister Mary (Assumpta) Berendt, OSF Sister Mary Berendt was born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 4, 1938, to Marguerite (Marioth) and Anthony Berendt. Mary had two brothers and three sisters, and like them, she attended Saint Mary School where the Sisters of Saint Francis were the teachers since 1875. A high school was built in 1914 and Mary’s class graduated from there in 1956, the year the school played in the State of Ohio basketball championship game. It was there that Mary grew to know and love our Sisters, and in January of 1957 she came to Joliet to join the congregation.

She received the name Sister Mary Assumpta, fitting because her home parish traditionally celebrated August 15 as its patronal feast.

Sister Mary Berendt Born November 4, 1938 Postulancy January 28, 1957 Novitiate August 13, 1957 Final Profession August 13, 1964 Entered Eternal Life June 11, 2020

After teaching in Illinois for 14 years, Mary was assigned to Corpus Christi School in Columbus, the city where she spent the next forty years. Sister Mary’s life was guided by the words of Micah the prophet: “What does the Lord ask of you? Only this: to live justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.” On the outside, Sister Mary was a tease, but inside, at her core, she was a loyal person who would fiercely defend the position of others even to the point of being criticized for doing so. Her loyalty kept her at Corpus Christi School through its new identity as Corpus Christi-Saint Ladislas School and, at its closure, she went to Saint Philip the Apostle School until its merger with another school.

The diverse ethnicity of each student body enriched Sister Mary’s life as she did theirs. When she chose to leave full-time classroom duties, she was not finished in education. Sister Mary then became a tutor at both Holy Spirit and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, serving two schools 21 miles apart. The messages received at her death reflect the love and gratitude of her students and the parish staffs of each of these churches. Her loyalty is echoed in the respect of those whom she served.

Sister Mary’s life was enriched by the life of the Church. Her family members followed different paths of marriage, priesthood and sisterhood, and all were supported by the bonds of family. Similarly, Mary loved and supported others.

Her years at Our Lady of Angels opened new doors to brighten others’ days. She offered her gifts on the spirituality committee, in the fun of cook-outs, and she organized football pools, and in the ways she listened to others and “walked in their shoes” even while on her scooter. Mary loved tenderly.

Sister Mary knew when she left Ohio that she was not well. Physically, she had many strikes against her. Nevertheless, she took each day of the five years God gave her to do what she could to improve the lives of others. The staff of OLA, her nieces and nephews, the staff at the center where she received dialysis, her classmates, both the Sisters and her fellow alumni of Saint Mary’s, those who had no voice, knew where she was and where she stood.

Sister Mary died peacefully on June 11, 2020. She is buried in the congregational plot at Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, Illinois. May she rest in peace.

Amen. Alleluia!

14 The Joliet Franciscan

Sister Margaret Rose Sczesniak, OSF In the early hours of the morning of September 5, 2020, Sister Margaret Rose Sczeniak was called to her eternal reward peacefully, but suddenly, and without warning. She was born on December 25, 1933, a Christmas gift to her parents Sabina (Ptaskiewicz) and Walter Sczesniak. Given the name Barbara Ann, she and her sister, Susan Pearson, were raised in Chicago. She attended W. K. Sullivan grade school and SS. Peter and Paul High School where she met the Joliet Franciscans. She entered in 1950, and was given the name Margaret Rose.

Sister Margaret Rose Sczesniak Born December 25, 1932 Postulancy September 4, 1950 Novitiate August 12, 1951 Final Profession August 13, 1956 Entered Eternal Life September 5, 2020

She received her B.A. in Education from the College of St. Francis (now University of St. Francis) in Joliet and earned an M.A. in History from DePaul University, Chicago. Sister Margaret Rose’s educational ministry encompassed 26 years as an elementary teacher and/or principal and 21 years in the field of educational administration and adult education as a teacher in the ESL and GED programs.

Serving as an instructor at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, she was the co-coordinator of the “People Educating People” Program. She also taught at the Illinois Chinese Cultural Center in Westmont, Illinois. Sister Margaret Rose loved her ministry at the Cultural Center and would often sing and talk in Chinese.

It was only after the listener was intrigued would she “confess” to making it all up since she had not mastered the Chinese language at all!

Sister Margaret Rose ministered as the Local Coordinator of the Sisters living at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, and then returned to the education field as an educator at Joliet Junior College where she assisted foreign students in acquiring the necessary language skills. In 2005, she then served in the area of respite care and pastoral ministry to the elderly. In 2010 she became a resident at Our Lady of Angels. She did not retire from serving others, but extended her loving care through “Prayer and Presence,” walking the halls, encouraging residents and visitors, or sitting quietly in chapel, being present to the Lord in prayer.

Sister Margaret Rose had many special gifts, among them the gifts of humor and spontaneity. She enhanced these gifts by attending “clown school” and was known as “Blossom” the clown, performing at parties, picnics, and in classrooms, hoping to help those around her “Blossom with Life.” She loved plant and flower arrangements, watching old movies, card playing and pizza parties. Sister Margaret Rose also had an intensely serious side. She felt very passionate about issues and would share her views freely. Her nephew Scott, of whom she was very fond, gave her a sign which hung in her room. It said: “Don’t mess with Margaret.” Her own words tell us this: “I have called upon the Spirit of my life to direct me. I must also continue to “be attentive to my own heart’s demands hidden beneath my defenses.’”

Sister Margaret Rose helped organize “Watchful Waiting,” the prayer vigil for OLA Sister residents in the final stages of their earthly journey. Now she waits and watches over each of us from the place she shares with the many she watched, waited and prayed for here. Margaret Rose, we thank you for your sense of humor and the many gifts and talents which you so generously shared with your family, your students, and your congregation as you witnessed the Gospel message with authenticity and simplicity. Assist us as we strive to “Blossom” in our life! Amen!

Alleluia!

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Sister Clare Wand, OSF Sister Clare was the daughter of the late Clara Hoebing and Maurice Wand of Quincy, Illinois. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Henry, Joseph and Sam; and her sisters, Margaret Klauser, Theresa Halfpap, Rita Dreier and Helen Freidhoff. She is survived by her sisters, Ruth Wand and Pauline Uppinghouse both of Quincy, Illinois, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, Joliet for 76 years.

Growing up in such a large family, Sister Clare learned early in life how to give of her time and talents to others, but especially to her siblings. Caring for and working with her brothers and sisters, she developed a special way of bonding.

Born and raised in Quincy, Illinois, Sister Clare was a member of St. Anthony Parish. She graduated from the Parish Grade School and attended St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy).

Sister Clare Wand Born October 1, 1927 Postulancy September 7, 1943 Novitiate August 12, 1944 Final Profession August 12, 1947 Entered Eternal Life November 8, 2020

16 The Joliet Franciscan

On September 7, 1943, she walked up the steps of St. Francis Convent to become a postulant. She was accepted into the novitiate on August 12, 1944, receiving the name of Sister Mary Clarissa. Her love and devotion to St. Clare of Assisi prompted her in the 1970’s to shorten her name to Sister Clare.

Trained in the culinary arts, Sister Clare ministered to her Sisters in convents in Illinois and Ohio, taking care of their day-to-day needs for 22 years. In 1968 she began another chapter of her life by ministering at St. Francis Academy as part of the staff. She served as a teacher of Home Arts, registrar, bookstore manager, and clerical assistant for 21 years.

Having expressed an interest and love for the elderly, Sister Clare volunteered her time at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in 1999. In 2002 Sister Clare returned to Quincy where she ministered by caring for family members who were ill. In 2012, when her health declined, she returned to OLA as a resident. Her happy spirit and quick wit brought smiles to her Sisters and the staff at OLA. Sister Clare Wand, OSF, died at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home on November 8, 2020. She is buried in the congregational plot at Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville, Illinois. May she rest in peace. Amen. Alleluia!

W

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Sílvia Maria Praxedes

Sílvia was born in Trindade, Goiás, on December 29, 1950. She was the daughter of Jonas Alves de Souza and Antônia Cândida de Souza. Sílvia married Hilde-brando Soares Praxedes and had four children.

Silvia Maria Praxedes December 29, 1950 July 11, 2020

She attended grade school in Goiânia and completed her secondary and professional education in Porangatu where she received a technical degree as a teacher. During her professional career, Sílvia served as a health care assistant, and became a substitute teacher at the Instituto San Damiano. In 1979, she became a full-time, permanent member of the faculty and taught in the primary grades.

Sílvia and her husband Hildebrando first met the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in 1977, when they moved close to the Convento San Damiano.

Since that time, Sílvia made herself available, and together with her husband, began helping with various community activities. They also attended Cristo Rei {Christ the King) community before it was officially recognized as a parish. They became leaders for Marriage Encounters, facilitated Pre-Cana courses, and taught religious education for both adults and youth groups.

For over twenty-six years, until her retirement, Sílvia excelled as a dedicated coordinator and educator at the Instituto San Damiano.She was also a Literacy specialist at the nearby Municipal School José Alves Vila Nova. When the Sisters in Brazil began the Associate program, Sílvia and Hildebrando were the very first couple to be asked to join. Sílvia wrote: “I have such great admiration for Francis and Clare, and for the congregation that has played such an important part in our spiritual lives, the life of our family, and especially, in the education of our children.” She also noted that Sisters Jerônima, Dina, Neli, Ruth and Grace were instrumental in their lives.

Sílvia loved life and lived it to the fullest. She valued gatherings with her family and friends. She was happy that she was able to come to the U.S. and spend time at the Motherhouse in Joliet, Illinois. Sílvia was very attentive to her family and to the life of the community. Acutely aware of those in need, she provided food baskets, visited the infirmed, and was a caregiver for our Sisters when they were sick and hospitalized.

Sílvia was an artist, who loved to share her handiwork with others, especially her paintings of sacred images. True to the charism that she embraced as an Associate, Sílvia, also responded to the Franciscan call: “Francis, go and rebuild my Church.” Alleluia!

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Maria Lázara Marques Maria Lázara came into the world during Holy Week on April 12, 1933. She was born in a small agricultural region in the state of Goiás called Buriti Alegre.

Within a year, that small town would become Santa Helena. From her infancy through the final days of life, Maria Lázara kept pace with the changes and developments that transformed her beloved Santa Helena de Goiás into a city.

Like many others of her generation, Maria devoted herself to her family, her faith and her community. After many years of declining health, Maria Lázara passed away on July 30, 2020.

Maria Lázara Marques April 12, 1933 July 30, 2020

She was married to Alvinopolis A. Marques, and was the mother of seven children - and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Maria Lazara’s home was a place of love, joy, faith and generous hospitality. She was a skilled artisan and crafter and was very active in the parish at Santa Helena. Through her friendship with missionary priests and Bishop Dom Miguel Mundo, Dona Maria became friends with Sisters Pauline Pekowski, Johanna Didier, Grace Brouch and Lúcia Martins Ferreira. It was through these friendships that she became one of the first Associates from Santa Helena on August 26, 2006.

When asked “Why do you want to become an Associate?” Maria Lázara replied: “Because I love God very much, and I desire to discover and follow the way of Christ. I want to surrender myself completely to God and to participate in the Eucharist which I love… I feel that I can fulfill a dream that was mine during my youth, to one day become a sister. Given the opportunity to be an Associate, I feel that my dream has found its fulfillment as I make my promise to become an Associate of the Franciscan Sisters.”

In her final years of life, when Maria Lázara could no longer participate in parish activities, the Sisters would visit her and find her enjoying Mass or the Rosary on the television. A fellow Associate, who is also a Eucharistic minister, would bring her communion. As a faithful disciple of Christ, she knew how to create tablefellowship.

May the Angels welcome Maria Lázara Marques into paradise. May eternal light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. Alleluia!

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The Joliet Franciscan

Jean Konrad

Jean Konrad April 7, 1932 September 24, 2020

Jean was born and raised in Joliet. Her attachment to the Joliet Franciscan Sisters began as a senior at St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy).

She met her husband, Joseph, and had two daughters who also attended JCA. Joliet has always been Jean’s home and she served on many committees at the Cathedral of St. Raymond, where she was a parishioner for over sixty years.

Pictured are Jean Konrad and Margaret Benoit (Jean’s Companion)

She was involved in many congregation activities throughout the years, including the congregation’s prayer breakfast and evening prayer services, Afternoon Tea and the Autumn Feast. She loved being a volunteer at Bluestem Festival and was often seen at various Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home functions. Jean assisted at their Monday sing along and was on the OLA development committee.

Jean was part of the Joliet Area Community Hospice since its inception, serving as board president during the development stages, later as the hospice volunteer coordinator and most recently as a greeter.

Although Jean’s relationship with the congregation began so many years ago, she formalized her relationship with the congregation in 2019. On the recommendation form for Jean’s becoming an Associate it was written, “Jean enriches the lives of those she touches. She is a person of great enthusiasm and joy. Jean is followed by a cloud of laughter and life.”

Her smile, contagious laugh and presence will be greatly missed by our Sisters and Associates. May she rest in peace. Amen. Alleluia!

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Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 148 Joliet, IL

1433 Essington Rd. â—? Joliet, IL 60435-2873

One Solitary Life He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned --put together-- have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.

Š Sister Kay Francis Berger, OSF Joliet Franciscan Sisters