NC - Spring 2020

SISTERS OF
THE HOLY
FAMILY OF
NAZARETH //
VOL 14 //
// NO 1 //
SPRING 2020
Nazareth
CONNECTIONS
FAMILY IS THE HEART OF OUR MISSION
Newborn girl left in box
on convent lawn
60 YEARS LATER
STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 4

MESSAGE FROM THE PROVINCIAL SUPERIOR
Family
THE HEART OF OUR MISSION
Dear Friends of Nazareth,
Between the liturgical seasons of Advent
and Lent, the Catholic Church celebrates
with solemnity the Feast of the Holy
Family, which is also a congregational
feast for the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth.
Celebrated on the Sunday after
Christmas, the purpose of this feast is to
present the Holy Family as a model for
all Christian families. The family home
of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph would have
been, in numerous ways, just like any
other home. They would have shared
in conversations, laughed and had fun,
disagreed, shared meals, labored, and
would not have been exempt from some
of the difficulties and challenges that face
most families. They would have lived a
normal family life in every way.
Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd
(Frances Siedliska) drew inspiration for
our Congregation’s unique spirit from her
reflection on the life of the Holy Family
of Nazareth. She envisioned her sisters
living a life rooted in a deep relationship
of love with God, and faithful dedication
to God’s service. She stated it this way:
Left to right: Sr. Julia Bargiel, Sr. Barbara Sudol, Sr. Mary Frances
Przybylski, and Sr. Kathleen Maciej
“The purpose for which this congregation
exists is to cooperate with Christ and His
Church in building the Kingdom of God’s
love, that Kingdom which first blossomed
miraculously in the Holy Family of
Nazareth.”
Shortly after her arrival in the United
States in 1885, Blessed Mary responded
to the current needs of the families
she encountered in Chicago, New York,
and Pennsylvania. Together, with a small
group of sisters, they staffed schools,
hospitals, and orphanages to care
for the immigrants, the sick, and the
homeless; they educated children; and,
they provided assistance to those unable
to communicate because of language
barriers. Those who were weak, helpless,
and at risk experienced Jesus’ healing
presence, compassion, and mercy through
these courageous women who sacrificed
and endured many hardships to build
the Kingdom of God’s love in the U.S. for
families. Family was at the heart of their
mission.
One hundred thirty-five years later, the
situation is much the same. We encounter
great numbers of the poor who lack the
bare necessities of life and are at times
harassed and exploited -- families forced
to leave their homelands, orphans who
have lost their parents, victims of violence,
and the homeless who roam the streets
of our society.
Each day, we see before us individuals
and families struggling, the vulnerable
who are at the mercy of the hardhearted,
and those crying for help whose
voice is often unheard. For these people
and others, the charism for the Sisters of
the Holy Family of Nazareth is a beacon
of hope for the world today.
I invite you to join with us in daily prayer
to the Holy Family for all the families of
the world:
O Holy Family, bless and protect all the
families of the world, safeguard their
unity, fidelity, integrity and dignity. Enable
them to live according to God’s law that
they may fulfill their sublime vocation.
May their lives be a reflection of yours
and may they enjoy your presence forever
in heaven.
Lovingly in JMJ,
Sister Kathleen Maciej
HOW ARE YOU CALLED TO LOVE?
We invite you to pray with us, to listen to God’s call with us and to love with us
as we find God in ordinary experiences. Learn more about our community life,
our ministries and our mission at nazarethcsfn.org/join-us. Or contact
Sr. Emmanuela Le, CSFN, National Vocation Director, at 972-641-4496 x111
or vocations@nazarethcsfn.org.
2

4 10
7
VOLUME 14 //
NUMBER 1 //
SPRING 2020
Nazareth Connections is published
three times a year by the Sisters of
the Holy Family of Nazareth
in the USA.
Editor:
Tammy Townsend Denny
Proofreaders:
Sr. Clare Marie Kozicki
Sr. Jude Carroll
Sr. Lucille Madura
Contents
MINISTRY
4 Newborn girl left in
box on convent lawn - 60
years later
8 The “daughters” of
Blessed Mary of Jesus
the Good Shepherd: An
excerpt from Kwiatki
Franciszki Siedliskiej
(Flowers of Frances
Siedliska)
12 A ministry of light and
hope in the Philippines
IN MEMORIAM
DEVELOPMENT
13
14 Sr. Ann Marie (Patricia Ann) Cwick
15 Sr. M. Irene Geisheimer
15 Sr. M. Barbara Ann Nowosielska
16 Sr. M. Ruth (Judith Ann) Ruster
16 Sr. M. Audrey Kimbar
18 Spiritual greeting cards for
your family, friends, and loved
ones
Editorial Board:
Sr. Angela Szczawinska
Sr. Barbara Frances Samp
Sr. Carol Szott
Sr. Jude Carroll
Sr. Kathleen Ann Stadler
Sr. Lucille Madura
Sr. Marcelina Mikulska
Sr. Marcella Louise Wallowicz
Sr. Mary Louise Swift
Sr. Teresilla Kolodziejczyk
Katherine Barth
Design/Print:
McDaniels Marketing
Questions, comments, suggestions?
Please contact:
Communications Department
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
310 N. River Road,
Des Plaines, IL 60016
847-298-6760, x144
ttownsend@nazarethcsfn.org
ON THE COVER:
Judy Jean Kaenel (seated, center) during a December 2019 visit
to the Provincialate in Des Plaines, IL, sixty years after being
found as a baby on the grounds of the convent.
nazarethcsfn.org
facebook.com/csfn.usa
twitter.com/csfn_usa
instagram.com/csfn.usa
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
3

MINISTRY
Newborn girl
left in box on
convent lawn
60 YEARS LATER
It was around 7:30 in the morning
on September 23, 1959 when a
groundskeeper for the Sisters of
the Holy Family of Nazareth in Des
Plaines, IL heard a cry. That cry led
him to a box tucked under a bush
near the convent’s shrine to the Holy
Family where he found a baby girl
lovingly dressed in a pink and white
floral dress and gently wrapped in
blue and white striped blankets. Sr.
Constance Kuczwara, CSFN, who
was a second-year novice at the time,
recalls an announcement being made
to the novices about a baby that was
found near the shrine. “I remember
that we were told that the baby was
OK,” said Sr. Constance. She also
recalls praying for the baby in the days
after she was found.
In the kitchen of the convent that
morning in 1959, the baby was
baptized Mary Alice. Among the
stories told about that blessed day is
one where the sisters considered the
possibility of keeping Mary Alice and
raising her, as our Mother Foundress
had done decades earlier with other
orphans. Quickly, the sisters knew the
right thing to do. Police took Mary
Alice to Resurrection Hospital. She
was eventually moved to St. Vincent’s
Orphanage where she was later
adopted and named Judy Jean Kaenel.
Sixty years later, on a chilly December
day in 2019, Judy Jean Kaenel sat at
a table with Sr. Lucille Madura, Sr.
Constance Kuczwara, and Sr. Clare
Marie Kozicki in the provincialate
in Des Plaines, now located across
the street from the original convent
where she was found. Outspoken and
energetic, Judy looked as if she was
sitting around the family table with
relatives she’s known for years. And, in
many ways, she was.
“You are my first family,” Judy said to
the sisters. “I’ve always looked at all of
you as my first mothers.”
“When you think about it,” Sr.
Constance said with tears forming in
her eyes, “we have mothered so many
children in schools and in healthcare.”
4
continued on page 6...

NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
5

Though the sisters were her “first
family,” Judy bonded immediately with
her adoptive family and credits them
with helping her become the person
she is today.
Though she has experienced
moments of hardship in her life,
she says there have also been many
blessings. She recalled one Christmas
in the 1980s when she had no heat
in her home, no gifts for her children,
and had used the last of the food – a
box of brownie mix and oatmeal – for
their dinner. There was a knock on
her door at 11:30 that night. When
she opened the door, she found a
pile of wrapped presents and food
and diapers and envelopes with cash
for her and her children. “I made a
promise that day that if I came across
someone in need I would help them,”
Judy said.
6

Through the years, Judy has searched
diligently for her birth parents,
exploring every possibility from old
yearbooks to newspaper clippings,
many leading to dead ends. Then, in
July 2019, an Ancestry.com DNA test
connected her with a gentleman who
was possibly her brother. Additional
DNA testing at a local lab confirmed
that the gentleman’s father was also
her father. Just hours before he passed
away, Judy’s father was able to give her
the first name of the woman believed
to be her mother but he could not
recall any other information.
Judy’s search continues for the face of
the woman who saw her in her first
moments of life. “I want to let [my
birth mother] know it is OK,” Judy
said. “I’m OK… I want to hug her and
hold her hand and tell her how safe I
was.”
Today, Judy is “mother” to five children
by birth and by loving care. She serves
as president of ABATE, a motorcycle
education and safety taskforce, and
lives in the far western suburbs of
Chicago.
An article from the Chicago Tribune,
September 24, 1959.
Judy Jean Kaenel (seated) during a
December 2019 visit to the convent in
Des Plaines, IL. Also pictured (l to r):
Sr. Phyllis Siedlecka, Sr. Constance
Kuczwara, Sr. Clare Marie Kozicki,
Sr. Virginia Zielinski, Sr. Lucille
Madura, and Sr. Marie Kielanowicz
The Sacred Heart Provincialate in the
1950s. The sisters moved to a newer
building across the street in the mid-
1990s.
Judy, in the back row between the
images of Joseph and Mary, with the
sisters who were on hand to greet her
during her December 2019 visit.
A group hug with Judy and her “first
family.”
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
7

MINISTRY
The “daughters” of
Blessed Mary of Jesus the
Good Shepherd:
AN EXCERPT FROM KWIATKI FRANCISZKI SIEDLISKIEJ
(FLOWERS OF FRANCES SIEDLISKA)
Written by Sr. Amata Nowaszewska, CSFN and
translanted by Sr. Angela Szczawinska, CSFN
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Sr. Amata Nowaszewska’s recently
published book, Kwiatki Franciszki Siedliskiej (Flowers of Frances Siedliska). It is reprinted
here with permission from Sr. Angela Maria Mazzeo, superior general for the Sisters of
the Holy Family of Nazareth. Written and published in Polish, the following portion of
the book was translated by Sr. Angela Szczawinska, CSFN. Please note that Sr. Amata
uses the names ”Mother Mary” and ”Blessed Mary” to refer to Blessed Mary of Jesus
the Good Sheperd, Frances Siedliska, foundress of our Congregation. She also notes
that there are various versions of the stories surrounding the adopted children. The one
thing we know for sure, as Sr. Amata says, Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd
(Frances Siedliska) opened her heart to the abandoned children of her time. Sr. Amata is
currently serving in the Holy Name of Jesus (Warsaw) Province.
8

It is hard to tell exactly how it came
about. Time has blurred the tracks,
and the archives are extremely
taciturn on this matter. Where did
the cute black girls surrounding
Mother Mary [Blessed Mary of
Jesus the Good Shepherd, Frances
Siedliska, foundress of the Sisters of
the Holy Family of Nazareth] in the
old photographs come from? And
what about other photos of African
American girls shyly posing for the
camera in the Nazareth Sisters’
albums? Particularly noteworthy is the
image of little Mamie in a white dress
and with a light-colored ribbon in her
dark curly hair. The child is standing
on a chair covered with a fluffy
blanket, and in the background, you
can see a table with Mother Mary’s
portrait. There is a caption on the
photo: “Baby wait for Mama. Baby help
Mama! Little Mamie. 1897.”
We know for sure that Mother
Mary’s heart was particularly sensitive
toward abandoned children. She
wished she could help all neglected
and orphaned street children, and
she was especially moved by the fate
of dark-skinned orphans in times
of racial segregation in the United
States. That is why several girls found
themselves in Chicago in the care of
the sisters. We know the names of
five black girls (Mamie, Alma, Stella,
Grace, and Yolanda) and a biracial girl,
Lauretta. Traditionally, two of them
are considered to have been adopted
by Mother Mary and the other ones
– thanks to her encouragement – by
Mother Lauretta Lubowidzka. It was
not adoption in the modern sense,
initiated in the US by an act of 1851
(Massachusetts Adoption of Children
Act), but probably some form of
contract that provided care to
orphaned children.
Some of the adopted girls were
brought up and educated in Europe
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
9

10
(Paris, Rome and Polish convents).
About one of them, Blessed Mary
wrote in a letter to her spiritual
director, Father Anthony Lechert:
“Can I bring along a small, four-yearold
black girl? An extremely good
child, very attached to me, and she
speaks English beautifully, not Polish,
though. She is such a darling, this child.
I think she will be a good child.”
A whole century later, the grandson of
one of these girls, Yolanda Charleston,
wanted to learn about the family
history, intrigued by his grandmother’s
fluent command of Polish. In 1994,
Yolanda’s daughter, Lauretta Frances
Travis, contacted Saint Mary Hospital
in Chicago [known as Saint Mary of
Nazareth Hospital at the time and
now known as AMITA Health Saints
Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center]
and so the family renewed contacts
with the sisters. In her childhood,
Yolanda (born in 1889) and her older
sister were looked after by Mother
Mary. The girls were brought up in
the care of the sisters in the USA and
Europe. Yolanda returned to Chicago
in 1910, graduated from nursing
school, and started a family.
She worked, among others, as a
court translator, being fluent in
English, Polish, French, and Italian. She
named one of her daughters Lauretta
Frances in honor of her guardians:
Mother Lauretta Lubowidzka and
Mother Mary Frances Siedliska. She
“I wish we could love these children even more and
undertake sacrifices for them for the sake of Jesus,
so that we should not remain indifferent…”
maintained close contact with the
Nazareth Sisters. They obtained a
papal blessing for her on the occasion
of her marriage to Thomas Wilson
(1918), they helped her family when
her son died in the difficult times of a
great crisis. “We went to the Sisters
as you go to grandma’s house - for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter ... The
sisters were our only family” – one of
Yolanda’s daughters, Gloria, reminisced
about her childhood years later.
Mother Mary quietly dreamed that
maybe some of the dark-skinned
girls taken in by the sisters would
become Nazareth sisters and “maybe
the Lord Jesus will allow, it may be
the beginning of the mission with
the Indians,” as she wrote to Mother
Lauretta (October 20, 1890). This
happened in the case of Lauretta
Brahland, a Native American or
biracial woman born in 1889, who
entered the Congregation of the
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
in 1908, receiving the name of Sister

Maria Priscilla. Unfortunately, Sister
Priscilla fell sick and died at a young
age in 1931 in Clayton (New Mexico).
According to the family of Yolanda
Charleston, her blood sister joined
the Congregation. It might have been
Stella Charleston, or Sister Mary
Ann (1883-1963), although there are
some different versions of the events.
Mother Lauretta brought Stella to
Paris, where the young girl started
school.
She spent her first years of religious
life close to Mother Mary in Rome.
Musically and linguistically talented,
she served generously for many years
as a teacher in France. Not only did
she teach English, music, and catechism
at a Nazareth school, but she helped
refugee priests and taught French at
the Institute Catholique. During World
War II, the Germans imprisoned
her as an American citizen (1944).
She spent the last years of her life in
Rome and died there. She is buried in
the tomb of the Congregation at the
Campo Verano cemetery.
Alma Mosley (1897-1965), associated
with Mother Lauretta, became a
Nazareth Sister, too. Little Alma did
not leave Mother Lauretta’s side
whenever Mother was at home,
even in the chapel. Once during
the singing of the antiphon Alma
Mater Redemptoris (Holy Mother
of the Redeemer), the girl exclaimed
delighted: “They are singing about
me!” Another time at the beginning
of the night prayer - compline, when
silence fell during the individual
examination of conscience, Mother
Lauretta tired after an exhausting
day, fell asleep in her kneeler. Alma
proudly took her place, knocking on
the kneeler three times - a signal that
the prayers were over. The sisters
obediently left the chapel without
finishing the compline, much to the
embarrassment of the provincial
superior – Mother Lauretta. At the age
of 19, Alma joined the Congregation
and became Sister Miriam of the
Heart of Jesus. She completed her
religious formation in Rome but
spent most of her religious life in
Philadelphia ministering at the office
of Nazareth Hospital.
We do not know the fate of other
children for whom the sisters became
family. Dark-skinned “daughters” were
not the only children they looked
after. In Brooklyn, the sisters took
care of a sick, one and a half year old
orphan boy and in Scranton a fiveyear-old
girl, whose mother could
not look after her. They also ran
orphanages, mainly for children of
Polish immigrants. It was a practical
expression of Mother Mary’s dream:
“I wish we could love these children
even more and undertake sacrifices
for them for the sake of Jesus, so that
we should not remain indifferent…”
Sources
Positio, vol 2, p. 445
Bl. Mary of Jesus the Good
Shepherd’s letter to Father Anthony
Lechert, June 14, 1893, CSFN
Archives, Rome
Pevese P.: Memorandum re: Wilson
Sisters, Feb. 10, 1890, CSFN
Archives, Rome
Mother Foundress’ letter to Mother
Lauretta Lubowidzka, Oct. 20, 1890,
CSFN Archives, Rome
Counsels from the Heart #111, p.
173
From left to right: Grace and
Yolanda, two of the “adopted
daughters,” along with two young
women identified as Marya and
Alicia.
A statue of Blessed Mary of Jesus the
Good Shepherd (Frances Siedliska)
protecting a child with her cloak,
Tyler, TX.
Yolanda and Stella, two of the
“adopted” daughters.
A photo of Mamie, one of the
“adopted daughters.” This is the
photo mentioned on page nine.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
11

MINISTRY
Many times my willingness to love
them was a struggle for them to
hold on to. Sometimes what I had to
offer them seemed so unproductive,
even though they wanted to see it
in a trusting way. As the boys grew
over the years, so did I. Together, we
discovered many new and exciting
things along the way.
As I journeyed with these boys, there
were many challenging moments, as
each child tried to embrace their own
abuses and neglected situations. Each
boy I cared for was a special love
letter from God.
A ministry of
light and hope in
the Philippines
by Sr. Janet Kemmler, CSFN
I have had various assignments in
the Philippines, but perhaps one of
the most blessed was that of caring
for boys over the last 18 years of
my 23 years spent in the Philippines.
These boys showed me that even
when there is darkness and loss of
everything, we can still find hope in
the rubbles of everyday life. In doing
so, they led me to a greater unfolding
of my life and a deeper awareness that
life itself is one big commitment to
service within God’s Kingdom.
Not all these boys were able to
survive their darkness because of
situations, family crisis, and abuse of
all kinds. Their darkness carried a long
journey of uncertainty, even though I
was there to help them. It was a deep
privilege for me to care for these
boys and to serve them, as the many
grace-filled moments contributed to
my own spiritual growth. For some
of the boys, I was a mystery and to
others we held a deep bond of love
and respect for each other. Each day,
as I assumed my care for these often
unwanted boys, I received much more
in return.
Whatever my assigned mission in
life, my ministry was not based on a
position I held. It was my commitment
to encounter the human aspect of
my journey, touching the lives of
others. It was never about what I
did, but was rather about how I lived
out my life for God. Life is about
human conditions and our journeying
together which helps us to grow
and transform our existence for
something greater than ourselves.
Even as a child, I felt that to be a
missionary didn’t mean I would
have to leave a place I called home.
For me, to be a missionary is to
connect to others and together
discover a connection to God’s love
of all peoples of the world, where
differences give us a glimpse of heaven
here on earth. At the end of every
day, my mind would drift in prayer, as
I wondered whether I had given these
boys a true glimpse of God’s love for
them.
God sent me to these boys for a
reason. I know that for sure. The
question that hounded my soul was,
how do I unfold their hearts to the
love of God when their lives had
so many losses? I dreamed of ways
to bring us together for a better
tomorrow where they could embrace
12

Children are often plunged into
situations that they have no control
over. Many children fall through the
cracks where they struggle to see
themselves as special and unique. And
those of us who try to help them
must realize this can only be done
in God’s time. Injustices come into
children’s lives unannounced. And they
can be left wondering how love can
change their world when what they
have experienced cannot be erased
from their minds. Offering these
children hope, helps begin to heal
their broken hearts.
their own self-worth and giftedness.
After all the hurts, abuses, and dark
moments they experienced, how
could I bring the light of hope back
into their lives again? How could
these boys, whom God had led me
to find, trust in a God they felt had
abandoned them?
As an adult, I had to enter their
world in order to feel and understand
their experiences, their pains, their
journey of confusion and help them
to understand their struggles. At the
same time, I had to broaden my own
world and find my space to learn and
to better understand how to best
care for them.
Children see the world differently
than we do as adults. Children may
be small, but soon they grow to be
the future of the world. Many of the
boys were angry at God, their parents,
and even at society who should have
protected them and given them a safe
environment in which to grow up.
We often seek treasure amid the
rubble of situations where we have
been refused the comforts of love
and trust. What a child experiences
in an abusive situation is very scary
for them. The letting go of a bad
experience needs much support, love,
and time for healing.
We all battle with dark moments
where we struggle to understand
what it means to be loved and cared
for by others. It is a challenge to know
ourselves, especially in those dark
moments where letting go should
become an experience of love and
appreciation allowing us to move on
to something new and exciting.
Healing broken hearts was perhaps
one of my biggest obstacles because
the innocence of these children had
been taken away.
In Isaiah 45:3, it says: “I will give you
the treasures of darkness and riches
hidden in secret places so that you
may know that it is I, the God of Israel,
who calls you by your name.”
There is a sacred mystery to what
we sometimes experience in those
dark moments of our lives. Perhaps
it is God’s way of telling us that the
darkness we are experiencing is
His gift of adventure to find Him in
a deeper way. Darkness comes in
various forms where the unknown of
a new assignment takes us to places
we might never have chosen for
ourselves.
Sr. Janet entered the Sisters of the Holy
Family of Nazareth in 1964. She has
a bachelor’s degree in nursing from
St. Joseph College in Standish, ME. She
also holds certificates in nursing and
administration. Before her recent return
to the U.S., Sr. Janet was serving as
administrator for the Mercy Halfway
House for Boys, a CSFN ministry in the
Philippines, but as she says it was only
title and didn’t necessarily reflect the
heart of her ministry. Many of the boys
she worked with are now pursuing college
degrees or working in well-established
careers. The Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth have been ministering in the
Philippines since 1982. To learn more
about the Philippine Province and the
CSFN ministries in that area, please visit
the Congregation’s Philippines web page
at bit.ly/CSFNPhilippines.
Sr. Janet Kemmler with one of
the boys she worked with in the
Philippines.
Sr. Janet back in the U.S., October
2019.
We all experience moments of
questionable emptiness. Thus, we are
forced to face things that lead us to
search for something that would make
us feel safe and secure.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
13

In Memoriam
Sr. Ann Marie
(Patricia Ann)
Cwick
June 7, 1955 –
November 21,
2019
Sr. Ann Marie
was a private person with a gentle
presence. Kind, helpful, organized, and
disciplined, she used great care when
fulfi lling the responsibilities entrusted
to her. A faithful and loyal friend, Sr.
Ann Marie supported others in quiet,
often hidden ways.
Born on June 7, 1955, she was the
oldest of the five children of John
and Lorraine Cwick. Baptized Patricia
Ann (Pat) at St. Adalbert Church in
the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago,
she attended the parish school and
always spoke with affection about her
old neighborhood. As a young teen,
Pat attended Holy Family Academy in
Chicago and, following in her mother’s
footsteps, served as a volunteer and
later as a nursing assistant at St. Mary
of Nazareth Hospital (now AMITA
Health Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical
Center). She would later dedicate
34 years to ministering as a medicalsurgical
and oncology nurse at St.
Mary’s, holding in her heart with
special care and prayer those who
suffered from cancer.
She entered the Congregation in
1973 and professed her perpetual
vows in 1981. She attended Oakton
Community College in Des Plaines,
IL and St. Mary of Nazareth School of
Nursing in Chicago. She was awarded
her certifi cate as a registered nurse
in1980. She earned a bachelor’s in
nursing from DePaul University in
Chicago in 1990 and a master’s in
pastoral ministry from Catholic
Theological Union in Chicago in 2007.
In 2013, Sr. Ann Marie left her muchloved
ministry at St. Mary’s, the last
Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth
to minister at the hospital founded
by our sisters in 1894. In God’s
mysterious plan, the move from St.
Mary’s opened a new avenue for Sr.
Ann Marie to begin working as a
parish nurse at St. Cornelius Parish
14

in Chicago where she ministered
until she became terminally ill in the
summer of 2019.
With quiet, courageous strength,
she faced her rapid decline and
approaching death, offering a great
witness to all of us.
Sr. Ann Marie engaged fully in the final
details of her life’s journey, choosing
the readings for her funeral Mass,
selecting the clothes she would
wear which included the shoes she
wore for celebrations. She died
peacefully on November 21, 2019 at
Resurrection Hospital in Chicago. Her
Mass of Resurrection was celebrated
November 25 at St. Cornelius Church
in Chicago.
Sr. M. Irene
Geisheimer
November 10,
1924 - December
8, 2019
A Norwich, CT
woman through
and through, Sr. Irene journeyed
into this world as the daughter of
Rudolph and Anna Geisheimer. After
completing her elementary education
at St. Joseph’s School, she traveled to
Nazareth Academy High School in
Philadelphia as a student. Entering the
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
in June 1941, she professed her final
vows in Rome, Italy in May 1950.
Sr. Irene, formerly known as Sr. Amata,
received a bachelor’s degree from
Villanova University and a master’s
degree from Middlebury College. She
also completed studies in German
at the University of Wisconsin and
traveled in 1973 for a sabbatical to
Johannes Gutenberg University in
Mainz, Germany.
Ministering in Catholic education at
Holy Rosary School in Springfield, MA,
as well as at St. Adalbert School and
Nazareth Academy High School in
Philadelphia, Sr. Irene’s primary focus
was to enable the young women she
mentored to see God in all things.
Always willing to go the extra mile,
she never hesitated to scrub that
extra pot or to listen to those who
sought her advice.
In 2006, Sr. Irene began a new chapter
in her life in prayer ministry at Jesus of
Nazareth Convent (Mount Nazareth)
in Philadelphia. Upon meeting a nurse
for the first time, Sr. Irene would say,
“Look into the eyes of Jesus and know
He made you and He loves you.”
All those who helped her, received
a smile, a blessing, and a thank you
from her whenever they rendered her
some service.
In November, Sr. Irene celebrated
her 95th birthday. The sisters joined
her for a singing fest with English and
Polish tunes. She received white roses
that day which had special significance
for her. She had related some time
ago that her parents had told her that
the soldiers in Poland received white
roses upon returning from war and
that a special song was sung in their
honor. When she still could, she sang
that song faithfully each Sunday.
On December 8, Our Lady
accompanied Sr. Irene into the hands
of her merciful God. Her Mass of
Resurrection was December 12 at
Jesus of Nazareth (Mount Nazareth)
chapel in Philadelphia.
Sr. M. Barbara
Ann Nowosielska
July 24, 1938 –
December 18,
2019
Barbara Ann was
born July 24, 1938,
the first of two daughters of Joseph
and Sophie Nowosielski. She grew up
on the north side of Chicago, where
she, her sister Betty, and their parents
lived.
Sr. Barbara Ann deeply appreciated
the love and support of her family
throughout her life. She valued the
friendships of her youth formed at
St. John Cantius Grade School and
at Holy Family Academy in Chicago
where the seed of her vocation was
nurtured. During her sophomore
year at Holy Family Academy, Barbara
worked at a bakery where she saw
first-hand expertise in baking at work.
Later in her life, many would enjoy
meals prepared by Sr. Barbara Ann
who built community with food.
She entered our Congregation in
1956 and professed her final vows
in 1965. She earned a Bachelor of
Science degree from De Lourdes
College in Des Plaines, IL and a Master
of Arts degree in history from Dayton
University in Ohio.
Sr. Barbara Ann began serving in
education ministry in 1960 at St.
Andrew in Calumet City, IL, then
moved to Immaculate Heart of Mary
in Chicago. In 1965 she was sent to
Texas, and spent the next 17 years
ministering in Fort Worth, Irving,
Dallas, and Grand Prairie as a teacher
as well as principal. In 1982, she
returned to Chicago and taught at St.
Ann School. In 1985, she settled at St.
Emily in Mount Prospect, IL where she
served for 34 years.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
15

Being an educator was life-giving for
Sr. Barbara Ann. She once wrote, “I
enjoy the challenge and excitement of
teaching young people. They give me
life, hope for the future and a sense
of satisfaction. Being with youth keeps
me young and adventurous.”
She loved to serve others and is
remembered for her preparation of
luscious meals, especially her famous
rum cakes. The lessons she taught, the
example she gave us, the challenges
she laid before us, and the faith she
exemplified for us are all gifts that she
shared.
Sr. Barbara Ann passed away on
December 18. Her funeral Mass was
celebrated on December 23 at St.
Emily Church in Mount Prospect, IL.
Sr. M. Ruth
(Judith Ann)
Ruster
April 17, 1937 –
January 6, 2020
Howard and
Dorothy Ruster
welcomed the arrival of baby Judith
Ann on April 17, 1937 in East
Stroudsburg, PA. Soon, the family
moved to Philadelphia where Judith
attended Our Lady of Czestochowa
Grade School. Wise before her years,
Judith converted to Catholicism at
the age of 10. She was baptized in the
Our Lady of Czestochowa Church on
April 27, 1947 and began her religious
journey within the Church.
After graduation from the eighth
grade, Judith entered the Aspirancy
of the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth and attended Nazareth
Academy High School in Philadelphia.
Judith entered the Congregation on
January 10, 1954. On August 13, 1955,
she became a novice and received the
name Sr. Mary Ruth. She professed her
perpetual vows on August 11, 1962.
Sr. Ruth received a teaching diploma
in history and governance and her
bachelor’s degree from Holy Family
College (now Holy Family University)
in Philadelphia in 1965. Her quiet
yet firm personality endeared her
to the children and youth she taught
at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
in Scranton, PA; Visitation BVM in
Trooper, PA; and Our Lady of Calvary,
Nazareth Academy Grade School,
Archbishop Ryan High School, and
Nazareth Academy High School
in Philadelphia. She also served as
the athletic director for girls at
Archbishop Ryan High School and
as principal or vice-principal in St.
Katherine of Siena, Our Lady of
Calvary and St. Adalbert Schools.
In 2008, she began ministering as
the director of religious education
for St. Katherine of Siena Parish in
Philadelphia.
In 2009, Sr. Ruth began to experience
some health issues. Always active,
Sr. Ruth was given the responsibility
of the dining room, liaison to the
food service, and oversight of the
employees at Jesus of Nazareth
Convent (Mount Nazareth) in
Philadelphia. Her gentle smile and
twinkle in her eyes made everyone
feel at ease with her.
As Sr. Ruth’s condition deteriorated,
her sense of humor never diminished.
Her love for and imitation of the
infant Jesus, the simplicity of his life
and his obedience to Mary and Joseph,
marked her entire life.
Sr. Ruth passed away on January 6 at
Jesus of Nazareth Convent (Mount
Nazareth). Her Mass of Resurrection
was January 10 at Mount Nazareth.
Sr. M. Audrey
Kimbar
May 1, 1938 –
February 3, 2020
Born May 1, 1938
in Worcester,
MA to Alexander and Josephine
(Sokolowska) Kimbar, Audrey Helen
was the thirteenth of fourteen
children. She was baptized at Our
Lady of Czestochowa Church in
Worcester and later attended St.
Mary’s Grade School and High
School where she was educated by
the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth. The large Kimbar family
provided the love, loyalty, bonding, and
communion that would become such
an important foundation for Audrey’s
entire life, enriching not only her
natural family, but each local Nazareth
community in which she lived.
On graduating from high school,
Audrey received a scholarship to
college, but instead discerned a call
to religious life and entered the
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
in1956. The following year, Audrey
received her religious name, Sr. Mary
Clementia. She later returned to
her baptismal name. She spent her
novitiate in Rome and returned to
the U.S. after professing her first vows
in 1959. She professed her perpetual
vows in 1965.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in
nursing from Catholic University
in Washington, D.C. in 1964 and a
master’s in aging from North Texas
State University in Denton, TX in
1985.
Through the years, she served at
Nazareth Hospital, Blessed John
Neumann Nursing Home, and
Immaculate Mary Nursing Home in
16

Philadelphia; Holy Family Nursing
Services in Allentown, PA; and
Bethania Regional Health in Wichita
Falls, TX.
In 2001, due to declining health, Sr.
Audrey left healthcare and began
ministering as an assistant in the
library at Nazareth Academy High
School in Philadelphia. Her work with
faculty, staff, and the young women at
Nazareth Academy was an enriching
mutual opportunity for the entire
school community to experience her
compassion and wisdom.
Sr. Audrey loved her ministry at
the high school, but due to her
progressive illness, she chose to move
to Mount Nazareth in Philadelphia
where she continued to serve where
she could, to listen and offer advice
when asked, responding always to
anyone in need.
WE ALSO RECOMMEND TO
YOUR PRAYER THE SOULS
OF THESE BELOVED SISTERS
WHOSE OBITUARIES WILL
APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS:
Sr. M. Lucille Lukasiewicz June 10, 1930 - Jan. 21, 2020
Sr. M. Alma Bak Nov. 26, 1920 - Feb. 28, 2019
Sr. Donna Marie Davis Aug. 31, 1948 - March 10, 2020
At the beginning of January 2020,
her health began to decline even
more. On the morning of February
3, peacefully and quietly, Sr. Audrey
slipped into the hands of her long
awaited, Merciful Savior. Her Mass
of Resurrection was February 6 at
Jesus of Nazareth Convent (Mount
Nazareth) Chapel in Philadelphia.
Donations in memory of
a deceased sister may be
mailed to Development
Office, Sisters of the
Holy Family of Nazareth,
310 N. River Rd., Des
Plaines, IL 60016. Please
include a note with the
name of the Sister in
whose memory you are
giving. Donations may
also be made online at
nazarethcsfn.org/donate.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
17

DEVELOPMENT
Spiritual greeting cards
for your family, friends,
and loved ones
Now you can remember family and friends with a very special gift – an annual
enrollment in our Spiritual Greeting Card Program. This program of the Sisters
of the Holy Family of Nazareth offers you the opportunity to enroll your
family, friends, and loved ones in the daily prayer intentions and monthly Masses
offered by the sisters. Each card features photography or artwork of our sisters.
If you would like to order spiritual greeting cards please, go online to
nazarethcsfn.org/donate/request-spiritual-greeting-cards. You may also
call or email the Development Office at 847-298-6760, ext. 143 or
kbarth@nazarethcsfn.org.
18
GET WELL CARD
Verse:
May God bless you
and keep you
in His loving care.
THANK YOU
CARD
Verse:
Thank you so much.
Your kindness is truly
appreciated.
MEMORIAL CARD
Verse:
Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God; believe
also in me. In my Father’s
house are many rooms. If it
were not so, would I have told
you that I go to prepare a
place for you? And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will
come again and will take you
to myself, that where I am you may be
also. And you know the way to where
I am going.
~John 14:1-4

GENERAL PRAYER
CARD
Verse:
O Holy Family, bless and
protect all the families of
the world; safeguard them
in every way. Enable
everyone to be faithful to
their baptismal call to
holiness. Grant us the
grace to see God in the
simple and ordinary
moments in our lives, so
that we may give
ourselves in service to
others. Amen.
BIRTHDAY CARD
Verse:
May the Holy Family bless you with
birthday joy and cheer.
May the gifts of love and peace
be yours today and throughout
the coming year.
ANNIVERSARY
CARD
Verse:
Happy Anniversary
God bless and enrich
the love you share
with each other.
THINKING OF YOU
CARD
Verse:
Just a note to let
you know that I am
thinking of you.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2020
19

310 N River Rd.
Des Plaines, IL 60016
www.nazarethcsfn.org
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Des Plaines, IL
Permit No. 340
PRAYER THROUGH
THE INTERCESSION OF
BLESSED MARY OF JESUS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
O most blessed Trinity, we praise and thank you for the
example your servant, Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good
Shepherd, has given us by imitating the life and virtues
of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Grant us the grace we
ask through her intercession for your greater glory,
for the sanctification of souls and for the extension of
your kingdom on earth. Amen.
We, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, are called to extend the Kingdom of God’s love among ourselves and
others by living the spirit of Jesus, Mary and Joseph whose lives were centered in the love of God and one another.
We witness to this love through dedicated service to the Church, especially in ministry to the family.