Religious celebrated as ‘signs of reconciliation’15 min read

Women religious have a long history of service in the Diocese of Superior; a Servite sister minister in this photo provided by Sr. Theresa Sandok. Here, Sr. Mary Bonfilia visits a little girl. (Submitted photos)

Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff

According to the Diocese of Superior’s webpage for the 2025 Jubilee year, there will be a special focus on “celebrating the Consecrated Life that served our parishes in the past and the faithful sons and daughters of our diocese who committed themselves to Consecrated Life.”

According to Peggy Schoenfuss, diocesan Chancellor, the initiative came from Vicar for Clergy Sr. Pat Cormack to emphasize religious life with the purpose of recognizing “the dedication men and women of the past have given to our diocese and encouraging men and women to consider religious life.”

World Day of Consecrated Life was instituted in 1997 by Pope St. John Paul II to coincide with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. As the candles to be used throughout the year’s liturgy are blessed, Catholics are reminded that Christ is the light of the world.

For 2025, the theme of the celebration in the U.S. witnesses to religious as “signs of reconciliation among the people.”

Religious men and women ministered in this region even before the Diocese of Superior was established in 1905. Arriving through the Great Lakes, religious priests were the first missionaries to Native Americans. Women religious were invited by bishops to serve in hospitals, orphanages and Catholic schools.

History, current presence of orders

The Jesuits were the first religious to come to the Great Lakes region dating back to the mid-17th century. In 2023, Fr. Aaron Pierre, SJ, of Rhinelander, was ordained for the Society of Jesus.

Franciscan Fathers served the Chequamegon Bay region based out of Ashland. In 2019, the order ceased their service but were honored and celebrated for the order’s 140 years of service. Two native sons from Ashland are members of the order, Fr. John and Br. Tom Eaton. Fr. Ron Olson, OFM Conv., lives in Superior and Fr. Nathan Linton, originally from Cumberland, was ordained a Capuchin friar in 2023.

Fr. Jordan Neeck, O.Praem., is a priest of St. Norbert Abbey in Green Bay, a native of Phillips ordained in 2019.

Other orders of religious men that have served the faithful of the Diocese of Superior are, from 1920-1999, The Society of the Precious Blood; from 1914-2001, The Benedictines from St. Procopius Abbey; from 1910-1977, The Order of Friar Servants of Mary. Dominican Fr. Nicholas Punch, OP of the Chicago Dominican Province lives in Webster, ministering at the Thomas More Center for Preaching and Prayer.

There have been an abundance of religious orders of women serving the Diocese of Superior, beginning with the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate out of Joliet, Illinois. For over 125 years, a total of 200 sisters worked in the schools and communities of Bayfield, Red Cliff and Ashland.

Two sisters of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration out of La Crosse still serve in the diocese. Sr. Marianna Ableidinger, FSPA is in the Gilman-Sheldon area and Sr. Roselyn Heil, FSPA is pastoral associate for the Ashland and Odanah parishes. Other sisters of the order also served in schools and communities of Hudson, Superior and Hurley.

The St. Francis Solanus Mission and School in Reserve is still served by two School Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee, Sr. Felissa Zander and Sr. Maryrose Theobold. Their order came to the diocese in 1886 with more than 400 sisters.

Rice Lake is still home to two Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis from Stevens Point, Sr. Claudine Balio, SSJ-TOSF and Sr. Jeanne Conzemius, SSJ-TOSF. In 1917, a new community with motherhouse was established in Rice Lake in 1943, later merging with the St. Joseph order.

Another Franciscan presence is that of Sr. Joan Burkey, OSF, at the Thomas More Center in Webster.

Sr. Margaret Lamberty, SSND, a School Sister of Notre Dame lives in Hudson. Members of her order served in Dobie and Superior until 1983, and Hudson.

There is a cloistered monastery of the Carmelite Order which began in Hudson in 1963 with four sisters currently living there. As well, Sr. Kristine Haugen, a Hermit of Mount Carmel of Avery, still resides in the diocese.

Among the other orders of religious sisters who served in the Diocese of Superior are: the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ from Donaldson, working in Superior and Ashland hospitals from 1884-1971. Sisters of the Divine Savior served Sacred Heart School in Almena from 1906-1951. Between 1890-2004 Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity from Manitowoc served Catholic schools in Rice Lake, Rhinelander and Hurley.

Additionally, more than 150 Sisters of St. Dominic of Racine served from 1898-1990 in Merrill, Somerset and Woodruff. New Richmond’s St. Mary School was served by the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict from St. Joseph, in the 1920s. The Sisters of Notre Dame of Cleveland served the Children’s Home in Superior until 1943 and in Hudson until 2003. Hospitals and schools in Rhinelander, Tomahawk, Eagle River, Woodruff and Phillips were served by The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother of Oshkosh. Sisters of St. Agnes from Fond du Lac served schools in Hudson and River Falls as well as the parishes in Ladysmith, Tony and Hawkins. The Benedictine Sisters of Lisle, Illinois served in Superior and Somerset schools from 1907-1998.

In 1907, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Superior were consecrated as a new diocesan community. They served as teachers and nurses in Frederic, Superior, New Richmond, River Falls and Reserve. Their order was amalgamated with the St. Paul order in 1986.

The two largest communities of women religious have been in Ladysmith and Merrill.

The Servants of Mary began in Ladysmith in 1912 and became an independent diocesan congregation in 1919. Servite sisters have served numerous schools, hospitals, nursing homes and parishes as well as assisting with numerous faith formation initiatives throughout the Diocese of Superior. The order also founded Mt. Senario College which operated from 1962-2002 and the Servite Center for Life from 1995-2020. Many of the sisters were native daughters of the diocese. Those still living in Ladysmith are: Sr. Mary Dominica Effertz, OSM; St. Rosemary Fandel, OSM; Sr. Sharon Rae McCarthy, OSM; Sr. Mary McDermott, OSM; Sr. Mary de Lourdes Plourde, OSM; Sr. Lois Reichert, OSM and Sr. Marguerite Samz, OSM. Sr. Kateri Guske, OSM, lives in Medford and Sr. Virginia Schwartz, OSM, lives in Rice Lake.

Merrill has been home to the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross since they opened Holy Cross Hospital in 1926. In 1990 they also opened an assisted living facility at Bell Tower. The order also served in schools and parishes, including a junior college, catechetical mission and spiritual growth center throughout the 20th century. Of the 18 sisters still living in Merrill, four are natives to the city – Sr. Pam Hodgson, SCSC; Sr. Peggy Jackelen, SCSC; Sr. Mary Zita Klimek, SCSC; and Sr. Kathy Wiesneski, SCSC. Two others are from Medford – Sr. Dolores Hrdina, SCSC and Sr. Mary Angela Sachmann, SCSC.

Other native daughters are serving in religious orders outside the Diocese of Superior.

From Clear Lake, Sr. Teresita Marie of Jesus Crucified is a cloistered Carmelite in Denmark. From Ashland, Sr. Maria Lucia with the Missionaries of the Word in Door County. From Barron, Sr. Mary Pietrina is with the Dominicans of Hawthorne in New York. Sr. Carla Riach, FSCC serves in Tuscon, AZ; Sr. Lorita Gaffney, FSCC is retired and Sr. Mariadele Jacobs, FSCC serves at a school in Green Bay.

Other Servite sisters from native to the diocese are Sr. Clarice GIerzack, OSM, from Washburn; Sr. Noreen McGInley, OSM, from New Richmond; President of the Servants of Mary, Sr. Teresa Sandok, OSM, from Weyerhauser/Strickland; Sr. Rita Stoeberl, OSM, and Sr. Anita Swansen, OSM, both from Almena.

The Diocese of Superior is also home to secular orders, the Secular Order of the Servants of Mary which began in 1964, the Servite Lay Diakonia began in 2010. The Secular Franciscan Order began in 1977 and the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites began in 1959.

Celebration, support and more

One way to celebrate consecrated life on Feb. 2, and throughout the year, is to learn about the communities who have been, and continue to be, an integral part of the Catholic Church in the region. More information is available at https://catholicdos.org/women-religious.

Praying is another gift of support for these men and women. Initiatives for the support and promotion of consecrate life can be found at usccb.org (United States Bishops Conference), at cmswr.org (Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious) and renewreligious.org (Friends of the Bridegroom).

Based in Milwaukee under the direction of Fr. John Burns and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, the new apostolate aims to “renew the Church by recovering women’s religious life as a vital role within the Body of Christ.” Their mission is threefold: cultivating a culture of awareness of the beauty and necessity of consecrated religious life in the church, creating opportunities for women to encounter and interact with these women religious, and providing accompaniment for young women discerning a call to consecrated religious life.

The Diocese of Superior is participating as part of a leadership cohort for the organization’s mission on a local level which will last through May 2025.