Sister Jocelyn Serwatka, O.S.F., died on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 12:57 a.m. at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, Illinois.

Sister Jocelyn, the former Isabelle Serwatka, was born in Madison, Illinois, on August 19, 1925, the daughter of Alexander and Natalia (Sydloski) Serwatka. She entered the Congregation on February 2, 1941, and professed her religious vows on October 4, 1943.

Sister Jocelyn graduated from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Quincy University with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Marillac College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and St. Louis University with a Master’s in Nursing. She earned a CPE Certificate from St. Mary’s College, Kansas City, MO.

Sister Jocelyn served as a nurse in different roles at HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. She also served in Missouri, Arizona, and as a corporate nurse consultant for Nursing Home Managers in Springfield, IL. Other ministries include English Teacher, Pastoral Care at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital (Decatur, IL), Parish Ministry at St. Thomas Parish (Decatur, IL), and Justice and Peace Coordinator at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers: Sigmund and Roman Serwatka, and two sisters, Irene Niedzwiecki and Adele Balcer.

She is survived by one brother, Stanley Serwatka of O’Fallon, Illinois, many nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, great-great nieces, and great-great nephews, as well as her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for over 81 years.

Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 2022. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. in St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel at St. Francis Convent. Burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

To read her feature story from 2013, please click here.

Staab Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

LCWR Grieves the Shooting in Colorado Springs
November 21, 2022

We, the members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), are committed to work toward a world where reverence for all living beings finds expression in an approach to life free from violence.  Our hearts and prayers go out to those family members, friends, and members of the LGBTQ+ community as they grieve the loss of those killed and injured in the Colorado Springs shooting on Saturday, November 19.

As women of the Gospel, we stand in opposition to all forms of exclusion and violence committed against any member of the human family. There can be no tolerance for hate. We pledge ourselves to work for the change of structures and systems that promote messages and actions of violence, particularly those directed towards persons who lack freedom and are denied human dignity. Our faith requires something more of us. We are called to be instruments of peace.

We also pledge to address the root causes of violence within ourselves as we examine our own thinking, words, beliefs, and actions that perpetuate discord in our relationships and our circles of influence. The cycle of violence must be halted with the actions we take to stop hate and initiate healing towards right relationships, particularly with those impacted by the misuse of power.

We again call on our local, state, and federal officials to enact laws that will: require universal background checks for all gun purchases; restrict civilian access to assault weapons and high capacity magazines; make gun trafficking a federal crime; improve access to mental health care and other services for those in need; and fund programs that make available educational materials on the effects of violence and provide opportunities for youth and young adults to end gang violence.

We pray for the courage necessary for each one of us to commit ourselves to refuse silence in the face of the rhetoric leading to violence and to being makers of peace in the face of division and hate.

LCWR is the association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has about 1350 members, who represent approximately 67 percent of the nearly 39,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, the conference assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today's world. The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis are members of LCWR.

Sister Joan Margaret Hamann, O.S.F. died on Monday, October 31, 2022, at 1:40 p.m. at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL.

Sister Joan Margaret was born in Milwaukee, WI, on July 31, 1932, the daughter of James and Isabelle (Cawley) Hamann. She entered the Congregation on February 1, 1948, and professed her religious vows on October 4, 1950.

Sister Joan Margaret graduated from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing and St. Xavier College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Sister earned certificates in Premature Infant Nursing and Clinical Pastoral Education.

Sister Joan Margaret served as a nurse at HSHS Hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. She was the Supervisor in the Admitting Department and Secretary for the SHARE Program at HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield, IL. Other ministries include Organist, Switchboard, Provincial Accounting at St. Francis Convent, and a volunteer nurse for Dr. James LaFata in Springfield, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, James Hamann.

She is survived by one brother, John (Stephanie) Hamann, River Falls, WI, and two sisters, Jane Lancour, Irvine, CA, and Jean Hamann, Milwaukee, WI, nieces, and nephews, as well as her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for 72 years.

Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, 2022. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Tom Nairn, O.F.M. on Friday, November 4, 2022, at 10 a.m. in St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel at St. Francis Convent. The burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

Butler Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Sister Jolinda Snyder, O.S.F. (94), died on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 1:43 a.m. at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL.

Sister Jolinda, the former Ruth Beatrice Snyder, was born in Huntingburg, IN, on January 9, 1928, the daughter of Sylvester and Adeline (Spayd) Snyder. She entered the Congregation on September 8, 1946, and professed her religious vows on June 13, 1949.

Sister Jolinda earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, and attended a Theology Renewal Program at Marillac College in St. Louis, MO.

Sister Jolinda served as a pharmacist at several HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. From 1976-1979, she served as the Provincial Secretary for the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis at St. Francis Convent. After retiring from her pharmacy career, Sister Jolinda was a receptionist at the Corporate Computer Center of Hospital Sisters Health System from 1990-2010.

She was preceded in death by her parents and four brothers: Michael, LaVerne, Bernard, and Leo Snyder, and one sister, Mary Krodel.

She is survived by a sister, Helen R. Snyder of Dupont, WA, two nieces and several nephews, great nieces and great nephews, and her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for 75 years.

Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 24, 2022. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Jim Isaacson, S.J.C. on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel at St. Francis Convent. Burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

To read her feature story from 2010, please click here.

Butler Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Sister Rachel Jost, O.S.F., died on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 7:25 p.m. at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, Illinois.

Sister Rachel, the former Mildred Louise Jost, was born in Haubstadt, IN, on April 25, 1927, the daughter of Daniel and Oliva (Schiller) Jost. She entered the Congregation on September 8, 1946, and professed her religious vows on June 13, 1949.

Sister Rachel was a graduate of St. John’s School of Radiologic Technology, and St. John’s School of Medical Technology, both of Springfield, IL.

Sister Rachel served as an X-Ray and Lab Technician at HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, and at the Information Desk at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan WI. Sister Rachel also served in the Health Office at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL, and as a Volunteer Sacristan at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers: William, Marvin, and Oscar Jost.

She is survived by two brothers: Donald, Haubstadt, IN, and John, Salt Lake City, UT, and a sister, Mary Jane Thompson, Haubstadt, IN, two sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, and several nieces and nephews, great nieces, and great nephews as well as her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for over 76 years.

Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be on Friday, October 7, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. in St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel at St. Francis Convent. Burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

To read Sister Rachel's story, please click here.

Staab Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
June 30, 2022

WASHINGTON — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 5-4 decision in Biden v. Texas, finding that the Secretary of Homeland Security’s termination of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) was lawful.

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Sr. Donna Markham, OP, PhD, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, and Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., issued the following statement:

“Today’s decision recognizes and preserves the executive branch’s ability to reverse untenable, illegal and immoral policies, regardless of who is in office. The implementation of MPP has obstructed due process and subjected people to the very dangers that forced them to seek refuge in the United States in the first place. With this ruling, we welcome the end of MPP.

Ours is both a nation of laws and a beacon of hope for many throughout the world. This should inspire us to work toward just and humane responses to forced migration, not embrace failed policies of the past. As Pope Francis has warned, we cannot limit ourselves to building ‘walls of fear’ and supporting ‘vetoes dictated by nationalist interests’ if we are to achieve meaningful progress in addressing these challenges.

While this ruling helps pave the way forward, it does not resolve the ongoing challenges at our country’s southwest border. We remain committed to supporting immigration policies that produce more sustainable solutions, respect the God-given dignity of migrants, and better reflect Christ’s call to welcome the stranger.”

On March 21, 2022, the USCCB, CLINIC and CCUSA filed an amicus curiae brief in in Biden v. Texas, supporting the Secretary’s decision to terminate the program.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), of which we are a member, has issued this statement.

The Killing Must End: LCWR Calls for Action to Prevent Gun Violence
May 25, 2022

Our hearts and prayers go out to those parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles who lost their precious children and to all who have been touched by the massacre at Robb Elementary School.

Unfortunately, their heartbreak has become all too familiar to students, teachers, and parents across this country. The Washington Post reports that since the attack at Columbine High School in 1999, nearly 300,000  have been on campus during a school shooting. In 2020 firearm related injuries surpassed automobile accidents as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Where is the outrage? How many more children are we willing to sacrifice?

We mourn with the people of Uvalde even as we continue to grieve for those lost to gun violence in Laguna Park, Buffalo, Parkland, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Orlando, San Bernardino, Charleston, Newtown, Columbine, and in countless other cities and towns across this nation.  We mourn the senseless killing made easy by the proliferation of guns and the pervasive culture of violence which plague our communities.

While there is much to grieve, we know that mourning is not enough. Prayers and condolences, as important as they are, are not enough.

It is well past time that our elected officials stopped listening to the gun lobby and heeded the cries of the people of this nation. It is well past time that we enacted sensible gun violence prevention legislation.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) calls on Congress to immediately take up legislation that:
requires universal background checks and mandatory waiting periods for all gun purchases;
bans civilian ownership of high-capacity weapons and magazines; and
provides funding to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct public health research on firearm violence prevention.

We pledge to stand with all who seek to put an end to the epidemic violence in our land and to follow the path of peace. Let us never doubt that the deep darkness of these days can be overcome by the radiant light of our lives and actions lived in love.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), of which we are a member, has issued this statement regarding Racism and Gun Violence in Buffalo, New York.

Violence and White Supremacy Cannot Stand
May 18, 2022

Our hearts are breaking as we once again come face to face with the racial hatred and gun violence that infect our land. The members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious extend their condolences to the Buffalo community and all who lost loved ones, friends, and neighbors and we say once more violence and white supremacy cannot stand.  And we know that is not enough!

Racism is a virus, every bit as deadly as COVID-19, that has infected our nation since its inception and until we address it, people of color will continue to die, and our nation will continue to bleed. Racism, whether the institutional racism which privileges some at the expense of others or the daily acts of hate and discrimination, diminishes us all. It denies that most profound truth, that all of us are created in God’s image and each of us is entitled to lives of dignity and respect.

As women religious in a predominantly white organization, we recognize how we have been privileged. We lament our silence in the face of white supremacist ideology, and we acknowledge our complicity in institutional racism. We ask forgiveness of our sisters and brothers of color, and we pray for our nation’s healing. And we know that is not enough!

It is time for bold, decisive action. We pledge to raise our voices and to act to end the violence and white supremacy which has cost us dearly. In the wake of the horror of Buffalo, we rededicate ourselves to LCWR’s commitment to dismantle systemic racism and white privilege and effect transformative change in our hearts, our organization, and our society and we pledge anew to build God’s beloved community. We will not permit that violence and white supremacy to stand!

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 1300 members, who represent more than 38,800 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.

We are honored to announce our 2022 Jubilarians who will celebrate the anniversary of their first profession of vows in June.
 

We congratulate Sister Pacis Bao, OSF, as she observes her 75th Jubilee.

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Education and Ministries
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We congratulate Sister Ann Pitsenberger, OSF, as she observes her 70th Jubilee.

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We congratulate Sister Mary Flynn, OSF, as she observes her 70th Jubilee.

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Education and Ministries
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We congratulate Sister Mary Evelyn Lamb, OSF, as she observes her 70th Jubilee.

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We congratulate Sister Bernadine Gutowski, OSF, as she observes her 60th Jubilee.

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We congratulate Sister Janelle Athorp, OSF, as she observes her 60th Jubilee.

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Education and Ministries
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