In Memoriam

Sister M. Elise, MSC (Isentraud) (Apollonia Heuel) 1925 – 2012 When Sister Elise was two years old, her father died.  Since the family had no place to live, her mother’s brother, a parish priest, took them in.  They lived on the second floor of the rectory and he shared what little he had with them. …

Sister M. Deofilia, MSC Vilma Lacko (Latsko) 1918 – 2009 Sister Deofilia began life as one of four children of hard-working Slovak immigrants in Lansford, Pennsylvania.  There, the parish church and school, our first mission in the United States, was the center of her life.  It was no surprise to those who knew her that…

Sister M. Antonette, MSC (Elizabeth (Marcak) Martinko) 1913 – 2009 Young Elizabeth Martinko attended Saint John the Baptist Parish School in Allentown, then staffed by the MSC sisters.  She became an aspirant along with her step-sister Magdalen, Sister Donna Marie (+2000).  Their older sister, Sister. Helen Marie (+1984), became an MSC in 1927.  Both Sister…

Sister M. Josepha, MSC (Mary Lapos) 1912 – 2009 Sister Josepha’s parents came- to the United States from Slovakia.  After settling in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, Saint Michael’s Church in Lansford became their faith community.  It was here that Mary Lapos first met our sisters.  She was drawn to our missionary life and blossomed…

Sister M. Joanne, MSC (Huguette LeBlanc) 1937-2008 Huguette LeBlanc was born in Ville LaSalle, Quebec, the youngest of nine brothers and sisters.  She was baptized in the church of Notre Dame du Sacré Coeur which was staffed by the MSC priests of the Canadian Province.  Years later, her parish priests would acquaint her with the…

Sister M. Grace, MSC (Regina Bonenberger) 1918 – 2009 The great flu epidemic of 1918 was raging when Regina was born, the 13th child in the family.  The flu soon claimed the life of her father.  Named after the Queen of Heaven, Regina’s patroness protected and guided her to maturity and entrance into the Missionary Sisters…

Sister Mary Dacia, MSC (Victoria Kollar) 1912-2008 At the age of ten, Victoria Kollar arrived in Lansford, PA with her parents and sister from Slovakia. Her teachers, the MSC sisters, encouraged her entrance into the aspirancy.  Shortly after her first vows in 1933, Sister Mary Dacia  enrolled in Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing.  In…

Sister M. Bonita, MSC (Maria Mueller) 1907-2008 As a newly professed MSC, Sister Bonita arrived in the United States from Germany in May, 1931.  She left behind her parents, two sisters, and a brother who lost his life in the war soon after his priestly ordination.  This was a time of growth in our young…

Sister M. Beatrice Ceykovsky, MSC 1917 – 2007 Sister Beatrice’s parents arrived in the Lehigh River Valley from their native Slovakia and soon found a home with the parish community of Saint John the Baptist in Allentown. Here their children were taught by our sisters and Lillian was drawn to join the MSC Sisters in…

Sister Helen Papan, MSC (Sister Lucille)  1943 – 2015 Sister Helen grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania with her parents and two younger sisters. They belonged to St. Cyril and Methodius Parish where Sister Helen attended grade school and was taught by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sister Helen entered the aspirancy…