Obituaries

There were no obituaries for November, but we do pray for those who have died, and have listed in this month's New Earth all those who have died this past year in our diocese. Please see the feature story Communion of saints unites deceased faithful with those still in the world for the listing.

October 2005 New Earth

Sister Arnoldine served in U.S. since 1937
Father Tony Richard served 67 years as a priest for the Fargo Diocese
Sister Maurella Schlise served 35 years in pastoral ministry

September 2005 New Earth

Sister M. Renee (Rosa) Bauer
Father Stephen Dickinson
Father Darin J. Didier
Father Dennis Schue

April 2009

Sister Barbara Marie: A teacher of many

Sister Barbara Marie Schwan, OSF, 91, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, Hankinson, died Jan. 27. Sister Barbara Marie was born and raised on a farm near Rugby, where her family attended St. Anselm’s Church in Fulda. She had 12 living brothers and sisters and often reminisced gratefully how her mother taught her to pray when she was very young. “It seems as if I always knew how to pray,” she said.

Sister Barbara Marie entered St. Francis Convent, Hankinson, as a candidate at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school in 1933. She entered the Novitiate in the summer of 1936 and made her first profession a year later. After three more years of formation she consecrated herself to God as a Franciscan Sister for life.

After earning her teaching certificate she was sent to St. John’s School on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville for her first assignment. Sister Barbara Marie very happily taught hundreds of children in many of the parish schools of the Diocese of Fargo for over 50 years at Mantador, Karlsruhe, Mt. Carmel, Selz, Lidgerwood, Oakes, Wahpeton, Grand Forks, and Rugby. During summers, Sister Barbara Marie spent several weeks catechizing children in rural parishes of the Fargo Diocese. From 1968 to 1981, she worked two months each summer with Mexican-American migrants in the Auburn-Grafton area, a favorite work of hers.

A couple weeks before Sister Barbara Marie’s death, her nephew, Father Paul Mark Schwan, was elected Abbot of the Trappist Community in Vina, Calif. Abbot Paul Mark is the son of Simon and Pat Schwan of Michigan, N.D., and was a graduate of Cardinal Muench Seminary, Fargo.

Sister Irene Marie shared faith through teaching

Sister Irene Marie Stroh, SMP, age 86, died Thursday, April 2, at Maryvale Convent near Valley City.

Sister Irene Marie was born on Oct. 18, 1922, on a farm south of Eckelson, to Eugene and Irene (Hogan) Stroh. All of her elementary school years were at Island Lake School, a one-room country school. She attended high school at St. Catherine’s High School in Valley City. Sister Irene received a two-year Normal Degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from The College of Great Falls, Mont.

Sister Irene professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of The Presentation on Aug. 26, 1943, at The St. Margaret’s Chapel in Spring Valley, Ill. She began her teaching career in the primary grades and taught at Catholic schools in Wild Rice, Oakes, Walhalla, Harvey, Oakwood and Valley City, and at Washington, Ill. Sister Irene concluded her teaching career in 1993 and retired at Maryvale Convent.

Sister Irene Marie is survived by her Religious Community, The Sisters of Mary of The Presentation, and one sister-in-law, Kathryn Stroh, Idaho Falls, Id.

The Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on April 6 in the Maryvale Chapel. Interment will be in Maryvale Cemetery later in the spring.

Sister Rolande served as a cook in several communities

Sister Rolande Gamache, 93, died on April7 at Maryvale Convent in Valley City.

Sister Rolande was born on Dec. 29, 1915, in Olga to Arthur and Hermedianne (Beauchamp) Gamache. She attended grade school in Olga. On Feb. 9, 1935, she professed her vows as a sister of Mary of the Presentation in Broons, France. She left the community in 1968 and reentered the community in 1997. She professed her vows again on March 6, 1999.

Most of her years in Religious Community were spent as a cook for the Sisters in Oakwood, Valley City, Willow City, Oakes, Bottineau, Rolla, and Spring Valley, Ill. She also worked as a cook at the hospital in Harvey. She retired at Maryvale in 1999.

Sister Rolande is survived by her Religious Community, the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation; three brothers: Isadore of Grand Forks, Leonard of Spokane, Wash., and Edward (Pat) of Maple Lake, Minn.; and two sisters: Helen Davidson and Marilyn Carl, both of Grand Forks.

The Mass of Christian burial for Sister Rolande was on April 15 in the Maryvale Convent Chapel.

April 2008

Sister Mary Patricia Forrest served at home and abroad

Sister Mary Patricia Forrest, 83, Hankinson, died on Monday, March 24, at St. Francis Convent, Hankinson.

Sister Patricia was born Jan. 14, 1925, at Parshall, the oldest of six children. Her parents were Willard and Mary (Brown) Forrest. She grew up on a farm near Towner. Sister Patricia received her elementary and high school education at the Towner Public School, from which she graduated in May 1943.

After working a year at the Farmers' Union in Towner, Sister Patricia joined the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Heat of Mary at Hankinson, making her First Profession of Vows in July 1945.

Sister Patricia attended Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wis., where she received her bachelor’s degree in education. Later she received her master’s and doctorate degrees in English from Catholic University, Washington, D C.

She spent many years teaching in various positions, including at Catholic University, Washington, DC, where she taught Chaucer and Composition; Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wis.; and Cardinal Muench Seminary, Fargo. She also taught in Catholic schools at Karlsruhe, Hankinson, Wahpeton and Rugby.

During her years at Cardinal Muench Seminary, as Professor of English and Director of the Speech Program, her students were often ranked highest in the state. For her work there, Sister Patricia was inducted into the North Dakota Speech and Theater Hall of Fame in 1999. She served on the North Dakota Humanities Council, chairing the South East Region for a number of years.

Sister Patricia served 18 years in Rome as a member of her Congregation's General Council. In this position she made numerous trips to assist the Sisters in India and Brazil. She also served as a member of the Renewal Committee of the Sisters of St. Francis, Hankinson.

At the time of her death, she was a member of the Council for her Province in Hankinson, diligently serving as its secretary.

Sister Patricia is noted for her poetry and writings, namely: My Father's Legacy, Flamboyant Style in Three Late Medieval Treatments of the Passion, Sources and Style of the St. Ann's Day Plays in the Hegge Cycle, Prairie Praise: A History of the Sisters of St. Francis of Hankinson, North Dakota, and many other articles in various publications.

Sister Patricia is survived by the members of her religious community, her family, including brothers, Robert Forrest, Bismarck, and Michael (Judith) Forrest, Palmyra, Va.; her sister, Teresa ( Marvin) Dahl, Parkers Prairie, Minn.; her sister-in-law, Marjorie Forrest, Towner; and numerous nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephews, with whom she kept in contact.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Willard and Mary Forrest, and her sisters, Frances (Harvey) McVee and Patty (Elliot) Robinson.

The funeral was Thursday, March 27, at 1:30 p.m. in the St. Francis Convent Chapel, Hankinson, followed by burial in the convent cemetery.

March 2008

Sister Yvonne Nelson served children and the poor

Sister Yvonne Nelson, 79, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, died Wednesday, March 5, at Sacred Heart Convent, Fargo.

Sister Yvonne was born Aug. 7, 1928, in Scobey, Mont., one of seven children born to Selmer and Elizabeth (Brown) Nelson. She attended grade school at Scobey School and graduated from high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Fargo. Mary Veronica Nelson, as she was known in school, was taught by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and entered the Order in Fargo in 1948 and received the name Sister Yvonne. She made her final profession of vows in 1954 and celebrated her Golden Jubilee of Profession in 2001.

Sister Yvonne graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., in 1958, with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in social studies, and in 1968 she graduated from Marquette University with a master’s degree in secondary administration.

For 20 years Sister Yvonne taught in Catholic grade schools in Fargo, in St. Alphonsus High School in Langdon, and at Shanley High School in Fargo, where she served as the chair of the English department. In 1971, Sister Yvonne felt called to work among the poor in Appalachia, starting in McKee, Ky., and then moving on to Jellico, Tenn., where she spent a total of 25 years setting up programs to help the local people help themselves. She also spent five years in Native American Ministry in Lame Deer and Busby, Mont.

Sister Yvonne served in administrative posts in the Presentation Order as: director of the Peace and Justice Office; Vice-President of the Order; and council member and director of Presentation Associates. She was living at the PBVM motherhouse in Fargo at the time of her death.

Sister Yvonne is survived by the members of her religious community; her sisters, Sister Claudia Nelson, Fargo, Lois Nelson, Davin and Ann Marie Nelson, Spokane, Wash., and nieces and nephews.

Sister Yvonne was preceded in death by her father, mother, brothers Richard and John, and Pat Nelson.

In place of flowers, donations may be made to the Presentation Foundation, 1101 32nd Ave S., Fargo, ND, 58103.

A wake service and Mass of Christian Burial was at Church of the Nativity, Fargo.

Interment was at Holy Cross North Cemetery, Fargo.

December 2007

Sister Mary Kathleen Hogan, artist and musician, died Nov. 13

Sister Mary Kathleen Hogan, 92, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation, Fargo, died Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Sacred Heart Convent.

Sister Mary Kathleen was born April 21, 1915, in Denbigh, one of eight children born to Joseph W. and Pauline Catherine Hogan. She attended Carrington grade and high school and graduated in 1932. Sister Mary Kathleen entered the Order of the Sisters of the Presentation of Fargo and received the Habit of the Order on March 19, l945. She made her Final Profession of Vows in 1950 and celebrated her Golden Jubilee of Profession in 1997.

Sister Mary Kathleen graduated from Alverno College in Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art and a minor in English. In 1963, she graduated from Moorhead State University, Moorhead, Minn., with a Masters in Art Education.

Sister Mary Kathleen taught piano at Sacred Heart Academy and St. Anthony’s, Holy Spirit and St. Mary’s schools. She taught Art and English for one year at St. Alphonsus School in Langdon, and at Shanley High School for a total of 19 ½ years. In the summer of 1965, she was asked to teach a six-week art appreciation course at St. Mary’s College, Winona, Minn.

Sister Mary Kathleen was bookkeeper for six years at Villa Nazareth and accountant for four years at Friendship Village. She was an exceptionally talented artist and musician, and used these gifts generously both while in active ministry and after her retirement. She started playing the organ for church services as a seventh grader at her home parish in Carrington, and continued for 79 years until she became too ill to play. She used her artistic gifts through the years at the convent to decorate for big and small occasions.

She is survived by the members of her religious Community; her sisters, Margaret and Eva Hogan, both Fargo, and her nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father and mother; brothers: William, John, and Father James Hogan; and sisters: Loretta (Hogan) Stern, Florence Hogan and Susanne Bresnahan.

The funeral was Nov. 19 at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel.

September 2007

Sister M. Bonfrieda served as a housekeeper

Sister M. Bonfrieda (Anna) Buchberger died July 14 at the St. Francis Convent in Hankinson. She was 103.

She was born in Hofstetten, near Eichstatt, Germany, May 28, 1904, and was baptized two days later in the parish church. Her parents, Mathias and Notburga (Bauer) Buchberger, supported their nine children by operating a small farm and a restaurant in Hofstetten. Sister Bonfrieda attended the local grade school and was confirmed May 27, 1915, in the Cathedral in Eichstatt.

After helping her parents at home for a few years, she went to the convent in Dillingen in 1926. There, she was educated as a kindergarten teacher. She was received as a member of the Sisters of St. Francis in Dillingen Aug. 3, 1929, and made her first profession of vows Aug. 4, 1930. As a temporary professed sister, she was assigned to work in an orphanage in Aschaffenburg, caring for 2- to 6-year-old boys.

After making her perpetual vows on Aug. 11, 1933, she responded to the requests of the superiors in Dillingen, who were asking for volunteers to go to the American mission, and moved to Hankinson. During her first year in Hankinson, she worked on the convent farm. She was then transferred in 1934 to the convent in Niagara Falls, Canada, where the sisters were helping with the domestic work at the Carmelite Monastery and Seminary. After 11 years in Canada, she was assigned to the Carmelite Monastery in Washington, D.C.

The next 11 years, she used her household skills at Benedictine abbeys and colleges, first in Atchison, Kan., then in Collegeville, Minn. From 1957 until her retirement, she helped with the housekeeping, especially the cooking, in the convents of the school missions in Lidgerwood, Rugby, Napoleon, Gettysburg, S.D., and then back in Hankinson, where she retired in 1992.

After her retirement, she lived in the motherhouse in Hankinson. She liked to read and did much spiritual reading. She also enjoyed crocheting and knitting. At her 70th jubilee when she was 96 years old, she wrote: “I never thought that I would get so old. Even the infirmities that come with old age I can offer to atone for the many evils of the world.”

Blessed with a happy, roguish disposition, she took delight in corresponding by e-mail with her nephews and nieces and their families in Germany, and she looked forward to their letters, photos and visits.

The funeral Mass was July 20 in the St. Francis Convent Chapel, with burial in the convent cemetery.

Deacon Wisnewski was a farmer and teacher

Deacon Jerome Edward Wisnewski, 70, of Geneseo, passed away Thursday, July 26, at the Four Seasons Health Care Center in Forman, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Deacon Wisnewski was born in Breckenridge, Minn., on June 21, 1937, to Edward and Eleanor (Witucki) Wisnewski of Geneseo.

He married Mary Bednar of Lidgerwood on June 25, 1960, in St. John’s Catholic Church in Lidgerwood. They lived and worked their farm in rural Geneseo from then on. They celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary this year.

Deacon Wisnewski graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts from Ellendale State College in Ellendale in 1959. He began his teaching career in August 1959 in Toronto, S.D., where he taught for two years. He taught for three years in Havana, then for 25 years in Lidgerwood. He received numerous vocational awards and recognition throughout the years, including North Dakota’s Industrial Arts teacher of the year in 1977. He also headed up the 1985 North Dakota Industrial Arts Program. He retired from teaching in May 1993. Throughout his teaching career and after retirement, he continued to farm.

He was involved in numerous local organizations, including the Lidgerwood Lions Club, Sargent County Farm Bureau and the Lidgerwood Knights of Columbus Council. As a 4th Degree Knight, he served as Faithful Navigator for 12 years. He also was awarded the North Dakota State Knight of the Year in 2003.

He was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Fargo on May 17, 2003. He served his home parishes of Lidgerwood, Geneseo and Cayuga, until falling ill in early 2007.

Deacon Wisnewski is survived by his wife, Mary, and their four sons: Jeffrey and his wife, Gayle, of Brandon, S.D.; Curtis and his wife, Shawnee, and their children, Kyle, Phillip, Justin, Jacob, Kate and Dakota, of Kenai, Alaska; Craig and his wife, Tiffany, of Lidgerwood; and Jason and his wife, Tanya, and their son, Kane, of Bismarck. He is also survived by his siblings, Sister Juliana of Fargo; Mercedes and her husband, Charles Heley, of Horace; and Florian and his wife, Diane, of Geneseo.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Eleanor, and by his sister, Leonette Baker.

The funeral Mass was July 30 at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Lidgerwood, with Bishop Samuel Aquila and Msgr. Dennis Skonseng as celebrants. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in Lidgerwood.

Sister Mary Rose Schatz served others as a cook

Franciscan Sister Mary Rose Schatz died Aug. 29 at the St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, Minn. She was 93. Two weeks earlier Sister Mary Rose had celebrated her 70th jubilee of religious profession with her community, family and friends at St. Francis Convent in Hankinson.

She was born in Zeeland, Aug. 11, 19l4, and was baptized in St. Andrew’s Church on Aug. 15, 1914. She was confirmed at St. Andrew’s by Bishop James O’Reilly on May 7, 1926. Her parents, John and Margaret (Seiler) Schatz, supported their nine children by farming. As the oldest, Sister Mary Rose remembered plowing with four to six horses. She also developed into an excellent cook.

After graduating from elementary school and helping her parents on the farm for a few years, she entered the convent of the Sisters of St. Francis in Hankinson in January 1936. She was received by the sisters as a novice July 16, 1936, and made her temporary profession of religious vows July 19, 1937.

Sister Mary Rose served as a cook in monastery and convent kitchens for 50 years. Her first assignment was to the Carmelite Monastery in Chicago, where the Franciscan Sisters were offering domestic services for priests and seminarians. She also cooked for Benedictine priests and students in Atchison, Kan., and Collegeville, Minn., and for Carmelites in Niagara Falls, Canada. When needed, she was assigned to cook for her sisters in St. Francis Convent and St. Gerard’s Hospital in Hankinson, in Oakes Community Hospital and in Little Flower Convent in Rugby. Her last two missions as cook were for the Mariannhill Mission Society in Dearborn, Mich., for 15 years and for St. Anne’s Guest Home in Grand Forks, for 11 years. She retired to the Hankinson motherhouse in 1988, and joined the sisters in St. Mary’s infirmary in 1994, when she needed a wheel chair and nursing care after major surgery.

Sister Mary Rose liked to sing and participate in community activities. One of her favorite songs was a German hymn, which she remembered from her Russian-German childhood in rural North Dakota. She enjoyed visiting and was grateful when her siblings and other family members came to see her. She gratefully promised her prayers to everyone.

Sister Mary Rose is survived by five sisters, Rose Mitzel, Mary Kramer, Christine Meier, Margaret Schatz and Betty Brandner; and one brother, John (Josephine) Schatz and one brother-in-law, John Mattern. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Margaret (Seiler) Schatz; one sister, Julia Mattern; one brother, Eugene Schatz; and four brothers-in-law, Fred Mitzel, John Kramer, Frank Meier and Vincent Brandner.

The vigil service for Sister Mary Rose was Aug. 31 in the St. Francis Convent Chapel. The funeral was Sept. 1 in the St. Francis Convent Chapel, with burial in the St. Francis Convent Cemetery.

May 2007

Presentation Sister Loretta Bernier, 88, taught music for many years

Sister Loretta Bernier, 88, of Valley City, died at Mercy Hospital in Valley City on June 3.

Sister Loretta was born Jan. 2, 1919, in Williston, to Anna (Bellemare) and Philip August Bernier. She professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of the Presentation Feb. 14, 1939, in Broons, France. Sister Loretta did not return to the United States after making her vows and was with the group of American Sisters who were put into a Concentration Camp in Vittel, at the border between France and Germany, during World War II for approximately 18 months.

On her return to the United States, she attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and obtained a degree in music. She also received a degree in French from the University of Illinois. She taught classroom music, chorus, choir and private piano lessons in Oakwood, Walhalla and Willow City. She taught English and French at Bergen High School in Peoria, Ill., and music in Washington, Ill. After teaching for many years, she went to Presentation Medical Center in Rolla, where she worked in medical records doing transcription. She retired at Maryvale in May 2001.

Sister Loretta is survived by her religious community, the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation; one sister, Sister Augusta Bernier of Valley City; and by many nieces and nephews.

Her funeral was June 6 at Maryvale Convent Chapel in Valley City.

Deacon Lange, 90, was involved in Devils Lake church, community

Deacon Larry Lange, who served as a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Fargo for 28 years, died May 28 in his home. The funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, June 1, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Devils Lake. He was 90.

Lange was born to Pauline (Minette) and H. J. Lange on May 25, 1917. He was one of nine boys and two girls. He received his primary education in Morris Township No. 2 and graduated from Webster High School in 1934 as part of Webster’s largest graduating class.

After two years at the North Dakota State University Agriculture College in Fargo, he returned to help at the family farm in Webster until he was drafted into the Army in 1942. Following three years in the military, he entered law school at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and graduated in 1949. He married Gertrude Linneman on June 16, 1948, in Reynolds.

Deacon Lange had a variety of careers, serving at the State Capitol in Bismarck as deputy estate tax commissioner for two years, selling

investments, farming and working as a field director for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service for seven years. In 1967, he opened a private law practice that he operated from his home overlooking Devils Lake.

Deacon Lange belonged to a number of organizations and held leadership positions in many, including: Odd Fellows, Legion of Mary, Lake Region Curling Club, Knights of Columbus and District 15 DNPL. He was active in a number of peace organizations including Pax Christi USA, Witness for Peace and the North Dakota Peace Coalition. He is a past winner of the North Dakota Prairie Peacemakers annual award.

Through his hobby nursery, Deacon Lange hand-planted thousands of trees across the state of North Dakota — including a half-mile area of trees near Lakota. He was involved in the Devils Lake Curling Club since its founding, actively curling until the age of 88.

Deacon Lange was a man of peace, a gentle and generous man, but had the spirit of a warrior when it came to issues of peace and justice for his fellow man. He was a prolific fundraiser for causes such as Father Jack Davis’ mission in Peru, Crop Walk International, St. Joseph’s building projects and the Lake Region Curling Club.

He is survived by Gertrude “Lindy” Lange, his wife of 58 years; his 10 children: Kate (David) McKibben, Anacortes, Wash.; Louise (Rich) Dwyer, Eugene, Ore.; Greg (Laurie) Lange, Hazen; Mark (Nancy) Lange, Devils Lake; Mary (Tim) Campbell, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Julie (Tom) Schuster, Minneapolis; Tim Lange (special friend, Kathy) Phoenix; Mike (Jill) Lange, Edwards, Colo.; Michelle (Adam) Lange-Pearson, Rochester, Minn.; and Jennifer (Tim) Olson, Fargo; 25 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by brothers, Norbert, Donald, Ralph, Gerry, Hank and Dewey; and sisters, Joan and Judy.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Mary Margaret and LaVonne; brothers, Edmund and John; and one great-grandchild, Kaia.

March 2007

Former principal, 102, led St. Ann’s in Belcourt

Sister Bernice Kavanaugh, 102, of Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., died Feb. 22 at the monastery’s Hildegard Health Center. Sister Bernice served as principal and taught at St. Ann’s Mission in Belcourt from 1936 to 1944.

She was born Dec. 4, 1904, in Cannelburg, Ind. She entered the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand in 1922 and made her first profession of vows in 1924 and her final profession in 1927.

She is survived by two sisters, Sister Mary Charlotte Kavanaugh of Monastery Immaculate Conception and Rosemary Kavanaugh of Indianapolis. She was preceded in death by her parents, seven brothers and one sister.

Sister Bernice taught and served as principal at schools in southern Indiana and Arizona. She was a nursing home administrator in Beech Grove, Ind., and taught religious education at a U.S. Army base in Alabama. A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 26, with burial in the monastery cemetery.

Sister M. Adeline (Cyrilla) Nathe was 85

Sister M. Adeline (Cyrilla) Nathe died Feb. 16 at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, Minn., at age 85. She was born Jan. 28, 1922, in Forman. The daughter of Henry and Mary (Mahrer) Nathe, she was the middle child between two brothers. She attended a rural grade school and graduated from St. Francis Academy High School, Hankinson. She was received as a novice into the Sisters of St. Francis in Hankinson, July 22, 1942, and made her first profession of vows July 24, 1943.

Sister Adeline graduated from Alverno College in Milwaukee, with a bachelor’s of education degree and devoted 30 years to teaching intermediate and upper grades. She taught at St. Francis Academy, where she was also prefect of the resident boys. Then followed Rugby, Lidgerwood, Selz, a further five years (1948-53) at St. Francis Academy, the upper grades in Rugby, where she was principal of Little Flower School, and then Holy Family School in Grand Forks, where she was principal. She taught in vacation schools in the summers throughout the Fargo diocese. In 1969, when St. James High School in Grand Forks closed, she became a religious education coordinator serving three parishes.

Sister Adeline served her religious community from 1956 to 1962 as a member of the provincial council and business manager at the motherhouse in Hankinson. She also served as administrator of Gettysburg Memorial Hospital in South Dakota. In 1963, she was elected as a delegate to the General Chapter of her congregation in Dillingen, Germany.

After she accepted the responsibilities of pastoral care minister at St. John’s Parish in Wahpeton for Father George Mehok, Sister Adeline earned a master’s degree in religious education in 1975. For 21 years she served in pastoral ministry in Wahpeton, with an outreach beyond the parish. She was a volunteer in Riveredge Hospice, served on the American Cancer Society Board and started the Richland-Wilkin Cancer Self-Support Group. She visited and prayed with sick and dying persons, assisted needy families and transients and was on call for emergencies.

Sister Adeline retired to the motherhouse in Hankinson in 1995, where she was part-time receptionist until the day before her death. She prayed daily for all who had asked for prayer.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 19 at St. Francis Convent Chapel.

February 2007

Father Victor Schill was a clergyman and craftsman

Father Victor Schill, 89, of Walhalla, died Jan. 22 at the Pembilier Nursing Center in Walhalla.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 26 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Walhalla, with burial in the parish cemetery.

He was born to Charles and Mary (Koehmstedt) Schill on March 10, 1917, in Mount Carmel. He grew up on the family farm with seven brothers and three sisters. Because the closest high school was 19 miles away, Father Schill’s high school education did not begin until he was 23. He attended Sacred Heart Academy in Fargo from 1939 to spring 1941, then attended Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, from fall 1941 to 1950. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo on June 3, 1950.

Father Schill served as assistant pastor at Transfiguration parish in Edgeley, from 1950 to 1953, then St. Therese Little Flower parish in Rugby until 1956. He served as pastor at St. Francis in Marion from 1956 to 1959; St. John in Zeeland, from 1959 to 1968; Sts. Peter and Paul in Karlsruhe, from 1968 to 1969; St. Mary’s in Munich and St. Boniface in Calio from 1969 to 1979; and St. Andrew’s in Zeeland and St. David’s in Ashley from 1979 to 1990. He also served as temporary administrator at St. Michael’s in Wales from 1975 to 1976.

Throughout his priesthood, he crafted many items for the parishes he served, including steeples, altars, baptismal fonts and other church furnishings.

After his retirement in 1990, Father Schill built a woodworking shop in Walhalla where he continued to use his skills as a carpenter to serve the Catholic Church and others.

Father Schill is survived by one brother, Leonard Schill of Langdon, and his nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; six brothers: Fred, Raymond, Lawrence, Walter, Martin and Louis; and three sisters: Irene Klein, Clara Schill, and Anastasia Decker.

Sister Marie Anastasia Muzzarelli served as a nurse

The funeral for Sister Marie Anastasia Muzzarelli, 92, of Valley City, was celebrated Monday, Jan. 8, at the Maryvale Convent Chapel. She died Jan. 3 at Maryvale.

She was born Aug. 29, 1914, at Spring Valley, Ill., to Michael and Anastasia (Seghi) Muzzarelli. She professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of the Presentation Sept. 11, 1935, at Broons, France. Sister Marie Anastasia received her registered nurse degree from St. Andrew School of Nursing at Bottineau, and did post graduate work in obstetrical nursing at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Ill., in 1945.

In 1978, Sister Marie Anastasia studied clinical pastoral education and became a certified chaplain in pastoral care. She worked in nursing at St. Margaret Hospital in Spring Valley, St. Aloisius Hospital in Harvey, St. Andrew Hospital in Bottineau and Presentation Care Center in Rolla. She spent some years at St. Jerome in Canada and at Les Cotils in Guernsey Island working in a nursing home. Her later years were spent as a chaplain in pastoral care in Harvey, Rolla and Spring Valley. She retired to Maryvale Convent in 1998.

Sister Marie Anastasia is survived by her religious family, the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation, her brother Joseph Muzzarelli of Spring Valley, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Louis, and two sisters, Beatrice Marconi and Mary Riva.

January 2007

Monsignor George Schneider died at 76

Msgr. George Schneider, 76, Harvey, died Dec. 13 at St. Aloisius Medical Center in Harvey.

He was born to Willie and Odella (Schafer) Schneider on the family farm near Orrin on Dec. 19, 1929. He attended the Orrin Consolidated Grade School and then went to Assumption Abbey in Richardton for high school. His college, philosophy and theology courses were taken at Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minn., and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.

He was ordained a Catholic priest on June 2, 1956, at his home parish, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Orrin, and offered his first Mass there the following day.

He served as associate pastor at St. Mark’s Church in Bottineau, and St. Mary’s Church in Grand Forks. In 1963, he was assigned pastor of St. Arnold’s Church in Milnor, and its mission church, St. Vincent in Stirum. In 1970, he also was assigned the parish of Our Lady of Mercy in Cogswell. In 1973, he was assigned to St. George Church in Cooperstown, and St. Lawrence Church in Jessie. In 1980, he was reassigned to St. Joachim Church in Rolla. In 1996, he also was pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rock Lake. He retired in 1999 after 43 years of ministry.

For almost 25 years, Msgr. Schneider was co-director of the Fargo Diocesan Catholic Rural Life Conference. During his rural life ministry, he helped organize the North Dakota Conference of Churches and for many years served on its Rural Life Task Force. He organized and assisted with rural crisis seminars, retreats, and workshops for clergy and rural outreach workers. Msgr. Schneider was a passionate advocate of the family farm, the rural community and soil conservation. In 1992, the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts presented him with a special award in recognition of his work on behalf of soil stewardship.

During his rural life ministry, Msgr. Schneider also was active in the National Catholic Rural Life Conference headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. He served on its executive committee and helped with preparations for the visit Pope John Paul II made to rural America in Des Moines Oct. 4, 1979.

Along with other Midwest rural life directors, he helped prepare and compose the original draft of “Strangers and Guests,” the 1980 pastoral letter issued by the Catholic bishops of America, which outlined the position of the Catholic Church on the land and its people.

Upon retirement, Msgr. Schneider was given an award by the clergy of the Diocese of Fargo in recognition of his many years of rural life work.

In December 1999, he was named prelate of honor to his holiness, Pope John Paul II, with the title of monsignor.

Msgr. Schneider is survived by brothers, Edwin and his wife, JoAnn, of Rock Springs, Wyo., James and his wife, Marianne, of Bismarck; Clifford of Louisville, Ky.; sisters, Marie Sveum of Minot, Ann Hager of Rugby, Stella Schiele of Bismarck, Yvonne and her husband, Bill Strauss, of Green Bay, Wis., Martha and her husband, Leonard Fennewald, Wichita, Kan., Ramona and her husband, Gary Schmitz, of Harvey, Virginia and her husband, Dale Davy, Valley City; sister-in-law, Alice Schneider of Crosby, and brother-in-law, Mark Schmitz of Fessenden; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Bonita Schmitz; and brother, Jerome Schneider.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 19 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Harvey, with burial in the church cemetery.

December 2006

Sister Wilrama served cardinal turned pope

Sister Wilrama (Maria) Hirsch, 96, died Nov. 29, 2006, at St. Francis Convent in Hankinson.

The daughter of Joseph and Viktoria (Schlosser) Hirsch, Maria was born in Oberwiesenbach, Krumbach, Germany, Sept. 10, 19l0, and was baptized in the parish church the same day.

She entered the convent in Dillingen, Germany, in 1931, and worked for four years in a children’s home for orphans in Aschaffenburg. She entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Sisters in Dillingen March 25, 1935, and made her first profession of vows April 14, 1936, in Dillingen.

During the summer of 1936 she came to America from Dillingen with 16 other young sisters who had volunteered for the “American mission.” She made her perpetual vows Aug. 14, 1939, in Hankinson.

She worked in the laundry of the Carmelite Monastery in Chicago, Ill., from 1936 to 1942. Her superiors then asked her to help with the domestic work in a Benedictine Abbey in Atchison, Kan., and the Carmelite Seminary in Niagara Falls, Canada.

In 1951, she was transferred to the Mother House Convent in Hankinson, where she worked in various household services for the next 14 years.

When her Franciscan congregation opened an international generalate in Rome, Sister Wilrama joined Sister Gundrada Heissler and Sister Wilhelmine Rid in that new endeavor in l966. For the next 30 years Sister Wilrama was in charge of the housecleaning and the laundry, was assistant sacristan and looked after the heating and the plumbing of the large building.

The generalate served as a center for retreats and a house of hospitality for guests, not only from Germany and Italy, but also from the U.S. and Brazil.

One of the guests welcomed by Sister Wilrama on occasional weekends when he wanted to get out to the countryside away from his work in Rome was Cardinal Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict XVI.

Due to failing health, Sister Wilrama retired in 1996 and returned to Hankinson, where she spent the last 10 years of her life in the care of the infirmary unit of St. Francis Convent. Her love of flowers and birds was expressed by her attention to colorful decorations. She would smile when someone spoke to her in Italian. When Benedict XVI was elected pope in 2005, the television picture brought a smile of recognition. “Ratzinger!,” she exclaimed.

Sister Wilrama is survived by several sisters and a number of nieces and nephews in Germany. She was preceded in death by her parents and several siblings.

The funeral was Dec. 2 at St. Francis Convent Chapel, with burial in St. Francis Convent Cemetery.

November 2006

Benedictine Sister Maura Schnur served St. Ann Indian Mission in Belcourt for 53 years

Benedictine Sister Maura Schnur, who served at St. Ann Indian Mission in Belcourt for 53 years, died at Immaculate Conception Monastery in Ferdinand, Ind., Sept. 24. She was 82.

From 1951 to 2004, Sister Maura served at St. Ann Indian Mission as a teacher, religious education instructor, parish minister in pre-marriage and annulment counseling, and coordinator of religious education for the Diocese of Fargo. She was a founding member of Queen of Peace Monastery in Belcourt, established by the Ferdinand Benedictines in 1963. She served as prioress there for 18 years. In 2004, when the monastery in Belcourt closed, Sister Maura returned to the Ferdinand monastery, where she served as liturgy assistant and in support services. Before coming to Belcourt, Sister Maura taught at schools in southern Indiana.

Sister Maura was born June 6, 1924, in Howell, Ind., to George and Alice (Heuke) Schnur. She entered the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand in 1942, made her first profession of vows in 1944 and her final profession in 1947.

She is survived by two sisters, Sister Mary Alice Schnur, a Ferdinand Benedictine serving in Coban, Guatemala, and Theresa Thomas of Karlsruhe; one brother, Harold Schnur of Evansville, Ind.; nieces and nephews; and members of her religious community.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 28, followed by burial in the monastery cemetery.

October 2006

Sister Mary Theresa Lessard served her community 73 years

The funeral for Sister Mary Theresa Lessard (formerly Sister Germaine Marie), 94, of Valley City, took place Oct. 10 at the Maryvale Convent Chapel. She died Oct. 6 at Maryvale Convent.

Sister Mary Theresa Lessard was born March 13, 1912, in Oakwood, to Joseph and Bertha (Campbell) Lessard. She professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of the Presentation on March 16, 1933, in Broons, France. Sister Mary Theresa received a bachelor of arts degree in education in St. Louis and began teaching.

She taught at Catholic schools in Wild Rice, Olga, Valley City, Lisbon, Oakes and Walhalla. After teaching for many years, she went to St. Andrew Hospital in Bottineau, where she worked as a nurse’s aide and in the emergency room. She also provided nursing in Harvey, and at Maryvale Convent in Valley City. She was the hospitality director at Maryvale for approximately 25 years, before retiring a few years ago.

Sister Mary Theresa is survived by her religious community, the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation, her brother Marcel (Lucy) Lessard, Mesa, Ariz., three sisters-in-law, Rita Lessard, Mesa, Angeline Lessard and Bernadette Lessard, both of Longview, Wash., and many nieces and nephews, including Bishop Raymond Lessard of Boyton Beach, Fla.

July/August 2006

Father Alfred Allmaras served as priest 47 years

Father Alfred Allmaras, 74, of New Rockford, died July 9, in Anchorage, Alaska, from injuries in a fall.

He was born Oct. 18, 1931, at a farm home in Bremen Township, near New Rockford, the son of William and Katherine (Ackerman) Allmaras. He attended country school in Bremen Township and graduated in 1950 from St. James Academy in New Rockford. He attended Seattle University, Seattle, Wash., for one year before entering St. John’s Seminary in Collegeville, Minn. He was ordained to the priesthood in May 1959 in New Rockford.

Father Allmaras served as temporary assistant pastor at St. John’s parish in Grafton for two months, and as assistant pastor at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City for five years. He then served the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo for 10 months. He was named pastor of St. James Basilica in Jamestown in July 1965 and served there until July 1968. From August 1968 to August 1981, he served as a missionary in Andahuaylas, Peru, representing the Society of St. James in Boston.

After a brief illness, he returned to the Fargo Diocese, where he served as a chaplain at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fargo. He served as a notary for the Diocese of Fargo Tribunal, as chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, Council 7176, and as director of the Migrant Program for the Diocese of Fargo.

He was a priest of the Diocese of Fargo for 47 years. He served as assistant pastor at Holy Family in Grand Forks for two years. He served as pastor at the following North Dakota parishes: St. Michael’s in Wales; Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mount Carmel; St. Boniface in Walhalla; St. Anthony in Bathgate; St. Joseph in LeRoy; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Olga; St. Clotilde in Milton; St. Joseph in Osnabrock; St. John’s in Wahpeton; Newman Center at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton; Sts. Peter and St. Paul in Bechyne; St. Catherine in Lomice and St. Lawrence O’Toole in Michigan. He retired July 1, 1999, and continued to assist at diocesan parishes and serve at mission parishes in Alaska. He returned to North Dakota after suffering a heart attack, but returned to Nulato, Alaska, to assist during Lent and Easter.

He is survived by two brothers: Theodore (Naomi), New Rockford, and Lawrence (Martha), Coon Rapids, Minn.; three sisters: Kay Allmaras, Seattle, Wash., Helen Wishinsky, New Rockford, and Sister Avis Allmaras, St. Paul, Minn.; three sisters-in-law: Alice Allmaras, New Rockford, Alice M. Allmaras, Surprise, Ariz., and Mary Claire, Seattle, Wash.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers: Bill, Ed and Don; and two sisters: Betty Allmaras and Fran Allmaras.

Funeral services were held at St. John’s Catholic Church in New Rockford, with burial at the church cemetery.

June 2006

Bishop James S. Sullivan dies June 12

Most Rev. James Stephen Sullivan, 76, retired bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, died Monday, June 12, at Rosewood on Broadway, Fargo.

James Stephen Sullivan was born July 23, 1929, in Kalamazoo, MI., the son of Stephen and Dorothy (Bernier) Sullivan. He attended St. Augustine Elementary School in Kalamazoo and attended high school and two years of college at St. Joseph Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit in 1951, then entered St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, MI., where he received his theological training. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph H. Albers on June 4, 1955, in Lansing, MI. He served as a parish priest in Flint, Lansing and St. Joseph, all in Michigan. He served as secretary for Bishop Albers and Bishop Alexander Zaleski, then served as Assistant Chancellor and Vicar General to Bishop Zaleski, with additional assignments as Vocations Director and Founder of Liturgical Publications in Lansing.

On Sept. 21, 1972, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Sicessi and Auxiliary Bishop of Lansing. On April 2, 1985, he was appointed Bishop of Fargo and was installed as the sixth Bishop of Fargo on May 30, 1985.

Bishop Sullivan served as Episcopal Liaison for the Cursillo Movement in the United States, as President of the World Apostolate of Fatima and Episcopal Liaison to the Catholic Marketing Association. He also served on the advisory board of Catholics United for the Faith and several committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Within the Fargo Diocese, Bishop Sullivan oversaw the formation of the Fargo Catholic Schools Network and instituted the Opening Doors, Opening Hearts program of evangelization. He saw to the funding of the Priest Pension Plan through the Shepherd’s Care Campaign and improved the financial condition of the diocese and parishes. In 1992, he began the diocese’s Annual Walk with Christ for Life, a peaceful procession of prayer for an end to abortion. In 1993, he was chosen by Pope John Paul II as one of the priests to address the English-speaking youth attending World Youth Day in Denver, CO.

Bishop Sullivan retired on March 18, 2002, and resided at the rectory at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fargo before moving to Rosewood on Broadway in Spring 2006.

Surviving are three sisters, Barbara Jean Sullivan, Sister Marilyn Sullivan and Rosemary Barnum, all of Kalamazoo; two nephews, Stephen (Galyn) Barnum and their children, Trevor and Tyler, and James (Kris) Barnum and their children, Stephen and Ashley, all of Kalamazoo; and numerous brother priests. He was preceded in death by his parents, Stephen and Dorothy Sullivan, and his brother-in-law, Ted Barnum.

The funeral Mass for Bishop Sullivan was Saturday, June 17, at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo. Burial was at Holy Cross cemetery, north Fargo, immediately following the funeral.

Sister Konradine served many people during 96 years of life

Sister M. Konradine Maier, 96, died at St. Francis Convent, Hankinson, on May 23, 2006.

As the sixth of 11 children, Sister Konradine was born to George and Maria (Wöhr) Maier in Kettershausen, Bavaria, on March 15, 1910. Her father was a forester; her mother cared for the family’s domestic needs and for their farm.

The Sisters of St. Francis of Dillingen taught in the grade school in her home town. At 14, she entered the sisters’ convent in Dillingen and was enrolled in its home economics school in Hochaltingen.

She became a postulant Feb. 2, 1928, and a novice Aug. 2 that year. In Dillingen, she made her first profession of vows on Aug. 3, 1929, and her perpetual vows on Aug. 5, 1932.

Sister Konradine’s first assignment was to Augsburg, Germany, where the Franciscan sisters worked in a boarding school for boys. In 1932, she volunteered to go to her order’s missions in America.

She became a member of the sisters’ convent in Mount Carmel College, Niagara Falls, Canada. Because of the convent’s location in Canada, she was a “British subject” for the next 14 years, as she offered domestic services for the college students, seminarians and Carmelite priests. The roar of the famous falls accompanied her daily work.

In 1946, Sister Konradine was transferred to the Provincial Mother House in Hankinson. For the next 12 years, she helped to prepare meals for the sisters, candidates and other resident students attending St. Francis Academy. She also worked in the hot lunch program for students coming daily from home. The sisters’ big farm and large vegetable garden kept the sisters busy with canning during the summer.

In 1968, Sister Konradine was called to St. Anne’s Guest Home, Grand Forks, as a member of the convent there. St. Anne’s became her convent home until, owing to failing health, she retired to the Mother House in Hankinson on Nov. 12, 2004.

At St. Anne’s, Sister Konradine helped in the dining room and served as the sacristan, caring for the chapel and preparing the altar for Mass and other liturgical services.

Even when she was “part-time retired, she found that her early desire to serve the missions continued. Her hobbies were crafts and crocheting,

as well as reconstructing and dressing dolls that could be sold for the benefit of poor people in mission lands.

She is survived by one sister and by many cousins, nieces and nephews in Germany. She met many of them when she visited her family members in Germany in 1996.

The funeral Mass was celebrated on May 27 at St. Francis Convent Chapel, Hankinson, with burial in St. Francis Convent Cemetery.

March 2006

Sister Mary Agnes Schneider was nurse anesthetist

Franciscan Sister Mary Agnes Schneider, 96, died Feb. 24 at St. Francis Convent in Hankinson.

Sister Mary Agnes was born Aug. 31, 1909, to John E. and Johanna (Fischer) Schneider of Orrin, one of 14 children. She received her elementary education at Manheim District School, Balta, and graduated from high school at St. Francis Academy in Hankinson. She became a postulant of the Sisters of St. Francis in Hankinson in 1936. She made her first profession of vows as a sister on July 19, 1937, and her perpetual profession on Aug. 6, 1940.

She began her education as a nurse in St. Bernard’s School of Nursing, Chicago, in 1937. She learned operating room supervision at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Ill. She then entered the School of Anesthesia. She attended the School of Hospital Administration in St. Louis, Mo. She spent 35 years as a registered nurse and 25 years as a nurse anesthetist.

Sister Mary Agnes was a nurse anesthetist and clinical instructor at St. John’s Hospital in Fargo. In St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Drayton, she served as anesthetist, operating room supervisor and staff nurse. From 1950 to 1959, she was administrator of the Oakes Hospital, where she also was anesthetist and director of nursing services. From 1959 to 1977, Sister Mary Agnes worked in health care at St. Gerard’s Hospital, Hankinson; Towner County Hospital, Cando; St. Anne’s Guest Home, Grand Forks; St. Joseph’s Hospital, Minot; Riverview Hospital, Crookston, Minn.; and Medical Rehabilitation Center, Grand Forks. She was president of the North Dakota Catholic Hospital Conference and was a member of many other state and national health care associations.

In 1977, Sister Mary Agnes retired from active nursing and enrolled in the School of Pastoral Ministry in Springfield. She began her pastoral ministry work at Little Flower parish in Rugby in May 1978. She offered spiritual service in Rugby until her retirement to the motherhouse in Hankinson in May 2000.

Sister Mary Agnes was deeply devoted to her family. She was the heart of their family reunions and the one who compiled their family history. One of her hobbies was raising houseplants and she was especially fond of growing flowers to add beauty to the altars of the chapel. She loved music. She expressed her artistic talent by embroidering dish towels and making other articles to sell in the convent gift shop for the benefit of the missions.

She was preceded in death by her parents and eight brothers and sisters. She is survived by two brothers, Anthony of Minot and Adam of Fort Collins, Colo., and by three sisters, Mary Kramer of Minot, Barbara Hanft of Charleston, Ill., and Joan Crawford of Westlake Village, Calif.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 27 in St. Francis Convent Chapel.

February 2006

Sister Corinne Yepson

Sister Corinne Yepson, 85, of Valley City, died Jan. 12 at Maryvale Convent, Valley City.

Sister Corinne was born on Nov. 22, 1920, at Rolla to Otto and Agnes (Bercier) Yepson. She professed her vows as a Sister of Mary of the Presentation on March 25, 1941, in Broons, France. She spent about 17 months in a German internment camp in Vittel, France, from 1942 to 1944.

Sister Corinne received her nursing degree from St. Andrew’s School of Nursing in 1949. She then ministered to the sick in St. Aloisius Hospital in Harvey. In 1954, she attended and graduated from the school of Anesthesia at St. Luke’s in Aberdeen, S.D. Upon completion of those studies she again returned to St. Aloisius. In 1965, she went to St. Andrew’s Hospital in Bottineau and worked as a registered nurse, anesthetist and later in pastoral care. Sister Corinne retired at Maryvale in 2002.

Sister Corinne is survived by her religious community — the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation; one sister, Virginia Boucher from Rolla; four nieces and one nephew; four great nieces and five great nephews; one great-great niece and three great-great nephews.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 16 in the Maryvale Convent Chapel.

Mother Mary Rose

Mother Mary Rose Schulte, major superior of Sister Servants of Christ the King, died Jan. 16, at Loretto Convent, the Motherhouse in Mount Calvary, Wis.

She was one of the founders of her religious community in the early 1940s. Cardinal Aloisius Muench was bishop of Fargo at the time when the Sister Servants of Christ the King were established as a religious community in the Diocese of Fargo.

In the diocese, the sisters live and serve in Edgeley. The community asks for prayers for Mother Mary Rose and for the communities in Edgeley and Mount Calvary. Archbishop Timothy Dolan was the principal celebrant for the funeral Mass on Jan. 21 at Holy Cross Church in Mount Calvary.

October 2005

Sister Arnoldine served in U.S. since 1937

Sister M. Arnoldine Nieberler, 90, died Sept. 12 in St. Francis Convent, Hankinson.

She was born Nov. 7, 1914, in Kaldorf, Germany, and was baptized the next day in the parish church. With four brothers and five sisters, she grew up on the family farm operated by her parents, Rupert and Maria (Böhm) Nieberler. She attended the girls’ middle school in Volkach, Germany, and the preparatory college for kindergarten teachers taught by the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen.

After graduating in March 1935, she entered the convent of the Franciscan Sisters in 1936 and consecrated her life to God in her first vows Aug. 6, 1937. She made her perpetual vows in Hankinson on Aug. 6, 1940.

In 1937, as the Nazi regime had begun driving sisters from their convents, Sister Arnoldine, with seven other sisters, accepted an assignment to go to the new mission in America. Her first place of work was Maur Hill High School, taught by the Benedictine priests in Atchison, Kan., where she cooked, sewed and cared for the dining room. In 1941, she was transferred to Chicago, to help with the same kind of work in the Carmelite monastery. In 1943, she was assigned to the Cathedral of St. Mary’s Rectory in Fargo to cook for the four priests there. Poor health made it necessary for her to take a sick leave from 1947 to 1952.

In 1952, Sister Arnoldine went with other sisters to Grand Forks to renovate the old St. MIael’s Hospital, transforming it into St. Anne’s Guest Home, where she was administrator for 10 years, and superior for eight of those 10 years. In 1962, she was transferred to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Drayton, where she served as the superior and bookkeeper until 1968. Then she was asked to go to Towner County Memorial Hospital in Cando, during which she also served for a year on the board of directors of the North Dakota Hospital Association.

Throughout her 19 years in Cando as administrator, including seven years as local superior, she was often engaged in the activities of the civic community. Her smiling but quiet presence was felt everywhere. The same could be said of her last nine years of professional service as local superior for St. Anne’s Home in Grand Forks, from 1987 to 1996.

After she retired to the motherhouse in Hankinson, she fell and broke her hip in June 1997. That, together with failing health, confined her to a wheelchair in St. Mary’s nursing home unit for her last years. There, she offered her greatest service: patiently accepting her limitations and praying for peace in the world. As long as possible, she continued her hobbies of crocheting and reading. Always she retained her love for beautiful landscapes and inspiring music.

Sister Arnoldine was preceded in death by her parents, seven brothers and sisters and one nephew. She is survived by two sisters in Germany, by nieces and nephews and other family members, including a cousin, Sister Fidelis Nieberler, in St. Francis Convent, Hankinson.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 17 in St. Francis Convent Chapel. Burial services followed in the convent cemetery.

Father Tony Richard served 67 years as a priest for the Fargo Diocese

Father Antonio “Tony” J. Richard, 93, a retired priest of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, died Oct. 1 at his home in Mesa, Ariz.

He was born Jan. 13, 1912, in Hickson, N.D., the son of Emile and Helene (Ouellette) Richard. He left home at 13 and attended St. Boniface High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended Nazareth Hall School in St. Paul, Minn., from 1928 to 1932, then entered St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, graduating in 1938. He was ordained for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo on June 11, 1938, by Bishop Aloisius Muench at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo.

Father Richard served as assistant pastor at St. MIael’s parish, Grand Forks, from 1938 to 1942. He served as pastor of St. Joseph’s in Leroy from 1942 to 1949, then served for one year as pastor of St. Raphael’s in Verona. In 1950, he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart in Oakwood, where he served until 1967. He then was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart in Minto and served there until his retirement in 1988.

During his early retirement years, he lived in North Dakota and Arizona, then moved to Arizona permanently. As a priest, he also served as a dean and as a diocesan consultor.

He is survived by his sister, Marguerite (Norbert) Hammerschmidt, Fargo; his brother, Cleo (Yvonne) Richard, Chico, Calif.; Dorothy Burton, of Mesa, Ariz., who served as his housekeeper and caretaker for 55 years; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and three sisters.

The funeral Mass was celebrated on Oct. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo, and Bishop Samuel Aquila served as the main celebrant. Burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery in north Fargo.

The family prefers memorials be given in Father Richard’s name to Cardinal Muench Seminary or FirstChoice Clinic, both in Fargo.

Sister Maurella Schlise served 35 years in pastoral ministry

St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Maurella Schlise, 87, died at Bethany Convent in St. Paul, Minn., on Sept. 9. Sister Maurella taught in elementary schools in the Twin Cities area and in out-state Minnesota. She spent her last 35 years in pastoral ministry in Fargo.

She is survived by her sisters: Rosemary Ryan, Joan Wheeler, Marilyn Derusha and Janet Van Doxtater; her brother, Anthony; nieces, nephews and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

The wake and funeral Mass were celebrated Sept. 14 at the St. Joseph Provincial House Chapel in St. Paul.

September 2005

Sister M. Renee (Rosa) Bauer taught in schools and parishes for 53 years

After 53 years of teaching children, Sister Renee Bauer died July 19 at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, Minn.

Sister Renee, the daughter of Nickolaus and Walburga (Reitl) Bauer, was born in Munich, Germany, Aug. 3, 19l3, the youngest of seven children. While attending grade school in New Aubing, a suburb of Munich, she became acquainted with the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen when a visiting home nurse came to their home to take care of her mother, who was in poor health.

In 1926 she was accepted as a candidate in Dillingen. She attended the sisters’ high school and teachers’ college, graduating in 1932. After a year of student teaching in Oberstdorf, she was received as a novice in Dillingen and made her first profession of vows on March 26, 1934. About four months later she was on her way to America, one of those accepting an assignment in the school mission in Hankinson.

On July 4, in the midst of an early morning thunderstorm, she stepped off the train in Hankinson. With her were: Sisters Irmtrudis Fiederling, Fidelis Nieberler, Mathilde Pichlmeier and Ria Wolf. Sister Renee made her perpetual vows in Hankinson Aug. 21, 1937.

After attending the teachers’ college in Dickinson, Sister Renee taught grades three and four at St. Francis Academy. Obedience led her to the grade school in Collegeville, Minn., where she taught for nine years, from 1936 to 1945. She returned to St. Francis Academy in Hankinson for the next 12 years. Besides teaching lower and middle grades during that time, she also was candidates’ prefect, guiding the high school girls who were interested in becoming sisters. Many of them, away from home for the first time, found refuge in Sister Renee’s motherly kindness. Sister Renee’s next assignment was to a new parochial school in Napoleon, where she taught grades one, six, seven and eight, was principal, and served the sisters as convent superior.

After graduating from Alverno College in Milwaukee in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in education, Sister Renee taught in Oakes for a year and then taught second grade in St. John’s School, Wahpeton, from 1965 to 1968, when she was also the convent superior. Her next teaching assignment was Little Flower School, Rugby, for 13 years. Then she was back to Wahpeton for the final stretch of her long teaching career.

During all her years of teaching, Sister Renee catechized in rural parishes during the summers — a time when the summer “vacation schools in religion” frequently lasted four weeks.

In 1976, Sister Renee was named one of the “Outstanding Leaders in American Education in recognition of exceptional professional achievement and dedicated community service.”

Sister Renee retired from Wahpeton to the motherhouse in Hankinson in 1989. For some years she helped to care for the sisters’ dining room. After she was 90, she continued to help by folding towels and wash cloths. She liked activities. A painter of nature scenes in her earlier years, she welcomed exercises involving color and design. She remained close to her family members by frequent correspondence.

Sister Renee was preceded in death by her parents and siblings. She is survived by nieces and nephews in Germany and Canada.

The funeral Mass was celebrated July 23, followed by burial in the convent cemetery.

Father Dickinson, 78, served 47 years as priest

Father Stephen Dickinson, 78, of Valley City, who served as a priest in North Dakota for 47 years, died July 22 at Heritage of Edina in Edina, Minn. Father Dickinson also served five years as a Maryknoll missionary in the Philippines.

He was the son of the late Laura and Stephen Dickinson of Minneapolis. Father Dickinson is survived by his sister, Mary (Tom) Monahan; brother, Charles (Annette) Dickinson; niece, Kathleen (Mark) Monahan-Rial; nephews, Timothy (Tracy) Monahan, Thomas (Betty) Monahan. MIael (Barbara) Monahan, and Daniel (Lisa) Monahan; and many great nieces and nephews.

Memorial services took place July 30 at St. Catherine parish, Valley City, and St. John parish, Wahpeton. The funeral was July 27 in Edina.

Father Didier touched many lives during his brief life on earth

Father Darin J. Didier, 32, died on Tuesday, September 6, in Fargo, following a lengthy struggle with cancer.

He was born on September 27, 1972, in St. Paul, Minn., the son of Leonard and Bonnie (Harstad) Didier. He attended school in Alexandria and graduated from Jefferson Senior High School, Alexandria, Minn., in 1991.

He earned a master's degree in Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, in 1997. He studied at Cardinal Muench Seminary, Fargo, during the 1997-1998 academic year, then entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., where he earned his Master of Divinity Degree in 2005. He was ordained as a transitional deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo on May 22, 2004, at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Samuel J. Aquila on June 4, 2005, at the Cathedral.

Father Didier had served as a parochial vicar at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Fargo, since June 22, 2005. Father Didier touched many lives in his short time here on earth and will continue to touch many lives in the days and years to come.

Father Didier is survived by his parents: Leonard and Bonnie Didier of Alexandria; sister, Darcy Bock and brother-in-law, Joe Bock, of Red Wing, Minn.; grandmother, Enid Harstad of Valley City, N.D.; grandfather, Gereld Didier of Valley City, N.D.; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Agnes Didier; grandfather, Kermit Harstad, and a special aunt, Sister Maureen Didier.

The funeral Mass was held on Saturday, September 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo, with burial at St. Mary's Cemetery in Alexandria, MN.

Father Dennis Schue served at the seminary

Father Dennis Schue, 77, died Aug. 4 at Heartland Care Center in Devils Lake.

Father Schue was born May 17, 1928, to Richard B. and Gertrude J. (Blackbird) Schue. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on June 8, 1957, by Bishop Leo F. Dworschak at St. MIael Catholic Church in Grand Forks.

He served as assistant pastor at St. Alphonsus parish in Langdon from 1957 to 1964, and then served at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo from 1964 to 1967. He was director of Queen of Peace Retreat Center in Fargo for 10 years, and then was named pastor of the parishes in Olga, Milton and Osnabrock, where he served from 1974 to 1978. In 1979, he was named chaplain at St. John’s Hospital in Fargo. From 1984 to 1989, he served as assistant rector, as a teacher and as a spiritual director at Cardinal Muench Seminary in Fargo. He lived in Vancouver, Wash., from 1989 to 1993, and returned to North Dakota, where he served as chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake from 1993 until 2005.

He is survived by his brother Vincent (Catherine) Schue of Devils Lake. He was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, Kenneth, Robert, Bernard and Jerome.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 8 at St. Joseph parish, Devils Lake, with burial in Calvary Cemetery in Grand Forks.

Memorials are preferred to the Richard and Gertrude Schue Seminary Fund, c/o Diocese of Fargo, 5201 Bishops Blvd., Suite A, Fargo, ND 58104-7605.

Diocese of Fargo
5201 Bishops Blvd., Suite A
Fargo, ND 58104-7605
Phone: 701-356-7900
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