SAINT JOSEPH PROVINCE
I N M E M O R I A M
Sister M. Louise of the Holy Trinity
(Sophia Kondek) - June 19, 2006)
"Those who love Jesus are always happy and free. They trust Him, depend upon Him, and live for Him alone." (Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, as cited in Love Conquers All, p. 15)
During her later days of retirement, her years of active ministry, her role of leadership and in her earlier years with the Congregation, Sister Louise offered to others a witness of faith seeded in her early family life. Born on July 16, 1916 in Detroit, Michigan, Sophia was the oldest of four children (John, Ted and Wanda) of Michael and Josephine (Siejka) Kondek. She was baptized at Saint Stanislaus Church in Detroit, Michigan on July 30, 1916. She wrote of how instrumental her mother was in her early simple faith development.
"Mother told us stories about Jesus and Mary. She had a large prayer book. When my brothers and I were little we would take this book and open it to the Stations of the Cross. We took turns putting a finger on Jesus to cover Him and then we would "beat up" the people who had made Him suffer . . . . As a pre-teen, after twice viewing the silent movie King of Kings, I literally fell in love with Jesus. Watching the passion of Jesus, I cried and cried in the theater and cried myself to sleep on both nights."
Her desire for becoming a religious began early in her life as a junior high student in Transfiguration School (Detroit). In relating her vocation story, she wrote, "In the 8th grade I had as my teacher Sister Lucine Wierzbowski, whom I loved dearly. I spoke to her of the possibility of becoming a sister." Following the encouragement by Sister Lucine, after the eighth grade Sophia entered the aspirancy at Mount Nazareth Academy (Pittsburgh) and while in high school entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth on July 13, 1931. "I must say," she wrote, "I almost died of lonesomeness; I missed my family so terribly."
Despite her initial loneliness, on July 14, 1932, she entered the novitiate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, receiving the name "Mary Louise." She made her first profession of vows on August 16, 1934 and her final profession on August 15, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the time of her final profession she added the mystery "Our Lady of Częstochowa" to her religious name. In 1969, she changed her mystery to "The Holy Trinity."
Sister received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949 and a master's degree in Education in 1958 from St. John College of Cleveland. Most of her years in ministry were spent as teacher and principal at a variety of parish schools: St. Casimir in Erie, Pennsylvania; St. Stanislaus and Our Lady of Częstochowa, Cleveland, Ohio; St. Christopher and St. Frances Cabrini in the Detroit diocese.
From 1960 through 1966, Sister Louise served as education supervisor, dean of studies and assistant provincial. From 1966 to 1972, Sister Louise served as provincial superior for the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth of Saint Joseph Province in Pittsburgh. Obedient to the mandates of Second Vatican Council, which closed in 1966, she led the province of 390 members with initiative and courage. Because of her audacious sincerity in speaking out about the needed changes for living religious life in fidelity to the Council directives, she was sometimes misunderstood by both the authority and her peers in the Congregation. She accepted in faith the physical, spiritual and psychological discomfort that accompanied this journey as a creative leader during those early years of change.
As the province leader, she looked for the potential in the sisters and invited them to take up the new responsibilities called forth by the church. Sister Annette Allen recalls the opportunity that Sister offered her to be principal and superior of one of the convents. "I grew personally and in my community relationships because of her. Sister Louise was straightforward in speaking the truth when she challenged a Sister or society to fidelity to the gospel and the principles of human dignity called forth by the Vatican Council."
After the death of Martin Luther King when the riots of the 60's proliferated in the U.S. as a whole, but the Hill district of Pittsburgh, in particular, Sister Louise gathered the sisters together, inviting them to join the African-American community in a local march to eradicate prejudice and racism. In another social justice endeavor, she received recognition by the St. Dismas Guild for the concern and aid offered by the Sisters to State Correctional Institution inmates. Her initiatives included arranging for the Sisters to join the prisoners during the Easter season and other occasions and, later, invited prisoners to share holiday Mass with the Sisters at the provincialate
While she was provincial superior, Sister was appointed by Bishop John J. Wright to the General Coordinating Board for the Pittsburgh Diocesan Synod and served as Vice-President in 1968. She was elected an Alternate Delegate of the Pittsburgh Diocesan Council from 1966 to 1969. In 1970, Sister served as Secretary-Treasurer of Region IV of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
The years following her term as provincial superior found Sister Louise serving the family of God in a variety of quiet ways, including being social service representative for St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, Pennsylvania from 1977-1979, sacristan at the then Mercy Hospital in Altoona, Pennsylvania and any tasks recommended by her superiors. From 1982 until 1986, Sister returned to education, serving as principal at Resurrection Catholic in Montgomery, Alabama. Here in Montgomery, Alabama she suffered her first stroke, a condition that shadowed her ministry options for the rest of her life.
In 1991, Sister lived with the temporary professed sisters in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. "Sister was always kind to us young sisters," cited Sister Rebecca Sullivan. "Sister Louise recognized the difficulties of balancing being a full-time student with the demands of community life. She would prepare supper for us on most days, and when she was too tired to do the cooking, she would stand by the door with petty cash in hand, announcing ?We're going out for supper tonight.'"
The time living with the young sisters was short-lived, however, and after repeated strokes, Sister Louise retired to the provincialate in 1992. She moved to Holy Family Manor in September 1996. After increased symptoms of dementia, in September 2003, Sister Louise went to Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio where the Congregation found for her a safe and caring enclosed environment. In March 2006, she was able to return to Holy Family Manor.
On May 21, 2006, joined by her younger sister, Wanda Herman, her nephews, nieces, family and her religious sisters, Sister Louise celebrated her 75th anniversary in religious life at Holy Family Manor. The event was particularly joyful with Sister Louise unexpectedly adding a bit of her own wit during the priest's homily!
Within a few short weeks after her jubilee, Sister Louise suffered yet another stroke and on June 19, 2006 was called by her Beloved to eternity. The staff at Holy Family Manor, in particular, ached at the loss of Sister Louise who as a patient won them over by her contagious smile and gentle, yet unpredictable presence.
A wake service was held in the Holy Family Manor Chapel in Pittsburgh on June 21. During the prayer service, Sister Florence Klaniecki, who served with sister on the leadership team in the 60's, commented that Sister Louise was a "woman of faith and woman of the future! She implemented the Vatican II decrees that changed not only our everyday lifestyle, but also challenged the spirit in each one of us to grow in hope, love, acceptance, peace and joy."
Reverend David Moczulski OFM, celebrant and homilist for her funeral liturgy on June 22, 2006, noted that he had learned that as provincial superior, Sister Louise changed the frosted windows of the 1928 provincialate building to clear glass so that the Sisters could look outside and appreciate the beauty of nature surrounding the provincialate. Father David saw symbolism in this simple act: "Her decision to expand the vision of the sisters through the purchase of clear windows symbolized her desire to expand the sisters' vision to the broader needs of God's family beyond the convent walls." He likened Sister Louise to John the XXIII who "opened the windows" of the Church by the Vatican Council. Following the liturgy attended by family, staff and sisters, Sister M. Louise Kondek, age 89, was laid to rest in Saint Joseph Cemetery on the provincialate grounds.
During her later years, Sister Louise lived her life companioned by dementia that compromised the cognitive ability of this once astute, articulate and courageous leader of St. Joseph Province. Her simple, genuine and spontaneous child-like faith became visible, particularly as she received Holy Communion. Both Sister Janice Marie Blados, her superior of Our Lady of Loreto Community, and Sister Florence Pawlicki, Eucharistic minister, noted that when Sister Louise received the host, she stretched out her arms and said, ?O my Jesus, I love you!' and then very reverently received communion." Perhaps these spontaneous vocal acts of faith proclaimed in these later years reflected an interior attitude that had strengthened her for the challenges that religious life offered her, especially during those challenging years of initial change in religious life.
Eternal rest grant to her, O Lord!
