About Us In Memoriam From the founding of the new Holy Family Province in May 2007 through the present day, we have entrusted the souls of these sisters to new life in the Lord. We remember their contributions to our community and our ministries, and we pray they are enjoying their place at the heavenly banquet. 
 Sr. M. Fidelis Marunowski
Oct. 20, 1911 — October 27, 2009
Sr. M. Fidelis Marunowski was born in Cleveland, OH, one of nine children of Constantine and Ladislas Marunowski. She moved to Pittsburgh in 1926 when she entered the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN). One of her sisters also entered the CSFNs: Sr. Monica Marie Marunowski, who preceded Sr. Fidelis in death.
In her years of education ministry, Sr. Fidelis taught at schools in Pittsburgh; Cleveland and Dillonvale, OH; Romulus, Detroit, Allen Park and Dearborn, MI, and Montgomery, AL. Her service also included managing the book store at Cabrinie High School in Allen Park, MI, and serving as local superior in several Nazareth convents.
Up to the time of her death, Sr. Fiselis corresponded regularly with numerous students, parents and friends she made during her life of service.
She was particularly close to her family, which included more than 30 nieces and nephews, more than 50 great-nieces and nephews, and several great-great-nieces and nephews who lived across the U.S. In addition to them, she is survived by one of her six brothers; five brothers and two sisters preceded her in death.
 Sr. M. Frances Lotko
Dec. 15, 1913 — October 18, 2009
Born in Southampton, NY, Helen Lotko developed her love of family, the ocean and sports at an early age. Early in her childhood, her father Bruno was one of many Polish immigrants instrumental in building Our Lady of Poland Church in Southampton. Here Helen joined her mother Sophie for daily mass, as well as religious education and her First Communion and confirmation.
Helen, her three sisters and brother helped their parents who worked on estates in Southampton. Sophie and her daughters managed the housekeeping for a 35-room estate, while Bruno and his son managed a number of estates in the area. Working alonside her parents and siblings, Helen learned there was a right way to do things -- her parents' way! In later years, those lessons were evident to her students and fellow sisters. Sr. Frances is remembered for being strict and for speaking her mind, as well as for being fair and loving in all her encounters.
Young Helen attended Southampton public schools before enrolling at Nazareth Academy High School in Philadelphia. During the Depression, Helen, who joined the CSFNs in 1932, did the laundry for several families in the basement of her residence. She was noted as a great athlete who excelled in track, competed in basketball and softball and even played football with the neighborhood boys. Had there been gym teachers in the schools where she eventually taught, Sr. Frances surely would have requested such an assignment. In her retirement years, she remained a devoted Boston Red Sox fan; she also enjoyed watching figure skating on television.
With the exception of six years when she served as a cottage parent at Little Flower Children's Services in Wading River, NY, Sr. Frances taught in elementary schools in Brooklyn and on Long Island, NY, as well as in Puerto Rico, Connecticut and Massachusetts. She was the first local superior when St. Isidore School opened in Riverhead, NY, close to her beloved Southampton.
At her memorial service, Sr. Frances' nephew, John Borucke, noted that Sr. Frances "lived such a beautiful and full life." Her life, he said, was like a baseball player hitting the ball, rounding the bases, touching every one and landing at home plate, fulfilled and rejoising.
 Sr. M. Chester Kunka
Jan. 21, 1922 — August 16, 2009
Sr. M. Chester Kunka spent 34 of her 70 years in religious life on the staff at Mercy Hospital (now bon Secourts Holy Family Health Center) in Altoona, PA. She spent her life working with the most vulnerable and fragile of God's people.
One of six children of Peter and Julia Kunka, Mildred (Melanie)) Kunka was baptized at St. Stanislaus Church in Cleveland. She graduated from Mt. Nazareth Academy in Pittsburgh; in 1939, her senior year, she became a postulant with the CSFNs.
Sr. Chester earned her RN from Mercy in 1945, and remained on its staff until 1949 shen she was transferred to Ohio Valley General Hospital in McKees rock, PA. There she served as supervisor of the maternity unit. She returned to Mercy from 1953-57, then served as a staff nurse at Holy Family Institute in Pittsburgh. While there, she earned her BS in nursing from Duquesne University.
Once more, Sr. Chester returned to Mercy Hospital in 1960. Through 1986, she served in a variety of roles, including supervisor of Pediatrics, an instructor in the School of Nursing, and director of volunteers and auxiliaries.
After retiring from Mercy Hospital, Sr. Chester worked as a nurse's aide at Holy Family Learning Center, Lakewood, OH. Next, she spent five years as the co-manager of Just-Inn-Transition, an independent living home for the elderly in Pittsburgh.
Sr. Chester reitred to Holy Family Manor in 2000. She will be remembered for her kindness, sense of humor and dedication to those in need.
 Sr. M. Denise Dugan
Sept. 16, 1933 — August 5, 2009
Mary Diane Dugan, born in Bristol, PA, was a 'country girl.' Her family had a large, beautiful farm; her childhood chores included milking cows and collecting eggs. Mary first encountered the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth through a local priest who was chaplain to the CSFNs. The family was invited to an event at Nazareth Adacemy in Philadelphia, and the vocation seed was planted. When the Dugans sold the farm, they permitted their children to choose their high schools; Mary chose Nazareth Academy.
During her junior year, Mary considered joining the CSFNs, as did several of her friends. Since it was the Holy Year, they decided to enter together. Ten girls became "Holy Year postulants" on Dec. 8, 1950.
Her first teaching assignment took St. Denise to St. Stanislaus in Philadelphia. With degrees from Holy Family University and Worcester State College (MA), her teaching ministry brought Sr. Denise to schools in Brooklyn and Syracuse, NY; Springfield and Worcester, MA, and Roseneath, England. In the Philadelphia area, she was on the faculty of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin MAry High School, West Philadelphia Catholic HS, Conwell-Egan HS, Archbishop Ryan Catholic HS, Bishop McDevitt Catholic HS and Holy Family University.
A five-year cancer survivor, Sr. Denise moved in 2005 to Mt. Nazareth, where she could receive the care she sometimes needed. Shestill was working part-time at Bishop McDevitt and volunteering at Nazareth Hospital. In June 2009, she was unexpectedly hospialized, returning to the Mount for her final journey home.
 Sr. M. Raphael Pazdziora
Aug. 18, 1910 — August 3, 2009
A native of Bethlehem, PA, Sr. M. Raphael (Juliana) Pazdiora spent 83 of her almost 99 years as a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, with 67 of those years as a teacher.
One of six children, Sr. Raphael was baptized at St. Stanislaus Church in Bethlehem, PA. She began her education in public school, and after four years, transferred to St. Ann School for the rest of her elementary education. She attended Holy Family Academy in Chicago, and entered religious life in 1926.
She continued her education at DePaul University, Chicago, while teaching elementary school. Sr. Raphael also did graduate studies at Notre Dame University, St. Xavier College and Clarke College.
During most of her teaching ministry, Sr. Raphael taugh in the Chicago Catholic schools, particularly in grades 5 - 8. In Chicago, she taugh at St. Hedwig, St. Michael, Holy Family Academy and St. Ladislaus. She also served at St. Benedict in Roundup, MT, and St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr, Kankakee, IL. Sr. Raphael served as principal at St. Casimir, South Bend, IN, and at St. Hedwig, Chicago (her second stint there). She also was known for arranging floral bouquets for the altars at the parish churches where she served. Retiring in 1996, she moved to Nazarethville in 2000.
Sr. Raphael was regarded as a great teacher who was kind and gentle, yet expected her students to toe the line and achieve much. As a local superior, she was loved and respected for her understanding, generosity and patience. She loved and was proud of each member of her family. Her sister Gabriel, who preceded her in death, had joined Raphael in her vocation with the CSFNs.
A former student of Sr. Raphael's at St. Hedwig recounts a story that illustrates her tenacity and flexibility. He struggled with a hip condition that required the use of crutches. The boy's parents prepared to transfer him to another school, given the many stairs at St. Hedwig. Sr. Raphael worked around those problems, enabling this student to remain with his school community.
 Sr. Grace Radecki
March 12, 1914 — June 25, 2009
Sr. Grace Radecki was part of a large and loving family (four girls and four boys) in South Bend, IN, where the children attended St. Stanislaus School. She was accepted as a candidate for the CSFNs, attending Holy Family Academy in Chicago, and was accepted into the community after her high school graduation.
A teacher for 43 years, Sr. Grace earned her BA in philosophy from DePaul University, Chicago. As a teacher, she was remembered for her enthusiasm, dedication and personal concern for each student. Her ministry took her to Holy Trinity, St. Andrew, St. Adalbert, St. Valentine, St. John the Baptist, St. Hyacinth, Immaculate Hear of Mary, St. Patricia, Our lady of Hope and St. Michael, all in either Chicago or its suburbs. She also taught at St. Margaret Mary in Neenah, WI.
After her long teaching career, Sr. Grace worked as a pastoral minister at Holy Family Hospital, Des Plaines, IL. She retired in 1991 and moved to Nazarethville in 2002.
Throughout her life, Sr. Grace enjoyed travel, visiting Poland, France, Rome and England. She also enjoyed reading, swering and crafts, and her family.
 Sr. M. Veronica Grzelak
Aug. 1, 1910 — May 1, 2009
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Sr. M. Veronica Grzelak taught in diocesan and Nazareth schools in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York for 51 years. Well-known as a stern taskmaster, Sr. Veronica was passionate about the value of Latin in its significance in many languages, English included. Her former students are quick to point out that they really knew their Latin when they left her. Sr. Veronica also was certified to teach English, history, Polish, religion and biology. While most of her career was spent in high schools, she also served as principal in elementary schools in the eastern U.S.
The oldest of five children, the former Joan Grzelak grew up Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in South Brooklyn. An avid student, she held a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a master's in biological sciences and modern history, both from Villanova University, Philadelphia. Her interest in learning continued throughout her life as she studied such subjects as aerospace education at Temple University and astronomy-meteorology at the Franklin Institute. She put that learning into action, as visitors often learned. She was always ready to show a picture of herself at the controls of a plane (published in one of the Philadelphia newspapers), as well as her laminated card certifying her training in this area.
In addition to teaching, Sr. Veronica spent a few years at Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia, working as a lab technician. There she is remembered for her compassion when drawing blood from patients, especially the infants.
Eventually, Sr. Veronica was assigned to Monroe, CT, where she spent 10 years working in the archives of the former Immaculate Heart of Mary Province. Her love of history and the CSFNs was apparent to anyone who entered the archives as Sr. Veronica loved to share the treasures she discovered.
Sr. Veronica also loved the Polish language. In addition to serving as a delegate to the CSFNs' General Chapter in Rome in 1969, she also served as a translator for four other Chapters. It seems fitting that Sr. Veronica, so devoted to the Holy Family of Nazareth, Our Lady of Czestochowa and Maximillian Kolbe, went home to the Lord through Mary on the first day of May.
 Sr. Teresita Eskra
Feb. 20, 1931 — April 17, 2009
Sr. Teresita Eskra may have been a native of Cleveland, but she called Detroit home for decades, and the people of St. Christopher's Parish, Detroit, turned out by the hundreds for her wake and funeral service. She knew people from all over Detroit, regularly attending parish festivals across the city. Sr. Angelica Zajkowski explains: "Desiring to follow the example of her patron, St. Teresa the Little Flower, Sr. Teresita spread the good news of the gospel in her own "Little Way." Wherever she went, she always carried her bag filled with rosaries, prayer cards and medals. Together with her close friend, the late Sr. Hyacinthe Kaczor, she would strike up conversations with people at meetings, in stores, hospitals, schools and around the neighborhood, promising prayer for personal intentions and distributing the religious mementos." At her wake, a young woman, non-Catholic, told one of the sisters she would always pray the rosary Sr. Teresita had given her.
Sr. Teresita's own "little way" took her to parish schools in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as to Holy Family Institute, Emsworth, PA. Most of her ministry was in the classroom, but she also ministered in food service. She held a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, and a diploma in dietary administration from Fontbonne College, St. Louis. While her professional career in food service was relatively short, she was know as a wonderful cook and often served special meals and desserts to CSFN meetings at St. Christopher's. She collected donations for the Capuchin Food Kitchen in Detroit and for the many struggling families who lived near the parish. The basement of the convent was a treasure trove of food staples, used clothing and assorted donations.
Sr. Teresita was tenacious in her commitment to life; neither a long battle with MS nor a relatively short battle with leukemia could keep her down. She was still distributing religious mementos on her last hospital visit.
 Sr. M. Joan Szkutnicki
Sept. 19, 1919 — February 28, 2009
One of 12 children born in Dearborn, MI, the former Constance Szkutnicki was seven years old when she first encountered the CSFNs who had come to teach at St. Barbara's School in Dearborn. The first CSFNs at the Dearborn parish lived in a house built by her father, John. When more sisters arrived in Dearborn, the Szkutnicki family lived downstairs and the sisters upstairs in the house next door.
When she graduated from St. Barbara's, Constance told her family of her intention to join the CSFNs. She recalls her father telling her, "This is your life that you chose. Go with our blessing and we will pray that you persevere to the end." She professed her final vows on Aug. 18, 1946, in Bellevue.
The next year, the new Sr. Joan received her certification in medical records from the American Medical Record Association. She spent 50 years ministering in that field, including service at Ohio Valley General Hospital, McKees Rocks, PA; the former Mercy Hospital, Altoona, PA, and at Fr. Walter's Memorial Child Care Center, Montgomery, AL. In 1978, she maintained the medical records for the former Pittsburgh province of the CSFNs and also provided secretarial services to Mt. Nazareth Learning Center in Bellevue. Sr. Joan retired in 2003 to Holy Family Manor, Bellevue.
 Sr. M. Benedette Krzywonos
April 15, 1908 — February 24, 2009
Daily prayer and the occasional meal of sausage, spicy mustard and a bit of beer were Sr. Benedette Krzywonos' formula for a long life well lived. That's what she told her many visitors last year while celebrating her 100th birthday at Nazarethville in Des Plaines, IL.
A Chicago native, Victoria Krzywonos was one of six brothers and sisters. Taught by the CSFNs at St. Hyacinth's parish school, she joined the congregation at age 16. She spent her two-year novitiate with the CSFNs in Albano, Italy, outside of Rome.
Sr. Benedette began her 33-year teaching career at St. Ann's in Chicago; she spent 12 years as a dietary technician at Christ the King Hospital in Vernon, TX, and two years at St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago. She finished her formal career as a third-grade teacher at St. Michael's School on South Shore Drive, Chicago.
Those days were captured for a new generation in the Chicago History Museum's recent exhibit on Catholic Chicago. A photo of Sr. Benedette's class at St. Michael's -- with Sister at the back of the room -- served as a poster for the exhibit. She was 80 when that 1988 photo was taken; it was her last year of teaching. "They don't want you teaching after you turn 80!" she quipped last year.
 Sr. Benedette Olszewski
April 11, 1917 — February 11, 2009
One of nine children, Helen Olszewski knew early on that she wanted to be a sister. "My first day of school (in Dillonvale, OH) seemed to be the beginning of my vocation," Sr. Benedette later wrote. After completing 8th grade, she joined the CSFNs in Bellevue, Pittsburgh, attending high school as an aspirant.
Her ministry included both teaching and social work. Sr. Benedette was a kindergarten and primary school teacher at St. Stanislaus School, Cleveland; Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Pittsburgh, and Sacred Heart School, Portage, PA. In Michigan, she taught at Sr. Frances Cabrini School in Allen Park and St. Christopher School, Detroit. She was principal and 1st-grade teacher at St. Philomena, Beaver Falls, PA. She held a bachelor's in education from Dequesne University.
In 1069, she received her Master's in social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. During the graduate program and until 1973, she served as a case worker, child care director and social service director at Holy Family Institute, Emsworth, PA. Subsequently, she served as the local superior at Holy Family Manor, and then spent 17 years on the staff at Mt. Nazareth Learning Center.
 Sr. M. Cecilia Ciuzycki
Sept. 25, 1918 — February 6, 2009
A native of Erie, PA, the former Sophie Ciuzycki was one of 10 children of deeply religious parents. Her love of music was fostered by family; her father played the concertina and an old pump organ in the family home.
Sophie joined the CSFNs in Pittsburgh. From her earliest days with them, the sisters recognized this musically talented young woman with a beautiful voice and piano skills. Sr. Cecilia received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Duquesne University. An educator for 54 years, she taught or was an administrator at schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, including Mt. Nazareth Academy, Pittsburgh; St. Joan of Arc School, Library, PA; Our Lady of Czestochowa, Cleveland; St. Frances Cabrini, Allen Park, MI, and Transfiguration, Detroit. From 1982 - 1990, Sr. Cecilia was the director of Mt. Nazareth Learning Center in Pittsburgh; she was the center's music teacher from 1990-1995.
In 2002, Sr. Cecilia retired to Holy Family Manor. She was taken to the hospital on Super Bowl Sunday, and was cheering for "her guys" while watching their victory parade on Feb. 3.
 Sr. Camille Osowski
May 21, 1915 — January 1, 2009
The former Stephanie Osowski, the third of 12 children, grew up in St. Ann's Parish in Chicago, then attended Holy Family Academy in the city. At age 15, she joined the CSFNs in Des Plaines, continuing her education at DeLourdes College and DePaul University, where she received her degree in education.
Her teaching ministry took Sr. Camille to schools in the Chicago area, as well as four other states. She taught at St. Blase, Argo, IL; St. Emily, Mt. Prospect, IL; St. Michael the Archangel, St. Adalbert, St. Camillus and St. Hyacinth, all in Chicago; St. Margaret Mary, Neenah, WI; St. Stanislaus, Montgomery, AL; St. Luke, Irving, TX; St. Vincent, Mott, ND, and St. Bernard, Belfield, ND. Sr. Camille also served as principal and convent superior at St. Vincent's in Mott, and as convent superior and teacher at St. Ann's in Chicago. Before retiring, she taught ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.
Sr. Camille retired in 2000 to Nazaretville in Des Plaines, IL.
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