Frances' loving heart enfleshed these words from the Constitutions of our community, the Servants of Mary (Servites) of Ladysmith, Wisconsin. For over 60 years in our community, Frances was a loving, faith-filled, justice-seeking sister.

Born in 1917 in Park Rapids, Minnesota, Frances first heard the call to be a sister in grade school. By the time "I was in grade 6, I had decided to become a sister when I grew up." She read and reread a pamphlet that her mother had given her, Shall I Be a Sister?, and "loved it." After grade ten, she came to know the Servants of Mary of Ladysmith, Wisconsin, when two Servite sisters taught religious education in her home parish.

Her call to be a sister was a focus of her discussions with her pastor and with Servite sisters for several years. She was 22 years old, had taken teacher training courses, and was a teacher in Emerald, Wisconsin, when "finally, my time of waiting was over." She entered the convent on August 28, 1939.

After entering the community, Frances was an elementary school teacher for 26 years in Servite schools in Minnesota, New Jersey, West Virginia, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Following a year of religious education study at the Divine Word Center in Ontario, Canada, she worked at the Christian Renewal Center in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. In 1969, she relocated to Chicago to work with the Servite Friars at Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS), an inner-city parish. For the next twelve years, Frances was involved in parish ministry to the sick, elderly and poor; taught adult religious education; prepared children for the reception of the sacraments; and implemented the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).

Following 12 special years at OLS, Frances felt called to join two of her Servite sisters at Our Lady Gate of Heaven on Chicago's south side. After her time there, her next ministry was to Native Americans, members of the Tohono O'odham tribe, at San Xavier del Bac Mission on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Her pastoral care involved home visits to the sick and elderly and religious education -- with a special emphasis on preparing lay people for ministry in the church.

In 1989, at the age of 72, Frances "retired" to St. Matthew Parish in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to do a parish census among 25 ethnic groups. With tireless energy and devotion, she visited over 2,000 families in 10 months, helped provide basic necessities for those in need, and began inviting children and families to worship with the St. Matthew faith community.

She began her second "retirement" in 1995 by moving to the Servants of Mary headquarters in Ladysmith and helping birth the Servite Center for Life. Her loving compassionate presence touched the lives of hundreds more people in the healing ministry, visiting the sick and dying, giving retreats to housebound Servite sisters, contributing to the history record of the community, calling shut-ins, and helping in a myriad number of other ways (dishes, mailings, gardening, and so on). Her loving heart was ever open to the needs of others.

Frances' love of God, her focus on the lives of Jesus and Mary, and her prayer life nourished and guided her in such varied ministries in so many locations. Her love for daily Mass began at an early age. She studied and reflected on the Scriptures, always seeking to tailor her life to what she found.

Frances was also very open to new ways of understanding. She consistently availed herself of diverse opportunities to learn and grow, including trips to the Holy Land; Ireland, Paris, Rome, Lourdes; Monte Senario, Italy, where the Servite order began; and to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico.

Retreats and prayer time were the foundations of her life. "The contemplative side of my life is very important to me. I have sensed a need to step back in quiet prayer. This had brought a certain peace to my life and let me listen to God that I may know where he is leading me."

Frances' faith led her to develop a deep passion for justice, for helping build the “kin”-dom of God. She joined a sub-group of community, the Micah Intentional Group -- with a shared social justice focus. She witnessed a strong commitment to building a just and peaceful world by:

• Becoming a Witness for Peace delegate to Nicaragua as a nonviolent, supportive presence to Nicaraguans who were suffering because of U.S. foreign policy.
• Joining with other Servites in Detroit to march in solidarity with Native Americans at the time of the quincentenary in 1992.
• Participating in a Corpus Christi Desert Experience retreat where participants reflected on militarism, environmental degradation, and the take-over of Shoshone Indian lands for nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site.
• Being part of a Servite Coalition for Justice immersion experience on the U.S. Mexican border to learn about the effects of U.S. trade and immigration policies on workers, families, and border communities, such as Juarez and El Paso.
• Participating in a prayer vigil outside the prison in Florence, Arizona, as a man was executed. This touched Frances deeply, for she often reflected on it afterwards. She knew that to kill is not "what Jesus would do."

While she lamented the return of the cross of cancer in her life, she accepted it as a "gift" from God. This reflected her trust in God, her willingness to accept her cross, like Jesus did. As the cancer brought her life on earth to an end, she longed ever more fully to be with her beloved. Her loving life on earth ended on January 9, 2003. Her spirit lives on in the hearts of all of those she touched. She continues to be a model of compassionate presence and a guide in...