Sister Gertrude O’Connor, OSF

I was born in a rural area near O’Fallon, Illinois, on January 4, 1939, and the oldest of nine children in a family with Irish, German, French, and Italian heritage. As a child, I would visit the Motherhouse in Springfield, Illinois where Sister Joyce Gerardi, my aunt, lived.

When the time came to choose where I would attend high school, my parents gave me permission to leave home and enroll at St. Francis High School at the Motherhouse. After completing three years of education, I also sensed that my call in life was to be a member of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. On September 8, 1956, I entered the Community. I completed my education as a postulant while beginning formation. Soon after earning my diploma, I became a novice and focused my attention on learning about religious life.

Following my first profession of vows in 1959, I enrolled at St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield, and it was during my surgery rotation that I felt most at home. I have served in surgical nursing at our hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, as a faculty member at St. John’s School of Nursing, the supervisor of Loretto Home at St. Francis Convent, and as a clinical nurse specialist for surgery at St. John’s Hospital (Springfield). In addition, I have served in community leadership and on the board of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).

In 1971, I earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College (St. Louis, Missouri). I also earned a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois) in 1979 and a master’s degree in nursing from Rush University (Chicago, Illinois) in 1988.

My 66 years of religious life have been filled with many blessings. Each day, I have prayerfully journeyed with the Spirit who has led me along a beautiful path. I give thanks to God for this wonderful life.