Sister Leonardine Sconzert, OSF

I was born on April 9, 1930, in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, the eighth child of 11 of Peter and Caroline (Fennadeal) Sconzert. My father was a farmer, and he and my mother recognized the importance of faith in our family’s life. We didn’t have money, but we had strong faith. We went to Mass, prayed, and had a good relationship with God.

I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a Sister. During my first year of high school at St. Joseph’s Academy (Green Bay, Wisconsin), I worked at St. Vincent Hospital after school and came to know the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. I lived in the girls’ home at the hospital, and through my prayer life I was reassured that this was what God wanted for me. I truly felt that my future was with them and, after much prayer, I entered the community on September 8, 1945, at the age of 15…following my dream. I professed First Vows on October 4, 1948, and I finished my high school education while in the Novitiate.  I graduated from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1954, and I earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College (St. Louis, Missouri) in 1972.

I served as a nurse in our hospitals in Sheboygan and Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Effingham and Streator, Illinois, along with Alverna Home Nursing Center, Chicago, Illinois. Caring for the patients was always rewarding for me. When I did home nursing, I realized even more how much more we could do for a patient at their home, and many bonds were formed through these relationships. For many years here at the Convent, I cared for the feet of my Sisters who have devoted their lives to the service of the poor, sick, and needy. I kindly ask that we strive to trust in the Lord and have faith in God because he’s always there with you. Letting go and giving things over to God can be so rewarding. Trust me.