Sister Joan Kodzik
(Mariella)
Born to earthly life: February 27, 1930
Religious profession: July 21, 1950
Entered eternal life: May 3, 2008
Sister Joan, according to S. Anton Marie Voissem who eulogized her long-time friend and classmate, had often expressed the wish that God would take her quickly. That happened on May 3 when she was taken to emergency at 6:00 a.m. and expired around 6:00 p.m. Just a week before, Joan had joyfully participated in her 1950 profession class reunion.
In her autobiography, Joan states that she was the youngest often, that five brothers had died before she was born, and her father's life ended in an accident when she was a year old. Joan was a first-generation American; both parents were immigrants from Poland. Her widowed mother provided a loving home for Joan, her two brothers and two sisters. All are now deceased except Ruth.
After profession, Sister Joan spent 27 years teaching intermediate and junior high in Milwaukee, WI, and Grand Rapids and Bessemer, MI. She was also principal and superior at Bessemer. Her gradual loss of hearing forced her to serve the next 20 years as school secretary and in other auxiliary jobs in Berlin, WI, and lastly at St. Augustine's in Milwaukee. Before retirement to NDEG in 2005, Joan ministered part-time as a senior aide through the Cudahy/St. Francis Interfaith Office.
Sisters who lived with Joan shared that she was a "toe-the-mark" person in school, but very fun-loving at home, able to be and let be.
A special joy for Joan was writing letters, many of them to our Sister missionaries. They said she shared newsy items that weren't in the Province mailings. When writing to family, she signed "The Nun" as she was fondly called by nieces and nephews. When email became her method of communication with them, she signed off with "Cyber-nun."
S. Anton Marie reflected upon the painful "letting go" experiences in Joan's life: hearing, classroom teaching, life in beautiful upper Michigan, driver's license, life on mission. With a "bum" knee she let go of mobility, particularly hard, because Joan had only one speed—fast.
Reverend Tom Wittliff, retired but long-time pastor at St. Augustine, celebrated Joan's Resurrection Liturgy. He said that Joan liked him because he was Polish and his homilies were short. He liked Joan because her life was one of being in love with Jesus Christ.
– Anton Marie Voissem, SSND
Sister Joan’s ministry locations were:
- St. Hyacinth, Milwaukee, WI – 1950-1961 (teacher, grades 1, 5 and 6)
- Sacred Heart, Grand Rapids, MI – 1961-1965 (teacher, grade 6)
- St. Sebastian, Bessemer, MI – 1965-1977 (superior, principal, teacher, grades 7-8)
- St. Stanislaus, Berlin, WI – 1977-1979 (tutor, library and office help)
- St. Stanislaus, Berlin, WI – 1979-1992 (school secretary, Berlin Consolidated Schools)
- St. Augustine, Milwaukee, WI – 1992-1997 (school secretary)
- Cudahy/St. Francis Interfaith Office, Milwaukee, WI – 1997-2005 (senior aide)
- Notre Dame of Elm Grove, Elm Grove, WI – 2005 to present (retired)
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