Sister Mary Grace Langer
Born to earthly life: March 3, 1917
Religious profession: July 20, 1939
Entered eternal Life: August 15, 2011
Sister Grace, baptized Jeanette, was born to Henry and Amelia Langer on March 3, 1917, on a farm just east of Clyman, Wis. With their oldest daughter dying at age six, followed by the infant death of a second daughter, the family prayed that God would spare them this girl. Two boys, Francis and Leo — then eight and ten years old — would have preferred another brother, but a brother Henry was born two years later and became a good playmate for Jeanette.
Farm life was hard but provided a good income for the family. All shared in the daily chores that needed to be done. They milked cows, fed chickens, raised a large vegetable garden and developed a nice orchard for their needs. Music was part of their home life: piano, drums, violin, banjo and the radio. Jeanette's mother was a very good seamstress and passed on her skills to her daughter. Fearing that her husband would be drafted for service in World War I, her mother, a model of strength, packed up her entire family — baby and all — and went before the draft board to demand that her husband not go to war. She won her point.
German was spoken in the home until Jeanette began school. Her mother taught her the alphabet, counting, writing and reading before she began the half-mile walk up the road with her two older brothers to the one-room school house. With no other student in the same grade, Jeanette was able to skip two grades. During one year when she and Henry were the only students in the little school, it was decided that school would be held in their own home. “This may sound like a lark,” Sister Grace commented in her autobiography, “but we adhered to an exact schedule, just as scrupulously as if we had been in a large school.”
After eighth grade (and passing her final exams with a 98 percent), her mother’s ill health caused her to stay at home where she focused on perfecting her domestic skills. Though she was disappointed in not continuing her education, she delighted in reading, needlework, embroidery and listening to music on the radio. Scoliosis hit her during her teen years and she wore a back brace until age sixteen.
Religion was always a great part of their family life. Both mother and father saw to it that their children could pray and learn the basics of their Catholic religion. On Sundays they always went to Mass. During the summer, two School Sisters of Notre Dame would come to the Clyman/Juneau Catholic church and teach the children their religion. Jeanette loved being with the sisters and learning about her faith, but never really gave it a thought that she might be called to become a sister someday.
While Jeanette was preparing for her future as a dutiful housewife, none of the young men nearby seemed to hold her attention. She visited relatives, attended church bazaars (including the Lutheran ones) and went to barn dances, card parties, box socials and quilting bees. Then, on August 16, 1933, her father was preparing for the threshers and climbed up on the machine to adjust something, when he slipped and fell to his death. Life changed drastically after that. Her oldest brother married and made the farm his home, while Jeanette's mother decided to move to Watertown, Wis., and live with her aging mother. Jeanette moved with her mother and that's when life brought her to the next step in her life's journey.
The move into town brought Jeanette closer to the SSNDs who taught at St. Henry’s. One of them was Sister Fabian Schommer, who had been Jeanette’s teacher in summer school catechism lessons. Jeanette began to pray more earnestly, asking to find out what was God’s plan for her. Thus it was that on September 1, 1935, she entered the candidature, where she spent three years finishing her high school education. Jeanette received the name Sister Mary Grace and was professed on July 20, 1939.
During Sister Grace’s career as a teacher — in intermediate grades, for the most part — she served at the following schools: St. Mary, Port Washington, Wis., (1939-1948); SS. Peter and Paul, Milwaukee, (1948-1954); St. Mary, Galena, Ill., (1954-1962); St. Aloysius, West Allis, Wis., (1962-1969); and St. Agnes, Butler, Wis., (1969-1978). The music she had learned at home led to her playing organ as need arose in various parish assignments.
After 39 years in the classroom, she moved into 14 years of community service and tutoring. Her keen math mind served her well as she worked in the province finance office, sorting through the intricacies of Medicare and Medicaid, while saying with a smile, “I enjoy doing this.” In 1992 Sister Grace retired and moved to Notre Dame of Elm Grove where she enjoyed working in the library for many years.
After her 30-day retreat, Grace shared her account of writing a covenant with God. Our constitution, You are Sent (C10) states: “It is with a faithful God that we make our covenant of fidelity.” Sister Mary Grace was true to her covenant. She was happy to have Our Lady of Grace for her patron along her life’s journey. One cannot help but smile that Mary Grace heard the words, “Come, my faithful, loving spouse,” on the feast of her Queen Lady’s Assumption into heaven. How faithful is our God!
– Mariel Kreuziger, SSND, and Joan Emily Kaul, SSND
Sister Mary Grace Langer, SSND died on August 15, 2011, age 94. She is survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives, friends and the SSND Community. A wake service, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial were celebrated on August 18 at The Holy Family Chapel at Notre Dame of Elm Grove, Wis. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the School Sisters of Notre Dame Retirement Fund is appreciated.
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