Sister Jolene Heiden joined current and former parishioners, teachers, students and church officials for the 50th anniversary celebration of St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield. The event was featured in the August 10, 2006 issue of the Brookfield News.

The parish was established on 12 acres of farmland in 1956, with a membership of 150 families. Today, the parish has grown to include 2,800 families. When Sister Jolene taught first- and second-graders at the school, it was possible to see a cow walk past the classroom window.

Sister Jolene served at the school from 1957 to 1963 and said she was amazed by the parish's "marvelous growth" since her time there. She said that she considered it a "gift to come back and see what happened." As for the future, she said, "I just hope that the faith life of the people will always be strong and they'll pass that on to their children and their children's children."

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