Three religious Sisters who are natives to the Diocese of Davenport celebrated their jubilees.
Sisters Bernardine Menke and Rosanne Sanders, both from St. John’s Parish in Houghton, are celebrating 70 years of religious profession with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in St. Francis, Wis.
Sr. Menke taught in elementary schools in South Dakota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and several other states. She now resides at the Motherhouse in St. Francis, where she is involved in various activities.
Sr. Sanders preferred not to teach. She was assigned to various places in domestic work, religious education, youth ministry, formation, vocations work and clerical services. Now in retirement she resides at Clare Hall, a residence adjacent to the Motherhouse grounds.
Sister Ann (Mary Medard) Pollpeter, a native of West Point, celebrated 60 years of vowed religious life with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
She taught in elementary schools for two years in Idaho and Wisconsin, and then for 12 years in high schools in Iowa and Washington. She also served as a teacher in the biology department of Viterbo College (now Viterbo University) in La Crosse, Wis., from 1965-1968 and 1970-1979.
Sr. Pollpeter moved to Canton, Miss., where she taught high school for two years before going to the University of Southern Mississippi and earning a Master of Science degree in nursing. After four years as a nurse she went into teaching at the newly developing College of Marshall Islands from 1988-2000. Then she came to FSPA’s retirement community Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse, where she worked part-time as a nurse. Currently she volunteers for various Villa activities.
A jubilee celebration was held at Villa St. Joseph on May 25.
