Sister M. Brenda Penning, SSND

Our beloved Sister M. Brenda Penning, 83, died at 8:40 a.m., Thursday, December 28, 2017 in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato, Minnesota. She had been experiencing declining health and, following a fall the previous week, there was a marked decline. Sisters and nursing assistants were with her much of the time as she grew weaker. The funeral liturgy, with Father Andrew Olsem as presider, will be held Wednesday, January 3, at 10:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel, followed by burial of her cremains in Good Counsel Cemetery. A prayer service of remembrance will precede the funeral liturgy on Wednesday morning at 9:00. We extend our sympathy to her sisters, Theresa McCarty, Marian Penning and Christine Solko, her nieces and nephews and their families, her friends and colleagues, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Anna (Schwarz) Penning, her sisters, Mildred Schnurr and Helen Peplau, and her brothers Robert, Leonard and George. The fifth child in her family, Sister Brenda was born on January 22, 1934, on a farm three miles south of Ashton, Iowa, which is located in the northwestern part of the state. The next day, she was baptized Dorothy Anna at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Ashton. She attended grades one through twelve at St. Joseph School in Ashton, where her teachers were Franciscan Sisters from Dubuque, Iowa. She graduated from high school in 1951 and later wrote: “With always a great deal of work to do on a farm, I remained home to help my parents the first years following graduation. Then for a period of time I was employed doing housework. During this time I thought about entering the convent, but the thought got lost among other seemingly important things.” From December 1954 to March 1957, she worked in the newspaper office in Sheldon, Iowa. Her official title was bookkeeper, but she did a little bit of everything including being editor for two weeks. In April 1957, she and a friend moved to Mankato, seeking employment. She commented, “Really, we came to Mankato looking for a ‘Catholic husband.’ We both loved to dance and the Kato Ballroom was in Mankato and George’s was in New Ulm. We thought Mankato was a good place to make our home.” She began work as an assistant secretary at SS. Peter & Paul parish office where the pastor, Father Clement DeMuth put Dorothy and her friend in touch with the Dominic Club, a Catholic singles group. Dorothy met School Sisters of Notre Dame while at SS. Peter & Paul, and later wrote “but I never had any inclination to become one.” The next February Dorothy was employed as a long distance telephone operator. Her story continues: “I had always wanted to be a telephone operator but found, after my dream come true, that I was still restless and dissatisfied. St. John’s Church was near the telephone office and I would see sisters bringing the children to Mass during Lent. I thought, ‘I could never be one of them.’ By the time I walked home from work, I found myself thinking, ‘Maybe.’” After a Lenten day of recollection that was followed by much thought and prayer, she called Good Counsel and made an appointment to meet with Mother Bernardia and Sister Pacifica – and entered the SSND candidature in August 1958. She was received into the novitiate in 1959 and given the name Sister M. Brenda. Following profession of vows in 1960, she and her classmates remained at Good Counsel to continue their education. Practice teaching was included in this year; Sister Brenda’s assignment was fourth grade at St. John’s, the site of her original attraction to SSND. In 1961, Sister Brenda began her teaching ministry at St. Donatus, Iowa, where she stayed until 1965. She also taught at Blessed Sacrament, Waterloo, Iowa (1965-68); St. Michael, Prior Lake (1968-70); Project Discovery, St. Paul (1970-72); Christ the King, Omak, WA (1972-73); Holy Family, Clarkston, WA (1973-77); and St. Mary, Worthington (1977-81). She earned a BA from Mount Mary College in 1968 and an MA in Pastoral Ministry from Creighton University in 1983. While teaching at Worthington, Sister Brenda became involved in broader parish activities including the Marriage Encounter team, the Beginning Experience support group, and the Parish Council and Liturgy Committee. In 1981, she became a pastoral minister and religious education coordinator at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Rochester, a position she held until 1983. She served as Director of Sponsored Programs at Good Counsel Education Center from 1983 until 1987 when she returned to pastoral ministry at St. Joseph in New Hampton, Iowa. In 1993 she became motherhouse community leader. In June 1995, Sister Brenda received a letter from Bishop John Vlazny of the Winona Diocese, which stated in part: “Sister Brenda, it gives me great pleasure to appoint you Parish Director of St. Anthony’s Church, Lismore, and St. Killian’s Church, St. Killian, effective June 28, 1995. . . . I make this appointment because of the scarcity of priests available for pastoral leadership here in the Diocese of Winona. . . . [You are] the first parish director of the Diocese of Winona, and I cannot thank you enough for accepting this call. The sisters of your community have been a great gift to our church and your willingness to be a pioneer in these new responsibilities and the support of your community are most welcome.” Sister Brenda was responsible for the pastoral leadership of the parishes and two diocesan priests were named sacramental ministers. The letter concluded: “God bless you, Sister Brenda, as you prepare to move to Lismore and St. Killian. The people of God are wonderful and the parishioners of these two communities have been most supportive and enthusiastic about your appointment.” Sister Brenda’s appointment received coverage in both diocesan and local newspapers. An article in the Nobles County newspaper included this quotation from Fr. Jim Timm, “She has a sense of the ‘big church’ due to experience in global awareness, her ministry to the recently divorced and separated, and her expertise in many areas of parish ministry.” Sister Brenda served as parish director until 1999, when she became a pastoral associate at St. Joseph the Worker in Mankato. Following a sabbatical in 2002-2003, she was a parish minister in the parishes of St. Agnes and Immaculate Conception, Kellogg, and St. Felix, Wabasha. She was challenged by a progressive hearing loss, and this may have contributed to her decision to accept the invitation to come to Good Counsel in 2008. She assumed the position of Coordinator of Liturgical Ministers, which involved recruiting, training and scheduling all who served in any liturgical role on the Hill. She worked in this capacity until 2013. Sister Brenda enjoyed traveling and also liked to spend time with her family. She was known for her gentle nature. As she prepared for her Golden Jubilee in 2010, she wrote, “Celebrating my 50th Jubilee means being thankful for the countless gifts, graces and blessings God has lavished so richly upon me during these 50 years. From God’s patient nudging me over and over again to respond to His call to give my all as a School Sister of Notre Dame, to God’s standing with me through the times of challenges and pain, and then rejoicing with me through these countless wonderful times of joy, quiet peace and tremendous love, God has been and always is with me.” In a 2009 addition to her autobiography, Sister Brenda wrote, “These words from Jeremiah have been my favorite and have seen me through much: ‘I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring me prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.’” Those plans have now been fulfilled. May Sister Brenda now rejoice forever in the presence of God.