M Lois Adrian

Mankato Mortuary
1001 N. Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
507-388-2202

Our beloved Sister M. Lois Adrian, 93, died peacefully at 1:40 p.m. on Monday, May 28, 2012, in Notre Dame Health Care, Our Lady of Good Counsel Campus, Mankato, Minnesota. In mid-April, she traveled to Arizona to celebrate the 100th birthday of her brother, Father Stephen, but because of her declining health, entered Hospice shortly after her return to Mankato.

The funeral Mass for Sister Lois, with her nephew Father Stephen Adrian as presider, will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, June 1, in Good Counsel Chapel, followed by burial in our cemetery. The vigil service will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 31. We extend our sympathy to her brother, Father Stephen, her nieces and nephews and their families, her former students and colleagues and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Elizabeth (Wolkerstorfer) Adrian, her sisters Ann Nagel and Sister M. Adrienne, SSND (Christine), and her brothers Matthias, Joseph and Raymond.

Sister Lois was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 22, 1918. The fifth child and third girl, she was given the name Agnes Frances at her baptism November 3 in St. Francis de Sales Church. Later two more boys were born, completing the Adrian family. Both parents were born in Austria, but were married at St. Francis de Sales, beginning the family's long connection to the parish. The Catholic faith played a large role in the Adrian family, evidenced by nightly family prayer and regular attendance at daily Mass and parish devotions. In 1924, Agnes started first grade at the parish school, taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame.

In 2010, Sister Lois participated in a "Hands" photo exhibit by local photographer Kay Helms. At that time, Sister Lois provided information about her childhood, commenting, "We played lots of games outside " marbles, jacks, kick the can, tag. I liked to play football with the boys. But we had neighbors who watched from their porch and thought it was terrible that this Adrian girl was outside in the street with the boys playing football" During the Depression, we did a lot of helping around to earn a little money. I scrubbed the neighbor's kitchen, porch, stairway and bathroom. I was paid a quarter and a glass of milk, a banana and a cookie."

Agnes graduated from eighth grade in 1933, and was hoping to attend a high school that offered subjects that would help in nurse's training. However, her mother knew that Agnes did not have the temperament for nursing, so Agnes returned to St. Francis for grades nine and ten. Toward the end of tenth grade, she noticed a change in her outlook. She commented, "My teachers being sisters seemed to mean more to me. For the first time I felt something was lacking in my life. Yes, it was my religious vocation which I had direfully neglected during the past two years." Her annual Sodality retreat brought a final decision, and she asked her parents' permission to attend the aspiranture at Good Counsel Academy in Mankato for her junior and senior years. They consented, and she completed high school at Good Counsel, graduating in 1937.

Sister Lois described her entrance into the Candidature: "My good parents found it hard to give up another of the family, for my sister Christine, now Sister M. Adrienne, had just entered a few years before, and my brother was at the time preparing for the priesthood. They did not wish to interfere with the Lord's plans and so I left my home and loved ones to enter the Candidature on August 27, 1937." As a second year candidate, Agnes did her practice teaching at St. Agnes, St. Paul, finishing in spring 1939. On June 3rd of that year, she was able to attend her brother Stephen's ordination, and his First Mass the following day. She was received into the novitiate about six weeks later, and given the name Sister M. Lois. Following profession in 1940, Sister Lois began her lifelong ministry as a teacher of primary grade children.

St. Michael, Morgan, Minnesota, was her first mission. Prior to Sister Lois' arrival, St. Michael had been a grade 3-8 school because there was no room for the youngest grades. The new pastor, Fr. Alphonse Schladweiler, was insistent that all grades be taught, so space was found, and Sister Lois, the newly professed, opened the first and second grade classroom. She wrote about her years in Morgan, "I spent four happy years teaching at St. Michael School. We lived in the old school and my classroom was in the basement, but I loved it." In 1944 Sister Lois received a new assignment: she and two other sisters opened the St. Leo Catechetical School in Pipestone. In her words, "Here my work is strictly catechetical with the exception of a small kindergarten class which I conduct every afternoon. This work is most interesting, but oh! how at times my heart goes back to former years when I could call a class all my own."

Sister Lois returned to primary classroom teaching in 1948 at Holy Childhood in St. Paul, where she stayed until 1952. Over the next twenty years, she also taught at St. Mathias, Wanda (1952-53); SS. Peter & Paul, Springbrook, Iowa (1953-55); St. Matthew, St. Paul (1955-60 and 1968-69); St. John, Mankato (1960-63); St. Mark, Shakopee (1963-65); St. John, Jordan (1965-68) and her home parish, St. Francis de Sales (1969-73). During this time, she earned a B.A. in History from the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul (1952) and an M.A. in Reading from Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee (1966).

In 1973, Sister Lois once again became "the first" " when she opened the Kindergarten classroom at St. Francis de Sales. She remained there until her retirement in 1991. In a Catholic Bulletin feature, the St. Francis principal commented, "Sister Lois has to be one of the world's best kindergarten teachers. Folks here feel very sad to see her leave. However, we can appreciate her desire for a less-structured work situation after 52 years on the job." Later in the article, it was stated that "Sister Lois will be remembered for many reasons, but most especially for her good common sense and her delightful sense of humor. . . . She always sees the bright side of life." Sister Lois summed up her teaching ministry, "I've always loved kids. I enjoyed every year." In her retirement from fulltime work, Sister Lois stayed at St. Francis Convent until 2000, and tutored at the now combined St. Francis-St. James United School.

Sister Lois moved to Good Counsel in 2000. In the "Hands" commentary mentioned earlier, she reflected, "My eyesight was getting poor and, after 60 years of teaching, I was ready to leave. I am legally blind and I can't do many things now. I visit the sick sisters here, and I can see well enough to play cards. I keep my rosary in my hands all the time because I can't read a thing. I can't read Scripture and that bothers me a lot. But since I can't have a book, I use the rosary. The rosary is always with me. It's my lifeline." Sister Lois took advantage of several audio programs for the visually impaired, including listening to a daily recording of "Living Faith," as well as subscribing to various audio book programs. During Notre Dame Health Care discussions, she often offered profound reflections on You Are Sent and other topics. An avid cribbage player, she also joined groups of sisters for other card games as well. Her family, too, was very important to her, and in her later years, she especially looked forward to visiting her brother in Arizona. She also became a promoter of his "Hail Mary Club" for vocations.

In an early autobiography Sister Lois wrote, "I hope and pray that if it be God's holy will, I have many more years to work in the service of my King and for the good of our Congregation." It was God's will " and now may Sister Lois see with perfect vision her God and King, whom she loved so well in her 93 years here on earth.
Sister Mary Kay Ash, SSND