Mary Daniel Leintz

About 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 18, 2009, our beloved Sister Mary Daniel Leintz, 83, was found dead in her room at Good Counsel Provincial House, Mankato, Minnesota. She had already taken a walk, and was sitting in her chair, dressed and ready for the day. In June 2008, she had been told that her heart muscle was weak and hardened, and that nothing could be done. And about 16 months later, her heart beat its last, allowing Sister Mary Daniel to pass quickly from her earthly life.

The Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 22, 2009 at Good Counsel Chapel, with Father Ted Hottinger, S.J., as presider. Burial in our cemetery will occur at a later date. The vigil service is at 7:00 p.m. on October 21. Mankato Mortuary assisted with arrangements.

Loving sympathy to her sister-in-law, Florence, nieces and nephews and their families, as well as her former students and colleagues, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lorenz and Elizabeth (Fischer) Leintz, brothers Tony, Matt, John, Jake, Valentine, Bernard, Daniel and Robert and sisters Helen Klein, Barbara Fischer, Sister M. Casta, SSND (Ida), Sister M. Irma, SSND (Margaret), Rose and Christine Leintz.

Sister Mary Daniel (Alberta Leintz) was born November 7, 1925, on a farm near Hague, North Dakota, the fourteenth of fifteen children. She received the sacrament of baptism at St. Aloysius Church, Hague, the next day, with Frances Kuhn (mother of Sisters Mary George, Dora, Daniella and Alene) as her godmother. In effect, Alberta was the youngest in the family, as a younger brother, born two years later, died six days after birth.

Alberta attended country school about three miles from home until she was in seventh grade. Her mother died in 1934, when Alberta was about nine. She wrote that she was the only girl left at home with six brothers, until her father remarried. Soon most of the boys left home, leaving only the three youngest children at home. Before Alberta had finished grade school, her brother Bernard died in a car accident in 1939, and her father died in 1940. Her brother Daniel took special care of his sister, helping her to finish grade school. She felt a deep sense of gratitude to Daniel for that help. Alberta started high school, but dropped out to take care of her sister's three children for a year while her sister recovered from illness.

Concerning her early faith development, she wrote, "I had never had any religion all my eight years of school. There was no Catholic school, but the dear Lord gave me religion in another way. I had an opportunity to go to Holy Mass every day, which I always did if it was at all possible."

Sister Mary Daniel's entrance into religious life happened in a most unique way. One day when she was milking, her brother Matt came to the barn and asked her if she would like to go to Mankato and be a Sister like the other two. Her response was, "I certainly would not like to become a Sister, but I would like to see them." The next day she was on her way, and arrived at Good Counsel on July 14, 1941. She happily visited with Sister Casta, decided to stay awhile, and then decided to become a boarder. She stated that during those weeks she was as happy as she had ever been in her life. She asked her sister about religious life, but not once did Sister Casta say anything about becoming a Sister.

However, one evening after a visit with Sister Casta, Alberta was restless and could not sleep. She remembered the words of her father just before he died, "Alberta, you must become a Sister." At that time she told him that she would never be a Sister. And now that night she decided she would become a Sister if it were God's will. When Alberta told her sister the next day, Sister Casta then informed her that she had been praying for her since the day of her birth, and from the time that she became a Sister had been praying that her little sister would also become an SSND. Alberta entered the candidature August 2, 1941, and on July 21, 1943, she was received into the novitiate with the name of her beloved brother, Daniel.

Sister Mary Daniel's first eighteen years were spent as a home service sister, a work that she at first found hard to accept, but did very well. She served in this capacity at SS. Peter & Paul, and Good Counsel in Mankato; St. Peter; Assumption and St. Francis in St. Paul; Rogers; and St. Cyril & Methodius, Minneapolis.

In the 1950's, a great need for teaching sisters developed. Several home service sisters, including Sister Mary Daniel, were asked to make the transition to teacher. They were provided some college courses, and then given teaching positions. In 1981, Sister Mary Daniel looked back at her teaching experience, "For the last 25 years, I had the opportunity to be in the classroom with beautiful little people. I have and am thoroughly enjoying every minute my capacity as a first grade teacher, which is my second ministry." Schools that benefitted from Sister Mary Daniel's teaching ministry were St. Mary, Worthington (1958-59); John Ireland, St. Peter (1959-61); St. Agnes (1961-67, 1969-73) and Sacred Heart (1974-84), St. Paul; Crucifixion, LaCrescent (1967-69); and St. Dominic, Northfield (1985-91). After several years of part-time study, she earned her degree from Mount Mary in 1975. While at Sacred Heart, she helped develop a curriculum for young students' television viewing, which was featured in a Catholic Bulletin issue.

Along with her teaching, she participated in parish activities such as Eucharistic minister and lector. She also visited nursing homes and brought Eucharist to residents. The Dudley family was very appreciative of the care that she provided for Marge and Marcella Dudley in Northfield. She appreciated her sabbatical experience in Chatawa, Mississippi, in 1985 and her Rome renewal trip in 1987.

Sister Mary Daniel's third ministry began in 1991 when she came to Good Counsel Hill to work in pastoral ministry with the sisters in healthcare. She served lovingly in a variety of capacities in both St. Joseph Hall and Notre Dame Hall. Another area of interest and talent for Sister Mary Daniel in her later years was liturgical dance. She frequently served as an incense minister for Liturgies, gracefully offering praise to God in this way. She read voraciously and enjoyed putting puzzles together " and was part way finished with one when she died.

Sister Mary Daniel concluded her 1981 autobiography update with these words, "God certainly has gifted me and has blessed me in all that I do. May the whole of the rest of my life cry out to Him in thanksgiving for His constant love and faithfulness to me."

May Sister Mary Daniel now be experiencing in person God's constant love and faithfulness, her reward for her own love and faithfulness to God's call.