Mary Edmund Laurent
d. January 1, 1900
Mary Edmund Laurent
Mankato Mortuary
1001 N. Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
(507) 388-2202
Our beloved Sister Mary Edmund Laurent, 88, died peacefully at 2:15 a.m. on Monday, March 10, 2014, in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato. Her health had declined over the past few months and she entered Hospice in late January. Two of her nieces, as well as many School Sisters of Notre Dame, visited and prayed with her in the hours prior to her death.
The Funeral Mass for Sister Mary Edmund, with Father Bernard Steiner as presider, will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 14, in Good Counsel Chapel, Mankato. Burial of her cremains in our cemetery will follow at a later date. The vigil service will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. We extend our sympathy to her sisters Dorothy Ende, Beverly Laurent, and Elaine Weir, her brother-in-law Chester Kottke, her nieces and nephews and their families, her friends, former colleagues and students, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edmund and Roseabelle (Berthiaume) Laurent, her brother Edward, and her sisters Ruth Phillips and Arlean Kottke.
Sister Mary Edmund, the fifth of seven children, was born November 10, 1925, a cold wintery day, on a farm near Hamel, Minnesota. Twelve days later she was baptized Virginia Mae at Holy Name Church in Medina Township. Both of her parents were of French Catholic ancestry. When Virginia was five, she moved with her family to a farm near Corcoran, Minnesota. One year later she began first grade at French Corcoran District 64 School, which was just across the road. With the exception of third grade, when she attended SS. Peter & Paul School in nearby Loretto, she received all of her elementary education at this public school. She described her religious education: "I did attend vacation school at Corcoran for nine summers. It was here that the School Sisters of Notre Dame prepared me for my First Holy Communion and Confirmation."
In addition to the example of her parents and the encouragement of her pastor, Sister Mary Edmund attributed her vocation to an unusual source: "Miss Lola Schmit, our public school teacher. She was the first to draw my attention to the fact that I had a vocation. Many an hour after school was spent together, often times discussing the Sisterhood. During the summer vacation we kept very close contact with each other by letters." Following eighth grade graduation, Virginia enrolled in the aspiranture at Good Counsel for her freshman year. She wrote, "The following summer, August 28, 1942, I joined the happy ranks of the Candidates. The year passed swiftly and suddenly we found ourselves leaving for our first mission work. I was destined for St. John's, Searles, Minnesota. Pleasant memories will be mine always of my first experiences of housekeeping for a little community of four."
Virginia was received into the novitiate on July 21, 1944, and given the name Sister Mary Edmund after her father. Following profession in 1945, she was assigned to be a home service sister at All Saints, Madison Lake. She later recalled some of her experiences, "An exciting time was the craft and carnival days when the whole school became a festive place. I spent many an hour helping create sale items for these occasions. And I remember making sister and bishop costumes for a special school play given in 1947 to commemorate the centennial of the coming of the School Sisters of Notre Dame to America." Sister Mary Edmund also had six recipes ranging from Pork Chops Fricassee to Pecan Pie published in the Notre Dame Centenary Cookbook that same year.
Sister Mary Edmund spent her succeeding years of religious life as a home service sister in several locations: St. Joseph, Spokane; Christ the King, Omak, Washington; Good Counsel Convent; St. Peter, Hokah; St. Mary, Worthington; St. Benedict, Strasburg, North Dakota; and Holy Rosary, North Mankato. In 1966 she began home service work at Good Counsel Academy, and it was there that her life's mission took a new direction.
In her words, "Although I have always enjoyed creating artistic things from many mediums [she made the tabernacle in the Isidore Hall chapel
1001 N. Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
(507) 388-2202
Our beloved Sister Mary Edmund Laurent, 88, died peacefully at 2:15 a.m. on Monday, March 10, 2014, in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato. Her health had declined over the past few months and she entered Hospice in late January. Two of her nieces, as well as many School Sisters of Notre Dame, visited and prayed with her in the hours prior to her death.
The Funeral Mass for Sister Mary Edmund, with Father Bernard Steiner as presider, will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 14, in Good Counsel Chapel, Mankato. Burial of her cremains in our cemetery will follow at a later date. The vigil service will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. We extend our sympathy to her sisters Dorothy Ende, Beverly Laurent, and Elaine Weir, her brother-in-law Chester Kottke, her nieces and nephews and their families, her friends, former colleagues and students, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edmund and Roseabelle (Berthiaume) Laurent, her brother Edward, and her sisters Ruth Phillips and Arlean Kottke.
Sister Mary Edmund, the fifth of seven children, was born November 10, 1925, a cold wintery day, on a farm near Hamel, Minnesota. Twelve days later she was baptized Virginia Mae at Holy Name Church in Medina Township. Both of her parents were of French Catholic ancestry. When Virginia was five, she moved with her family to a farm near Corcoran, Minnesota. One year later she began first grade at French Corcoran District 64 School, which was just across the road. With the exception of third grade, when she attended SS. Peter & Paul School in nearby Loretto, she received all of her elementary education at this public school. She described her religious education: "I did attend vacation school at Corcoran for nine summers. It was here that the School Sisters of Notre Dame prepared me for my First Holy Communion and Confirmation."
In addition to the example of her parents and the encouragement of her pastor, Sister Mary Edmund attributed her vocation to an unusual source: "Miss Lola Schmit, our public school teacher. She was the first to draw my attention to the fact that I had a vocation. Many an hour after school was spent together, often times discussing the Sisterhood. During the summer vacation we kept very close contact with each other by letters." Following eighth grade graduation, Virginia enrolled in the aspiranture at Good Counsel for her freshman year. She wrote, "The following summer, August 28, 1942, I joined the happy ranks of the Candidates. The year passed swiftly and suddenly we found ourselves leaving for our first mission work. I was destined for St. John's, Searles, Minnesota. Pleasant memories will be mine always of my first experiences of housekeeping for a little community of four."
Virginia was received into the novitiate on July 21, 1944, and given the name Sister Mary Edmund after her father. Following profession in 1945, she was assigned to be a home service sister at All Saints, Madison Lake. She later recalled some of her experiences, "An exciting time was the craft and carnival days when the whole school became a festive place. I spent many an hour helping create sale items for these occasions. And I remember making sister and bishop costumes for a special school play given in 1947 to commemorate the centennial of the coming of the School Sisters of Notre Dame to America." Sister Mary Edmund also had six recipes ranging from Pork Chops Fricassee to Pecan Pie published in the Notre Dame Centenary Cookbook that same year.
Sister Mary Edmund spent her succeeding years of religious life as a home service sister in several locations: St. Joseph, Spokane; Christ the King, Omak, Washington; Good Counsel Convent; St. Peter, Hokah; St. Mary, Worthington; St. Benedict, Strasburg, North Dakota; and Holy Rosary, North Mankato. In 1966 she began home service work at Good Counsel Academy, and it was there that her life's mission took a new direction.
In her words, "Although I have always enjoyed creating artistic things from many mediums [she made the tabernacle in the Isidore Hall chapel
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