Sister Rita Marie Schneider, SSND

Our beloved Sister Rita Marie Schneider, SSND, 86, died peacefully at 8:50 p.m. on Monday, February 18, 2019, in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato, Minnesota. In recent weeks her health declined to the point where she was unable to carry out her community service responsibilities.

The funeral liturgy, with Father Eugene Stenzel as presider, will be held Wednesday, February 27, at 10:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel. At 9:00 a.m., a prayer service of remembrance will precede the funeral liturgy. Burial of her cremains will follow at a later date in the Good Counsel cemetery. We extend our sympathy to her sisters Helen Gunderson, Catherine Dickhausen, Dorothy Hughes and Corinne Anderson and her brothers James, Richard and Raymond, her nieces and nephews and their families, her friends, colleagues and former students, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Rita (Connor) Schneider.

Sister Rita Marie, the oldest of eight, was born in Minneapolis on August 24, 1932, to Ralph and Rita (Connor) Schneider. The Schneider family resided in Loretto, a small town west of Minneapolis, where her father was a barber. At her baptism at SS. Peter & Paul Church in Loretto, she was given the name Mary Ann because of her mother’s great devotion to the Holy Family and especially to Mary. Sister Rita Marie recalled many instances of family prayer, especially during Advent and Lent. The family lived close to the church and was always represented at parish devotional services. When Mary Ann started first grade at SS. Peter & Paul School in 1938 and was taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame, she was already very familiar with sisters. Her mother’s sister, Sister Cora Connor, was a nurse at the Good Counsel Motherhouse in Mankato, and the family visited as often as they could. Sister Rita Marie wrote about a specific school experience, “I was so tiny that I was given a front seat throughout grade school.” As a seventh grader she began to think seriously about becoming a sister, and by the time she graduated from eighth grade in 1946, she had decided to enter the aspiranture at Good Counsel Academy. Her parents supported her in this decision, even though it meant sacrificing the help provided by their oldest daughter. Mary Ann immersed herself into high school life and activities. She was an honor student who enjoyed reading, research and study. She graduated from Good Counsel in June 1950 and entered the SSND candidature in early August. She then went to St. Paul for eye surgery and recovered in time to formally enter the candidature on September 8 with the rest of her class. As a second-year candidate, she did her practice teaching at SS. Peter & Paul School, Springbrook, Iowa. She was received into the novitiate in 1952 and given the name Sister Rita Marie. She professed first vows in 1953 and then began her ministry of education teaching primary grades at St. Matthew School, St. Paul, where she stayed for one year. Over the next 25 years, she taught at St. John the Baptist, Mankato (1954-56); St. Joseph, Grenville, South Dakota (1956-57); St. Adalbert, Silver Lake (1957-61); St. Casimir, Wells (1961-65); St. Mary, Worthington (1965-70); Sacred Heart, St. Paul (1970-75); and John Ireland, St. Peter (1975-80). During these years she earned a BA in history and elementary education from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, and an MA in Reading from Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee in 1973. In autobiographical writings, Sister Rita Marie commented on several experiences from her teaching days: “Even though my ancestry is not Polish, I was missioned to three Polish parishes in succession. First to Grenville, South Dakota, then to St. Adalbert in Silver Lake, and finally to Wells, Minnesota. I learned Polish hymns and prayers and experienced some Polish traditions and foods.” Following the 1956-57 school year at Grenville, the sisters left for summer school and retreat. While they were gone, the school and convent building burned to the ground. “It involved the convent, grade and high school, boarders’ area and the school lunch room. We lost everything that we did not have with us.” She was grateful for the generosity of sisters who knew that she would not have very much in the way of classroom materials and who shared some of their materials with her. After earning her degree in reading, she became the reading specialist in several of the schools where she taught. And in most of the parishes where she was stationed, she was also the sacristan, a religious education teacher, and a leader of Bible sharing groups. She was a lector and song leader and led Word and Communion services when needed. Blessed with a strong singing voice, she joined the parish choirs. While teaching at John Ireland in St. Peter, Sister Rita Marie became involved in Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) weekends. She also served on Marriage Encounter and Engaged Encounter teams. As a teacher, she saw the need to strengthen married life and families. She wrote, “I began to realize there were a lot of broken families. Something had to be done to help strengthen marriages. These weekend retreats were interesting experiences. I gained from the couples and they gained from me.” Sister Rita Marie’s interest in helping families led to a ministry change in 1981. An article in the Diocese of Superior’s newspaper stated, “When Sister Rita Marie Schneider started working in the Diocese of Superior chancery office in 1981, she was a pioneer of sorts. She was the first person to hold the position of procurator and advocate for the diocesan tribunal.” As procurator, she represented the person petitioning for an annulment of the marriage. As the advocate, she guided the person through the annulment process. At first, Sister Rita Marie was not sure that she wanted to apply for a position that dealt with failed marriages. She wrote, “I decided to try it and I have been here for over 23 years.” One of the priests who worked with her remarked, “She’s a very good listener. In working with petitioners or respondents, she is a teacher. She helps explain to people church law; she puts things in perspective. Some concepts are quite complicated and she makes it as easy as possible to understand.” Colleagues also noted Sister Rita Marie’s compassion: “Divorce is very upsetting for people. When people come into the office they may have felt intimidated, but Sister Rita Marie had a way of putting people at ease. Then they opened up and told their story.” Another colleague commented, “Sister Rita Marie brought something to the Tribunal which was much needed by everyone in the world, and that is a sincere spirituality. Her concern was appreciated by those who benefitted from her service.” And another one wrote, “When she can’t get in the front door with a case, she can get in the back door.” During her years in Superior, Sister Rita Marie was instrumental in helping to revitalize the St. Vincent DePaul Society. “Being with the poor, feeling their need and being able to provide assistance was a very meaningful experience for me.” She was the spiritual advisor for the group and then became the president. “It was a struggle at first to find the poor and to be funded, but gradually we became a viable group doing home visiting to assist needy persons. It proved to be a work of God.” Sister Rita Marie retired in 2005 and spent one year in Owatonna, where she was active on the Food Shelf Board in addition to taking part in parish activities. In 2006 she came to Good Counsel and taught in the Learning Center. She also offered her services to the Winona Diocesan Tribunal, first as an auditor and later as an advocate. She continued in this service until 2011. At Good Counsel, she was a member of the choir, served as sacristan and was a leader of Word and Communion services until her health prevented her from taking an active role. Throughout her life, Sister Rita Marie firmly believed that God’s works were wonderful and great. May she now experience the full reality of this belief!