of the Queen of Virgins
(Victoria Pelkowski)
October 20, 1910 – January 31, 2003
Sacred Heart Province
Des Plaines, Illinois
“When Jesus came upon earth, he brought peace to people of good will. Foster then the good will which refuses him nothing.” (Letter of Blessed Frances Siedliska, December 22, 1891)
Victoria Theresa Pelkowski was born October 20, 1910 in Erie, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Marion and Anastasia Wojciechowska Pelkowski. There were twelve children: four boys and eight girls, among these were two sets of twins-girls, born before, and boys, born after, Victoria. One twin of each set died in infancy.
“We lived in the country,” reminisced Sr. Aloysius. “I attended public school until the fourth grade. In 1921 we moved to the city of Erie and I attended Saint Stanislaus School. I was baptized and made my first communion at Saint Stanislaus Church. My mother did not feel too well and since we lived in the vicinity of St. Casimir Parish, we transferred parishes. I was confirmed at Saint Casimir Church and attended the school until I entered the convent.”
Sr. Aloysius describes the growth of her vocation from an early age. “As a young child I readily helped the Sisters serving at St. Casimir Parish. I would accompany a sister to the market by streetcar on Saturday to buy meat for the others. Since my older sister Mary, now Sister Adrianne, was contemplating entering the convent,” wrote Sr. Aloysius, “I also had a desire to do the same. My father had no objection since he said he had a dream of our deceased mother telling him that if we wanted to join the convent he should allow us to do so.”
“Once I had permission from the Congregation to enter the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the preparations became a family affair: my father arranged dentist and doctor appointments; my sister, a seamstress, sewed all the clothing I needed, including my black postulant dress.”
“I left for Pittsburgh taking my first train ride on Friday, September 5, 1925 with my sister, Anna. When we arrived and I saw the huge buildings and smoke of Pittsburgh, I told my sister I wanted to go home. She became scared because she had no extra money, only her return ticket. So she told me to try it out, and if I didn’t like it, she would come for me. I am still trying it out after all these years!”
“Sister Athanasia Kwiatkowska and a postulant met us at Union Station,” Sister Aloysius continued, “and took me to Avalon, Pennsylvania, our provincialate at the time. There I received my postulant outfit on Monday September 8 from Mother Lucy Madaj, provincial superior, and that very day Sisters Salvatore Szankowska and Dulcissima Witt took me to the Immaculate Heart of Mary convent. The superior, Mother Gonzaga Mudlaff and the sisters welcomed me and it was time for bed. The next day, Mother Gonzaga took me to school and I had the third grade under her supervision. During this time, eighteen of us postulants lived at St. Stanislaus convent, preparing for our novitiate.”
“We were the first to be invested in our Provincialate in Bellevue and, since the building was not completed, we left immediately to begin our first year of novitiate in the Sacred Heart Province novitiate in Des Plaines, Illinois. Our investiture took place on September 29, 1926. After a year we came to Bellevue for our second year novitiate, made our first vows on August 19, 1928 and final vows on August 15, 1934.”
Sister received her Bachelor in education degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 1944. Like many during her day, Sister taught while taking college courses after school, on weekends and during the summer.
Sister Aloysius taught in the elementary grades for 42 years. In Pittsburgh Sister taught at Immaculate Heart of Mary for 1-1/2 years and at Holy Family Institute for 14 years and for five years each in other Pennsylvania parishes of Sacred Heart in Portage, and at Saint Thomas in Footedale. In Michigan she served for one year at St. Casimir in Lansing; 2 years at Saint Christopher in Detroit and for six years as principal at St. Barbara’s in Dearborn. Sister also spent six years at Catholic Elementary Newton Falls, Ohio as principal. For two years Sister served as the assistant director of novices in St. Joseph Province. Sister Miriam Marlinga who was under her guidance at that time, related that Sister “shared in the initial loss of letting all behind as we began our life in the convent. ‘You think you are sad because you left your family and friends,’ Sister Aloysius told the newcomers. ‘but I am sad, too, for I loved to be a teacher of little children and I miss them.’ “This acknowledged grief didn’t stifle her joy,” added Sr. Miriam, “for Sister Aloysius was a kind person and a good role model for us in those first years.”
Sister Aloysius was executive housekeeper at the provincialate and at Holy Family Manor for 16 years. Sr. Sandra Sharon, who worked with Sister in the laundry, noted how deeply spiritual she was, adding humor and prayerfulness to these mundane tasks. “Sister created a happy life for us within community,” commented Sr. Annette Allen who had lived with Sister in Michigan. “I traveled with her for retreats in Bellevue. She was a delightful companion, cheerful and good natured.”
In 2000, Sister Aloysius celebrated her 75th anniversary of religious life. When interviewed at the time she noted that she was still a teacher at heart and enjoyed listening to the news, watching educational programs and reading daily newspapers, magazines, spiritual, educational and recreational books and poetry. She also liked crossword puzzles, gardening and visiting the other sisters. “I am grateful to God for my vocation,” she said at that time. “I have always looked at my life as a labor of love and a work of faith. My heart is full of the blessings of God’s grace and the fullness of His love.”
Sister M. Aloysius was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in mid-January, 2003. On January 31, 2003 the Lord took her to himself. Her viewing was held at the provincialate chapel on February 2, following by the funeral mass and burial in St. Joseph Cemetery on the provincialate grounds on Monday, February 3. Sister Celeste Hupert, superior at Holy Family Manor commented that Sister Aloysius’ life could be summed up by a worn homemade plaque which hung in Sister’s room, “God permit that the symbol of my life be a candle that bums itself, spends itself, consumes itself while there is still wax to burn.” (Words of Dom Helder Camara)
Digitized by S. Brendan O'Brien, CSFN
Instructor
School of Arts & Sciences
History Department
Holy Family University
9801 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19114
215-637-7700 x3279
srbrendan@holyfamily.edu
http://web3.holyfamily.edu/srbrendan
Last updated: February 2006