Sister Mary Louise Vrana

june 29, 1927 - january 24, 2007

Sister Mary Louise (Pauline) Vrana, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, died on January 24, 2007, in Pittsburgh, Pa. She was 80 and in her 62nd year of religious life.

Born on June 29, 1927, in Colver, Pa., to George and Mary (Majoros) Vrana, Pauline attended St. Nicholas School in Nicktown, Pa.; St. John the Baptist School in Barnesboro, Pa.; and Mount Assisi Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa. She entered our community in 1944, was given the name Sister Mary Louise upon making first vows in 1945, and made final vows in 1951.

Sister earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1962 from Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling in 1968 from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. She also studied at St. Mary’s University and Incarnate Word College in San Antonio and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Sister Mary Louise taught at parish grade schools in the Pennsylvania towns of Tarentum, Pittsburgh, Farrell, Charleroi, McKees Rocks and Ellsworth and served as principal of Transfiguration School in Russellton, Pa., in the 1980s. Sister taught math and French and served as guidance counselor at St. Francis Academy in San Antonio in the 1960s and 1970s, returning to ministry in Pennsylvania in 1974.

Sister served as a provincial councilor from 1977 to 1985 and held various leadership positions within our community during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989, she was elected provincial minister of the Pittsburgh Province and went on to lead Marian Hall personal care home in Pittsburgh for nearly a decade.

Deeply dedicated to prayer throughout her life, Sister conducted herself with humility, graciousness and cheerfulness. She kept a notebook listing all of her students’ names so that she could include them in her prayers. She was tidy and took great care in keeping St. Francis Academy in San Antonio and the motherhouse in Pittsburgh spotless.

She is remembered for her beautiful smile, listening ear and willingness to serve. As one Sister wrote, “… she is now an angel watching over us, a most loving and caring person, a great teacher, and a great inspiration to all of us.”

Sister Mary Louise is buried in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Pa.