The Catholic Messenger
CLINTON — The Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton are celebrating the jubilees of five sisters this summer. They renewed their vows during a Jubilee Mass June 14 at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish with Bishop Dennis Walsh presiding.
80 years
Sister Hilary Mullany has served in education and communications ministries. She was an elementary and music teacher at schools in Iowa and Illinois before ministering as a speech and drama teacher at Mount St. Clare Academy and College in Clinton, directing numerous plays and recitals involving students and community members during her 16 years there. She served as media coordinator for the Diocese of Davenport for 13 years and was a founding member of Sisters United News, a network of professional communicators in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. She concluded her active ministry years at Mount St. Clare College and its successors, serving in various roles. She also served on the board of the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre and performed in productions there and at the Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, Illinois. In 2005, the theater at Ashford University was renamed in her honor.
She resides at The Alverno in Clinton and devotes her time to prayer, fostering connections with others and participating in activities and service projects at the residence. She is grateful for the support of others throughout her journey. “There has been an abundance of treasures throughout my 80 years. It was significant that I represented the Church throughout all my ministries.”
75 years
Sister William McCue began her teaching career at parochial schools in Illinois and California. After returning to Clinton, she served for two years as postulant mistress for young women seeking admission to the congregation. Later, she co-founded the congregation’s Associate Partnership Program. Sister McCue incorporated her love for philosophy and theology during her 51-year career teaching religion and philosophy courses at Mount St. Clare Academy and College and its successors. She served as chair of the philosophy/religious studies department and humanities division, retiring from Ashford University as a philosophy professor in 2015. During her tenure, she received the Founders Award for distinguished service to Mount St. Clare College, Faculty Excellence for Teaching Award from Ashford University, and Professor Emerita Honor from Ashford University.
Sister McCue resides at The Canticle in Clinton and continues to live out her commitment to education and her religious vocation by demonstrating simple living, generous sharing of time and commitment to ongoing conversion. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve others and the many blessings she has received over the years. “I am grateful to each of you for your presence in my Franciscan journey of life and for the facets of the universe that sing out the goodness of our Creator.”
70 Years
Sister Ida (Mary Fidelis) Green has served in education and healthcare ministries. In the Chicago area, she taught in nursing programs and clinical settings at the School of Nursing at Loyola University and later spent 29 years teaching at Prairie State College, where she eventually became chair of the nursing department. She later taught online courses and a skills lab on a part-time basis. She has served in various leadership roles for the Sisters of St. Francis.
Sister Green resides in Tinley Park, Illinois, where she volunteers for the Child Abuse Prevention Speaker’s Bureau, as a counselor for people accessing the sexual abuse hotline, as a hospitality worker for homeless people seeking shelter, as a catechist for people with developmental disabilities, and as a hospice volunteer. “God has blessed me these past 70 years in so many ways through my family of origin, my Franciscan family, and the many people I have encountered in my ministries,” she said. “I trust God’s continued blessings in the future.”
Sister Virginia (Mary Ralph) Krakow has ministered in food service, elder care and home health care. She spent her early years ministering at Mount St. Clare Convent in Clinton and St. LaSalle Convent in Reedley, California. She spent 14 years ministering at the Ritter Home in Burlington, a residence for elderly women, and later served as a home health care aide in the Clinton area, spending her final years of active ministry at The Alverno.
After retirement, she served as the sacristan at The Canticle for many years and continues to volunteer in The Canticle’s reception office answering phones and greeting guests. Sister Krakow has also ministered through her sewing hobby, creating countless outfits and tote bags for children in Africa, as well as quilts and wall hangings. “Jubilee is a time to be grateful for the years I have been able to serve God and others,” she said.
20 years
Sister Janet Ryan entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 2005 after a diverse career background in field hockey, coaching, marketing and sales. Prior to entering religious life, she volunteered in the home repair program with the Christian Appalachian Project in eastern Kentucky. Later, she was hired to manage a welfare-to-work program, assisting participants in eliminating barriers to securing and maintaining employment.
Seeking to deepen her spirituality, she spent three months at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, and taught Scripture for one year at St. Mary’s High School in Lynn, Massachusetts. As a Clinton Franciscan, Sister Ryan worked as a live-in assistant/house coordinator with L’Arche Clinton and later brought the ministry to St. Louis, where she served as executive director until 2014. Relocating to Chicago, she lived and served at the Su Casa Catholic Worker House and started a high school diploma program at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) for at-risk adults and family members. In 2023, she initiated the first peace circle trainings in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for incarcerated men and women. She continues to serve in restorative justice ministries.
Sister Ryan is grateful for her vocation as a religious sister and, in particular, a Clinton Franciscan. “I give thanks to my family, friends, teammates, and my sisters who have loved and supported me and my ministries. I ask for prayers that I may respond courageously to God’s daily invitation to conversion of my heart!”
