Sister M. Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas, SSND
(née Olive Gissenaas)
First Profession July 23, 1942
Motherhouse
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In her autobiography, Sister Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas writes, "At the dusk of day on the eighth of February in Coleman, a little burg in northern Wisconsin, I was born of good parents in my grandmother's house on Main Street."
Sister was the daughter of Hanford Montgomery Gissenaas, a convert to Catholicism, and Elizabeth Brault. A few days after her birth, she was baptized and given the name Olive. Her parents were blessed with four children, but only two survived, Olive and her brother Gordon, 16 months older than she.
When she was two years old, her family settled in East Kingsford, Michigan, where she became a great lover of sports, nature, and astronomy. Sister Ignatius learned faith, hope, love, and patience from her parents, but outside of the home she had little instruction about the faith except from the parish priest, who prepared Gordon and Olive for First Holy Communion.
When her father was laid off, her family decided to move to Milwaukee, where her father established a shoe repair shop. Olive and Gordon attended a public school, until Olive enrolled at St. Elizabeth's for the eighth grade and Gordon went to Messmer. It was at St. Elizabeth's that she met the SSNDs.
After a year at Messmer high school, she went to the juniorate at Longwood. A year later she entered the candidature and in July 1941, became a novice, receiving the name Sister Ignatius Loyola. This name was a great joy to her, since as a child she had read the story of St. Ignatius and said, "Like St. Ignatius I had my conversion in life." She was professed July 23, 1942.
During her many years of teaching in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, Sister Ignatius happily prepared second-graders for First Communion. While her health and vision were declining, she ministered as switchboard operator, driver, and manager of the host department at Notre Dame of the Lake, as well as volunteer tutor at several schools. Eventually she volunteered as pastoral minister at the Badger Home for the Blind in Milwaukee.
In 1999 Sister "Iggy" retired to Notre Dame of Elm Grove, then spent a year at Havenwood, and returned to NDEG. There she endeared herself to those she met along the way when she offered them her blessing, a spontaneous prayer from her heart. She is remembered for her love of classical music, her ready wit, and her gratitude to all who came to visit, to read to her, and to pray with her after her eyesight failed.
(School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province)
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
(née Olive Gissenaas)
First Profession July 23, 1942
Motherhouse
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In her autobiography, Sister Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas writes, "At the dusk of day on the eighth of February in Coleman, a little burg in northern Wisconsin, I was born of good parents in my grandmother's house on Main Street."
Sister was the daughter of Hanford Montgomery Gissenaas, a convert to Catholicism, and Elizabeth Brault. A few days after her birth, she was baptized and given the name Olive. Her parents were blessed with four children, but only two survived, Olive and her brother Gordon, 16 months older than she.
When she was two years old, her family settled in East Kingsford, Michigan, where she became a great lover of sports, nature, and astronomy. Sister Ignatius learned faith, hope, love, and patience from her parents, but outside of the home she had little instruction about the faith except from the parish priest, who prepared Gordon and Olive for First Holy Communion.
When her father was laid off, her family decided to move to Milwaukee, where her father established a shoe repair shop. Olive and Gordon attended a public school, until Olive enrolled at St. Elizabeth's for the eighth grade and Gordon went to Messmer. It was at St. Elizabeth's that she met the SSNDs.
After a year at Messmer high school, she went to the juniorate at Longwood. A year later she entered the candidature and in July 1941, became a novice, receiving the name Sister Ignatius Loyola. This name was a great joy to her, since as a child she had read the story of St. Ignatius and said, "Like St. Ignatius I had my conversion in life." She was professed July 23, 1942.
During her many years of teaching in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, Sister Ignatius happily prepared second-graders for First Communion. While her health and vision were declining, she ministered as switchboard operator, driver, and manager of the host department at Notre Dame of the Lake, as well as volunteer tutor at several schools. Eventually she volunteered as pastoral minister at the Badger Home for the Blind in Milwaukee.
In 1999 Sister "Iggy" retired to Notre Dame of Elm Grove, then spent a year at Havenwood, and returned to NDEG. There she endeared herself to those she met along the way when she offered them her blessing, a spontaneous prayer from her heart. She is remembered for her love of classical music, her ready wit, and her gratitude to all who came to visit, to read to her, and to pray with her after her eyesight failed.
(School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province)
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
Sister M. Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas, SSND
(née Olive Gissenaas)
First Profession July 23, 1942
Motherhouse
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In her autobiography, Sister Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas writes, "At the dusk of day on the eighth of February in Coleman, a little burg in northern Wisconsin, I was born of good parents in my grandmother's house on Main Street."
Sister was the daughter of Hanford Montgomery Gissenaas, a convert to Catholicism, and Elizabeth Brault. A few days after her birth, she was baptized and given the name Olive. Her parents were blessed with four children, but only two survived, Olive and her brother Gordon, 16 months older than she.
When she was two years old, her family settled in East Kingsford, Michigan, where she became a great lover of sports, nature, and astronomy. Sister Ignatius learned faith, hope, love, and patience from her parents, but outside of the home she had little instruction about the faith except from the parish priest, who prepared Gordon and Olive for First Holy Communion.
When her father was laid off, her family decided to move to Milwaukee, where her father established a shoe repair shop. Olive and Gordon attended a public school, until Olive enrolled at St. Elizabeth's for the eighth grade and Gordon went to Messmer. It was at St. Elizabeth's that she met the SSNDs.
After a year at Messmer high school, she went to the juniorate at Longwood. A year later she entered the candidature and in July 1941, became a novice, receiving the name Sister Ignatius Loyola. This name was a great joy to her, since as a child she had read the story of St. Ignatius and said, "Like St. Ignatius I had my conversion in life." She was professed July 23, 1942.
During her many years of teaching in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, Sister Ignatius happily prepared second-graders for First Communion. While her health and vision were declining, she ministered as switchboard operator, driver, and manager of the host department at Notre Dame of the Lake, as well as volunteer tutor at several schools. Eventually she volunteered as pastoral minister at the Badger Home for the Blind in Milwaukee.
In 1999 Sister "Iggy" retired to Notre Dame of Elm Grove, then spent a year at Havenwood, and returned to NDEG. There she endeared herself to those she met along the way when she offered them her blessing, a spontaneous prayer from her heart. She is remembered for her love of classical music, her ready wit, and her gratitude to all who came to visit, to read to her, and to pray with her after her eyesight failed.
(School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province)
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
(née Olive Gissenaas)
First Profession July 23, 1942
Motherhouse
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In her autobiography, Sister Ignatius Loyola Gissenaas writes, "At the dusk of day on the eighth of February in Coleman, a little burg in northern Wisconsin, I was born of good parents in my grandmother's house on Main Street."
Sister was the daughter of Hanford Montgomery Gissenaas, a convert to Catholicism, and Elizabeth Brault. A few days after her birth, she was baptized and given the name Olive. Her parents were blessed with four children, but only two survived, Olive and her brother Gordon, 16 months older than she.
When she was two years old, her family settled in East Kingsford, Michigan, where she became a great lover of sports, nature, and astronomy. Sister Ignatius learned faith, hope, love, and patience from her parents, but outside of the home she had little instruction about the faith except from the parish priest, who prepared Gordon and Olive for First Holy Communion.
When her father was laid off, her family decided to move to Milwaukee, where her father established a shoe repair shop. Olive and Gordon attended a public school, until Olive enrolled at St. Elizabeth's for the eighth grade and Gordon went to Messmer. It was at St. Elizabeth's that she met the SSNDs.
After a year at Messmer high school, she went to the juniorate at Longwood. A year later she entered the candidature and in July 1941, became a novice, receiving the name Sister Ignatius Loyola. This name was a great joy to her, since as a child she had read the story of St. Ignatius and said, "Like St. Ignatius I had my conversion in life." She was professed July 23, 1942.
During her many years of teaching in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, Sister Ignatius happily prepared second-graders for First Communion. While her health and vision were declining, she ministered as switchboard operator, driver, and manager of the host department at Notre Dame of the Lake, as well as volunteer tutor at several schools. Eventually she volunteered as pastoral minister at the Badger Home for the Blind in Milwaukee.
In 1999 Sister "Iggy" retired to Notre Dame of Elm Grove, then spent a year at Havenwood, and returned to NDEG. There she endeared herself to those she met along the way when she offered them her blessing, a spontaneous prayer from her heart. She is remembered for her love of classical music, her ready wit, and her gratitude to all who came to visit, to read to her, and to pray with her after her eyesight failed.
(School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province)
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!
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