Sister Joan Penzenstadler has been a School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND) for 59 years. She will celebrate her 60th Jubilee in 2025.
“I was attracted to women religious when I was very young, but it wasn’t until high school that I knew the community calling my heart was the School Sisters of Notre Dame,” said Sister Joan.
“Before I even had words to sort out all the reasons, I sensed not only the richness of their life of prayer, but also their commitment to the intellectual development of women. They prayed and worked and built a life together, making a difference for the sake of the Gospel.”
Sister Joan’s first profession was July 28, 1965. She began her ministry as a high school teacher of French, having earned her bachelor’s degree from Mount Mary College. She taught 11 years in the Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee, Marinette and Chippewa Falls. In 1973, Sister Joan began summer school studies at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., working toward a master’s degree in theology.
She then served three years as director of youth ministry at St. Leonard in Muskego, Wisconsin. In 1981, she joined the faculty in the Theology Department at Mount Mary College (now Mount Mary University, MMU).
Between 1984 and 1988, Sister Joan earned a doctorate in religious education at Boston College, returning to Milwaukee to spend an additional 15 years as a professor at MMU.
There were many meaningful moments while I was teaching when I knew that the exchange I was having with students awakened something expansive, something meaningful, within them.
Following a year-long sabbatical ending in 2004, Sister Joan served as Assistant to the President for Mission and Identity at MMU. Starting in 2006, she balanced two ministries, serving as co-director for associates in the Milwaukee Province and as spiritual director for many people in the area.
In 2008, she began her ministry as vice president for Mission and Identity at MMU, a position she held until retiring in 2022.
Sister Joan was recently awarded the Madonna Medal for service at Mount Mary University. Her home at Trinity Woods, a multi-generational housing complex located on the MMU campus, allows her to continue to be a presence to the campus community, serving as an irreplaceable resource for, and champion of, the perpetuation of the SSND spirit and mission.
“Reflecting on these years, my greatest blessing is vowing my commitment to God in a community of women who also desired to give their entire lives,” said Sister Joan. “What a gift!”
— by Trudy Hamilton