Sister Francesca Parana, OSF

MAY 14, 1930 - july 27, 2022

Sister M. Francesca (Mary Louise) Parana, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, United States Province, died on July 27, 2022, at Vincentian Home in Pittsburgh, Pa. She was 92 and in her 75th year of religious profession.

Mary Louise was born on May 14, 1930, to Mary Cecilia Fabian and Stephen Anthony Parana in Spangler, Pa., the oldest, and only surviving child of six. Her father was a truck driver and her mother a devoted wife and mother. Both were of Slovak descent.

She attended St. John the Baptist elementary school in Barnesboro, Pa., and Mount Assisi Academy high school in Pittsburgh. Sister entered the community from St. John the Baptist Parish in Barnesboro in 1946 and professed her first vows in 1947 at Mount Assisi Convent in Pittsburgh, Pa. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) and a master’s degree in U.S. history from Duquesne University.

Sister’s early years of ministry were spent teaching the upper grades and serving as principal in parish schools in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg and Pittsburgh. Later, she taught at St. Francis Academy in San Antonio, Texas. She also was the organist and choir director in several parishes. She would often speak fondly of her 13 years at St. Gabriel Parish in Pittsburgh, and over the years, her students and choir members continue to remember her. 

Sister Francesca was elected as Provincial Vicar in 1971 and then assumed the role of Provincial Minister for Sister Anselma Drab, who died unexpectedly in 1972. In 1973 she was elected as Provincial Minister and served in that capacity for two terms, until 1981. During those years, she was instrumental in organizing the Tri-Diocesan Sisters Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh.  Afterward she was elected for two terms to the General Council in Rome. She also served as Director of Associates, Vocations and Novices.

During her service in the General Administration, Sister helped to establish the Congregation’s mission in South Africa during the time of apartheid. On the provincial level, she guided the province during the post-Vatican II years of both renewal and turmoil. She also coordinated the initial remodeling of the Mount Assisi Convent area serving the retired and infirm sisters, as it became part of Marian Hall Home, providing personal care to lay persons and sisters.

Sister Francesca often used her skills, interest and educational training in history to enhance the province’s record of its past. She was responsible for chronicling the beginning years of the Pittsburgh Province, and then accepted the task to write the history of the province, which concluded on December 31, 2006. The United States Province then was officially established on January 1, 2007.

During her later years, while serving as Provincial Vicar, she did formation work with the temporary professed sisters from India who were staying in Pittsburgh for their education. At this time, her elderly father’s health was failing, and she would travel to Barnesboro weekly to care for him. This was a heavy set of responsibilities, but she handled it with grace. Eventually her father came to Marian Hall Home as a resident, until the time of his death.

In 2016 Sister Francesca became a resident of the personal care community at Marian Hall Home (now Mt. Assisi Place) and continued to support the community through her prayer ministry.  She is remembered by the Sisters with the following statements:

Sister Francesca embodied all the qualities of a true Franciscan. She was humble, generous, gentle, attentive to others and deeply prayerful. I remember how she made sure everyone was included in the dinner table conversation, especially the older sisters. As provincial minister, she led the way to open communication with all.

Sister Francesca was an excellent teacher. I was missioned with her at St. Gabriel Parish, where she won over her students and choir members through her firm yet caring ways.  Several former choir members have kept in contact with her over the years. She had a kind of “humorous” way of disciplining, in which she would “look over the top of her glasses” with a focused look at what was happening, and that would take care of whatever was needed.  As provincial minister, she was instrumental in helping me with my spiritual life. And she also provided many opportunities for spiritual enrichment programs for the whole province, and training for sisters to develop their gifts to serve the community.

In her final years at Mt. Assisi Place I remember Sister Francesca’s sense of humor as she would leave the TV room. She would say to me, “Good night; sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite.”  Then she would return a few minutes later with the same good night wish.”

Serving many years in leadership roles, Sister Francesca was regarded here in the United States and in other jurisdictions in our congregation as a true wisdom figure. Whenever you visited, she would offer a warm smile, welcoming heart and words of encouragement. She had a great love for all of the sisters, which came from her knowledge of the human condition and her respect for where each sister was on her life’s journey.

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