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Note: Notes from Nancy Lichtle - knlichtle at mchsi.com Sep 04:
"I have a letter sent from the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Agnes that shows that their records state that Mary Leikem, daughter of Frederick and Catherine Leikem, entered the convent of the Sisters of St. Agnes on May 6, 1870. She was born in Sauk City, Wi on April 12, 1858 and died in Fon du Lac, Wi on April 16, 1941. She served here in Decatur, IN for many years, starting St. Joseph School. She was a sister to my great grandmother, Barbara Leikem Reuland. My Dad was a special child to her because his Dad died when my Dad was 2 years old and Sr. Aloysia spent a lot of time with the family here. She is even the reason that my grandmother came to Decatur to take care of my grandfather's children after his first wife died and then married him a couple of years later. My Dad's First Communion prayer book was a gift from Sr. Aloysia and I still have it."
More About MARY LEIKEM: Fact: Mother General of Sisters of Saint Agnes 1933 -1939 Occupation: Sister Aloysia, C.S.A.
Apr 09 from: "With All Devotedness," Chronicles of the Sisters of St. Agnes Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, by Sister M. Vera Naber, C.S.A., published 1959:
Rooted in America (1858 - 1870) chapter 1 - It was part midafternoon on July 31, 1870. Mary Leickem, the convent goose girl, was watching her flock of geese as they gabbled while swimming in the Milwaukee River, which flowed through the village of Barron, Wisconsin. A clump of trees at the foot of a low hill sheltered her from the rays of the westering summer sun. Nothing in this peaceful setting indicated that a momentous decision had been reached on the preceding day in the unostentatious convent toward which Mary glanced.
"Why is Mother Agnes coming down the hill?" she said to herself. "She seems to be excited about something. Look how her handkerchief flutters from her hand. That's always a sign that something important is afoot. What can it be?" Mary walked toward Mother Agnes and met her at the foot of the hill. She spoke hurriedly: "Mary, the geese must be at the convent early, because we are moving."
"Moving!" The solitary word was inadequate to express the surprise Mary felt. Mother Agnes looked searchingly at the girl. Hadn't she noticed the preparations at the convent during the past week? Mary met Mother Agnes' scrutinizing glance with one as guileless as her nature. No, she had been doing her duty, caring for the geese, unaware of the latent agitation among the Sisters.
"Yes, moving to Fond du Lac," responded Mother Agnes, as a troubled frown traced its way on her forehead. "Try to get the geese home at once, so that they can be carted for the trip tomorrow." Glancing at the sun, Mary replied, "But, Mother, it's only about four o'clock, and the stupid geese won't get out of the water at this time." Mary indicated that she wanted to be obedient, but was at a loss to know how to get her charges to change their routine.
Mother Agnes laughed understandingly at Mary's na?ve rejoinder and said, "Do the best you can with the geese. By the way, I shall want you to ride with me tomorrow. We shall start early."
That struck a responsive cord. Mary exclaimed, "Oh, good! I'll be ready any time you say so. Everybody seems to be in a hurry today, Mother. Here comes Sister Clara. I think she wants you."...
Widening Horizons (1870 - 1905) chapter 12. "Up, Barney, up!" coaxed Mary. But Barney didn't deign to jump into the back of the lumber wagon which stood ready for the journey from Barton to Fond du Lac, a distance of about thirty-five miles.
On the seat at the front of the crude conveyance sat Mother Agnes and Sister Aloysia Lethert, a novice, a stack of household goods packed behind them. The other Sisters had gone on ahead with the livestock and some furniture in a similar style. This was the last wagon to leave. The driver, Henry Rinder, stood at the horses' heads waiting for Mary and Barney to take their places?.He (Barney) stopped and sat down at Mary's feet when Mother Agnes again called "Barney" and pointed toward the rear of the wagon. Mother spoke to the driver who went to Mary and helped her into the wagon, where she sat down on a packing box. She patted the seat beside her and again extended the invitation, "Up Barney, up!" This time it was accepted?.(he) put his head in Mary's lap?.Shortly after noon on August 1, 1870, the wagon drew up before the convent?in Fond du Lac?..In the excitement Mary and Barney were forgotten, but they needed no urging to jump down from the back of the wagon and to indulge in a spirited romp across the fields to limber up their cramped limbs. Then Mary joined the other candidates ready to take up life under new auspices which promised to be anything but monotonous....On July 24, 1872, after the annual retreat, Father Francis, as delegate of the Most Reverend Bishop, presided at the profession of eight novices and the investiture of six candidates. Among the latter was the "little goose girl" of Barton days. In religion she was called Sister M. Aloysia, a name which was later to be listed among those of the Mothers General of the Congregation?.By 1920 fifty years had sped by since the Sisters of St. Agnes had made their home in Fond du Lac....Twelve Sisters from among the pioneers were still living to celebrate this Golden Jubilee of their arrival in Fond du Lac:....Aloysia?..Her (Sister M. Joseph's) first concern and that of the Council was to select a Sister to fill the vacancy brought about by Mother Marcella's death. On June 15, 1926, they chose Sister M. Aloysia Leickem, the little "goose girl" who entered this history on the first page?..elected?on December 30, 1926?Vicar Assistant: Sister M. Aloysia Leickem?.elected?July 3, 1933?.Mother Superior: Sister M. Aloysia Leickem....
Sincerity, the Keynote (1933 - 1939) chapter 59. No one was so amazed, so overwhelmed with consternation at the outcome of the election, as was good Sister Aloysia. Mother Joseph had claimed exemption from office because of her advanced age, and now Mother Aloysia, several years her senior, was elected to replace her.
When she repeated the formula of acceptance according to the ritual by which the newly elected Mother Superior accepts the office for which she had been chosen, the tears ran down her cheeks, and her utterance was choked with sobs as she said, "Most Reverend Father, I accept the office entrusted to me by the wish of the Sisters, and with the grace of God and the help of my assistants, will comply with the duties it imposes." Archbishop Stritch tried to comfort her by saying, "After all, Mother, it is not you who will govern the Congregation. It is God. Leave it in His hands, and all will be well."
Sister Aloysia had served as Vicar Assistant to Mother Joseph, and a strong bond of friendship existed between them, as each respected the character and the virtues of the other. Now their relationship to each other was reversed; however, there was no fear of making the adjustment on the part of either one. Mother Aloysia, in her humility, felt that she lacked Sister Joseph's business acumen and was apprehensive lest her election be detrimental to the financial interests of the Congregation...
Mother M. Aloysia Leickem was born in Sauk City, Wisconsin, on April 12, 1858, exactly four months before the first candidates presented themselves to Father Rehrl to constitute the nucleus of the religious association he was determined to found. She entered the convent at Barton on May 6, 1870, a few months before the removal of the Sisters of St. Agnes to Fond du Lac. Many of the events related in this history were gleaned from her memoirs. She had a retentive memory to the end of her life and kept foundation days alive by relating many an interesting incident. She took part in the early struggles of the Congregation and contributed not a little to the success that was achieved. She made her first profession on July 26, 1874, and for some years taught a public school in Town Ten. She was an accomplished organist as well as an efficient teacher. She had been connected with schoolwork either as a teacher or principal, usually both, for fifty-two years before she was called to the Motherhouse in an administrative position. She opened the mission in Decatur, Indiana, in 1881, and served there as principal, teacher, and organist until 1919, a total of thirty-eight years. At the time, Canon Law had not decreed the length of a local superior's term of office.
To know Mother Aloysia well was to love her, and the more intimately one knew her, the more one admired, revered, respected, and loved her. She had the guilelessness, the simplicity, the sincerity, and humility of a child. There was nothing condescending about her; she treated an occasional organ-grinder or even his monkey with as much deference as she showed to the mayor of the city. Sister M. Antonita Gerhardt related the following story:
"The Sisters of Decatur, Indiana, were seated on the back porch of their home, engaged in sewing on a hot summer afternoon. Into the yard walked an organ-grinder with his ubiquitous monkey. The organ-grinder played a tune, and the monkey bowed as one of the Sisters dropped a coin in to his hat. Sister Aloysia, sensing that the man was suffering from the heat, served him a cold drink and inquired what the monkey would like. 'Oh, he drinks de milk,' said his master. So a cup of milk was forthcoming, which the monkey gulped greedily.
As is likely to occur with milk, some of it clung to his whiskers. He nonchalantly picked up the corner of Sister Aloysia's apron and neatly wiped off the remains of the feast.
'Well, well, well,' said Sister Aloysia as she smilingly patted the monkey's head. 'You could at least have paid a little more respect to my good apron.'"
She often amused the Sisters with whom she lived by giving an animated reproduction of an experience she had enjoyed. Humor is called a "saving sense" and rightly so. To Mother Aloysia it did not mean telling jokes and keeping others laughing at them, although she could incite merry laughter upon occasion. Her humor was deeper than simply provoking merriment. It had its foundations in her humility which kept her from taking herself too seriously. She saw through things and understood what really mattered and what was immaterial. She accepted the homage of the Sisters without discomfiture, not because she thought it was her due, but simply because in her position she could not escape it. She was quick to detect insincerity and never tolerated flattery; in fact, if she lost her patience with anyone, it was with sycophant. She deeply appreciated any and every service rendered her, and a "Thank you" seemed to come to her lips spontaneously for the slightest attention accorded her. The least artificiality or affectation was foreign to her character, but courtesy and amiability were innate in her. From all this, it can be seen that she possessed the so-called "Little Virtues" in an eminent degree.
To clarify one of her "Little Virtues," her gracious consideration for the feelings of others, it might be helpful to see her in her office with the door wide open, so that no one might feel shut out or unwelcome. She personally handled most of her correspondence with the Sisters on the missions, leaving strictly business letters to the secretary. She sat a table to write so that she faced the open door.
When someone, no matter who, appeared at the door, down went the pen at once, s she extended a cordial invitation to enter: "Oh, yes, Sister, come right in." One felt as though Mother had been writing to pass the time while she waited for the next entrant to present herself.
She bore the title "Mother Superior" because God had permitted that she be chosen by the votes of the delegates to the General Chapter, but the emphasis in the hearts of the Sisters was unquestionably on the first word of the title. Like a good mother, she led the way to life dominated by love through the example she gave.
She observed the rules and took part in the daily exercises as conscientiously as did Sister Joseph. For her, too, every bell was the voice of God calling her to duty, and she obeyed with alacrity. It had to be important business, indeed, that kept her from prayer at the time appointed, and equally important it had to be to prevent her from attending recreation of from partaking of the community meals. Many a time physical indisposition might have constituted a valid excuse, but she rarely made use of it.
She, like Mother Joseph, considered recreation essential to a well-rounded religious life. It is the custom for the Sisters of St. Agnes to sew or to engage in some sort of handicraft on weekdays as they talk during this period of relaxation. Mother Aloysia carried on a cheerful conversation with those in her vicinity, and her fingers flew as nimbly whether she fashioned artistic needlework or mended her clothing. On Sundays or feast days she preferred chatting to playing games, and there were gales of laughter among the group she joined. She had a sweet affability that made every Sister feel at home with her.
The same sentiments held good when she visited the missions, a duty she faithfully discharged. Distance was no barrier; in fact, once when she planned to go to Kansas shortly after she had returned from New York and Pennsylvania, Sister Joseph remonstrated, saying, "But, Mother, it too had on you to take such long trips in quick succession."
Mother Aloysia replied, "The fact that the Sisters are far away makes it all the more advisable that I visit them oftener." Her first consideration was always, "the Sisters."
Educationally, Mother Aloysia was well versed in the trends of the times. When she was transferred to Hays, Kansas, in 1920, she learned that to meet state requirements she would be obliged to attend Fort Hays State Teachers College. Without any ado, she signed up for the courses required and took them on weekends and during the summer although she was sixty-two years of age at that time. She was graduated in the summer of 1922. Mother Aloysia's personal experiences and studies, applied to educational needs arising in the convent during her administration, helped her solve the problems which arose...
Mother Aloysia started a tour of mission visitations in September, 1938, and carried on with her usual energy until shortly after Thanksgiving Day. Then she was occupied at the convent with the affairs of the Congregation. On the morning of December 23, shortly after the rising bell had rung, Sister Joseph heard a thud as of someone falling. She hurried into the corridor and looked toward Mother's room. When she saw no light, she had a premonition that some accident had happened, because Mother, although an octogenarian, always rose at the sound of the bell. Sister Joseph went to the door and called. No answer. She opened the door and heard a moan. She turned on the light and saw Mother lying on the floor, unable to rise, because her right side was paralyzed. Help came quickly in response to a ring, and several Sisters succeeded in getting Mother back to bed. Dr. Charles Leonard was called, and he confirmed the worst fears of the Sisters; Mother had had a cerebral hemorrhage, and as she also had a serious heart condition, little hope was entertained for her recovery.
In January, 1939, Mother rallied sufficiently, however, to attend Holy Mass and to come back to her office for a few hours each day. She directed the preparations for the Capitular Election which was to take place in the summer of 1939. She was keenly interested in the progress of St. Clare Hospital and appointed the Sisters who were to serve there...
Mother Aloysia alternately succumbed, then rallied, supported by her rugged constitution and her indomitable courage. To her it seemed clear that she would soon go Home to the Bridegroom whom she had tenderly loved and generously served. At the time of election on June 30, 1939, she told the thirty-four delegates that her health would not permit her to accept any position of responsibility. The respected her wishes. Freed from the duties of her office, Mother Aloysia rallied for a time. Shortly after the election, she went to St. Clare Hospital, Monroe, as she felt that she would occasionally need nursing care, and she wanted to be where her condition of health would occasion the least inconvenience to others. She was received with open arms. She contributed not a little to building a spirit of geniality and mutual good will between the doctors in the hospital, the administration, the hospital personnel, and the patients-an atmosphere which persists to this day. Repeatedly, heart attacks took her to death's door, but time and again she rallied and resumed her self-imposed task of doing light sewing or needlework of some kind. At St. Clare Hospital, she was a great help to the Sisters in organizing the household and planning a workable daily schedule. She was a moral support, and after every conversation or contact with her, one came away with fresh courage and enthusiasm.
The condition of her health gradually worsened. In early February, 1941, she asked to be taken to the Motherhouse, saying that she wished to die there. On February 16, she was brought to the convent infirmary. After her arrival, she lived just two months to the day. The angel of death summoned her at 7:30 in the morning shortly after she had received Holy Communion. The chaplain called on her after his breakfast as was his wont, and he found her in her usual good spirits; however, before he reached the rectory, he was recalled to her bedside, only to find that she had surrendered her soul to its Maker. Sister Vera who hurried to her bedside when she heard Sister M. Marcelline's cry of alarm whispered, "My Jesus mercy," into her ear and was rewarded by a last glance as the dear patient repeated, "My Jesus?" Then her voice trailed into the silence of death.
Mother Angeline provided for fitting obsequies at which the Right Reverend Monsignor Joseph J. Seimetz from Decatur, Indiana, delivered an eloquent address. A part of it is quoted here since it epitomized her life as it appeared to others outside the precincts of the convent as well as to her fellow Sisters:
She may be counted among the pioneers of the Community to which she gave sixty-seven years of service as a teacher and a leader. Other leaders may be outstanding figures in the field of Catholic education, but I believe that on the day of final accounting Mother Aloysia will be found among the noblest, the truest, the best...
"It is by humility that we command obedience," says Cardinal Manning. It was this quality of soul that made it possible for her to command others-requesting instead of ordering, thanking even for acts of duty. Silence under provocation, evenness of temper and voice, and an inflexible will in matters of principle: these things led others to render a ready obedience. Associated with this spirit was a tenderness of heart and manner that won forever all who fell under her gentle influence.
There is not much more to say except that she was an ideal Sister of St. Agnes. She was always a "Mary" in the house of God, a "Martha" in her own. Her life had its exacting details, its annoying difficulties, but these never penetrated beyond her calm demeanor or disturbed the deep serenity of her heart.
May her life inspire us to keep ever bright and shining the hallowed traditions of the Sisters of St. Agnes.
Father McCollow, pastor of St. Victor Parish, Monroe, who knew her well, feels that she has great power with God in eternity. He attributes three remarkable answers to prayer to her intercession. During the centennial year, she is certainly smiling down on the Congregation she loved and served.
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