M. Madeleva Kraus

KRAUS
Sister M. Madeleva, OSF 1933-2016
Sister M. Madeleva Kraus died at Flower Hospital in Sylvania on Tuesday, September 27, 2016. The daughter of the late Frederick and Lavina Kraus came to Sylvania, Ohio from Columbia Heights, Minnesota in 1947 to become a Sister of St. Francis. She made her First Profession of Vows in 1951 and her Final Vows in 1954. She was well prepared for her 65 years of ministry with B.A. and B.S.E. degrees from Mary Manse College in Toledo, Ohio and a M.A. degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sister taught for 22 years in elementary schools in Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota. She was a school principal in schools in Ohio and Maryland. She spent ten years as the Director of the RCIA Program at St. Wendelin's in Fostoria, Ohio before being called to Congregational Leadership. After serving the Sisters for eight years, Sister Madeleva changed ministries and served as the Director of Mission Integration at Madonna Manor, a retirement community in Villa Hills, Kentucky. After five years at Madonna Manor, Sister retired to the Motherhouse in Sylvania where she continued to be active until her health began to change and she entered the Third Age Ministry of prayer.
Sister Madeleva will be
remembered for her warm smile, the sparkle in her eyes, her generous and loving compassion. Those who knew her best shared many humorous moments with her and she was known for her love of beauty and the arts as could be seen in her creative seasonal decorations. She had a favorite passage from Micah in the scriptures, “Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.” She did just that in her life and ministry.
Sister Madeleva will be dearly missed by her Sisters in community, her sister, Muriel Marchiniak; brothers, Donald and Gerald Kraus; as well as her nieces and nephews and many dear friends from places she once served in ministry.
There will be a Welcoming for Sister Madeleva in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. Visitation will continue on Thursday, October 6, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. until the funeral Mass at 4:30 p.m. Interment will be in Porta Coeli Cemetery on the campus of the Sisters. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, Ohio.
Arrangements by Thomas I. Wisniewski Funeral Home, Toledo, Ohio.
As published in The Blade