June 1, 2017 Sister Leonora Irene Kondrach, OSBM of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Province, Uniontown, PA, USA was called home to the Lord in the 89th year of her life, having lived 71 years in the monastery.
As peacefully and quietly as she lived, so was Sister Leonora’s departure from this life into the embrace of the Lord in the evening of the first of June. Her gentle spirit, her quiet ways and her sweet smile are how one will always remember her.
The daughter of the late Michael and Margaret (Havrilla) Kondrach, Sister Leonora (Irene) was born in Hazleton, Pa. She entered the Sisters of St. Basil the Great from St. Mary’s Church in Freeland, Pa., on July 4, 1946, and made her Final Profession of Vows on August 28, 1953.
Sister Leonora dedicated over fifty years of her religious life to the ministry of teaching on the primary level, and her love of teaching is one of the ways she wanted to be remembered. In addition to being a teacher, Sister also served as principal. This much-loved ministry was interrupted by a span of five years, when Sister Leonora went on to serve in parish ministry. Teaching, however, was still in her heart, and she readily went on to serve as a teacher’s aide at St. Mary’s in Cleveland.
One would think that after a half-century, Sister would be ready to sit back and relax, but this was not so. On returning to the Monastery in Uniontown, Sister Leonora volunteered to help Sister Petronilla in pastoral ministry at the Manor. Here, her cheerful countenance, her pleasing personality, and her encouraging words were welcomed by the many residents she visited or with whom she prayed. Even when she herself became a resident, she continued to visit and spread cheer until serious illness prevented her from doing so. Another way for which she wanted to be remembered was a spirit of trust and compassion, and this Sister surely expressed not only at the Manor but during her many years as a teacher.
Sister Leonora also had a love for music, and one of her favorite ways of relaxing was to play the piano. On any given day, she could be found or heard indulging in this recreation. In her later years, she also took up learning to play the violin, and her teacher in the Hazleton area has fond memories of the enjoyment both Sister Leonora and Sister Leona took in this activity.
Sister Leonora was preceded in death by her parents and her brother John. In addition to her members in community, she is survived by her sister Dolores (John) Kanuck, her sister-in-law Susan Kondrach, a nephew and several nieces.
Relatives and friends will be received at the Monastery Chapel on Monday, June 5 from 3:30 pm to the time of the Parastas Service which will be sung at 7:00 pm. The Funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 6 at 10:30 am in the Monastery Chapel by Very Reverend Andrew J. Deskevich.
Interment will follow in the Dormition Section of Mount Macrina Cemetery.
“God grant her Eternal Memory!”
Font: sistersofstbasil.org