Mary Frances Fiasconaro

Sr. Mary Frances was born January 3, 1920. She grew up in New Orleans, LA. Frances received her BA from DePaul University in Chicago, IL and her M.Ed from Loyola University, also in Chicago, IL.

Mary Frances ministered as a teacher in elementary and high school. She was principal of several parish elementary schools. In 1969 Mary Frances volunteered in the Social Apostolate in the Summer Witness Program. The experience of working with the needy in New Orleans led her to return to the Social Apostolate in 1973 to direct the preschool/kindergarten program. She directed and developed that program until 1979 when she was named Administrative Assistant. Mary Frances continued to coordinate early childhood programs and evaluated and developed program services of the neighborhood centers.

Mary Frances resided at Metairie Manor, in Louisiana. Here she exercised her skills as an educator and was instrumental in establishing numbers of day care and early childhood education centers. Even before the SLW formalized the mission to reflect the Word who frees the oppressed, Mary Frances was determined to give her life in behalf of the poor following her term as principal at St. Anthony. Her ministry in the social apostolate left its mark on the lives of countless children, parents, and co-workers.

A week before Mary Frances' death, on February 28, 1998, she was taken to the hospital for congestive heart failure. She is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in New Orleans, LA.

Sr. Frances ministered at the following locations:

Holy Trinity, New Ulm, MN

Guardian Angels, Chaska, MN

St. Raphael, New Orleans, LA

St. Francis Assisi, New Orleans, LA

St. Anthony, Gretna, LA

Josephinum High School, Chicago, IL

St. Mary Magdalen, Metairie, LA

Immaculate Heart of Mary, New Orleans, LA

Archdiocese of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA