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Sister Pauline Wittry, FSPA

The following biographical information was provided by Sister Pauline.

Pauline Wittry graduated from St. Bernard High School in Breda, Iowa in May 1943. In August of that year, she entered St. Rose Convent in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. As an aspirant and postulant she attended Viterbo College in LaCrosse. She was received into the novitiate in 1944, make her first vows in 1946 and final vows in 1953. From 1945-1948 she attended college classes in Viterbo College, now Viterbo University. She took music and basic college classes as well as theology and scripture courses. She worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Sparta, Wisconsin, and St. Francis Hospital in LaCrosse, both for about a year. She then attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana and received her degree in Home Economics in 1952. After another year at St. Francis, she made a dietetic internship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1953 she returned to St. Francis and worked there as a dietitian for 17 years. During her last year there, she took some psychology and guidance courses at the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse.

In 1970, she moved to Chicago, worked one year at University of Chicago Hospitals and worked toward a Masters in Counseling from Loyola University. She earned her Masters in 1973. Since Mental Health funding was cut drastically that year, jobs were scarce in that field. She applied for work in Pastoral Care at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. She was the first Catholic sister who served as a chaplain there. During her time there, she completed a Clinical Pastoral Care (CPE) Internship, worked as a chaplain and as a counselor in the Primary Care Unit. In 1976, she was offered chaplaincy position at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. While in Springfield, she had the opportunity to be trained as a Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor. She worked there in that capacity for a year and a half.

The Health Care Coordinator of the Franciscan Sisters asked her to return to St. Francis and LaCrosse in 1980. She served there as a Clinical Pastoral Education supervisor and later as Department Head for 12 years. She trained over 150 priests, ministers, sisters and laypersons as chaplains during that time. During these working years, she studied Religious Education, receiving her MS in that area in 1985. In 1986, she completed a training program in Spiritual Direction from the Franciscan Spirituality Center in LaCrosse. Due to the demands of the dual position of CPE supervisor and department head was well as her desire to do spiritual direction full time, she retired from St. Francis in 1992.

From 1992-1993, she traveled on what she calls her Prayer Pilgrimage. She spent two weeks in South Korea getting acquainted with the culture and visiting former CPE students. Then she gave a two-day workshop for the Korean Counseling Association to about 80 people. This workshop was titled "Simple Counseling Skills and Emotions." She flew to Nepal and spent 10 days at two Jesuit ashrams, one in Katmandu and another in the country. She only saw the Himalayas when she flew out due to the extended rainy season that year. She then spent about four months in India visiting friends, including a former chaplain and Cardinal Padiyara. She visited ashrams in the Indian Himalayas, Pune, and Saccindinanda, which is Father Bede Griffith's ashram. After a week in New Delhi with the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, tours of the city and a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, Pauline went to Assisi, Italy.

In Italy, she devoted her time to study of Clare. She also visited LaVerna, where Francis received the Stigmata, and Rome, where the story of Francis continued.

After Rome, Pauline went to Germany where she spent time in Haus Benedict in Wurzburg and to Sittzen Haus in the Black Forest where she make two retreats with Father Willigus Jaeger, OSB. She completed the sabbatical by spending three months at Bishop De Falco Retreat Center in Texas.

In September 1993, she began work as a spiritual director and retreat director at Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center where she continues to work part time.

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