Sister Bernadine Lepak, formerly of Stevens Point, will be celebrating her 60th jubilee with the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ-TOSF) this year.
Sister Bernadine entered the community on Aug. 31, 1958, from her home parish of St. Stanislaus in Stevens Point. She graduated from Maria High School, Stevens Point, Alverno College in Milwaukee and St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana. She was an elementary school teacher for more than 16 years and served as an activity director for the SSJ-TOSF for many years. She retired to St. Joseph motherhouse in Stevens Point, but recently moved to the sisters’ retirement home, Marymount Place, in Garfield Heights, Ohio.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, founded in 1901 in Stevens Point, Wis., is a Franciscan community of about 220 sisters and associates. The members serve in diverse ministries across the United States, Puerto Rico and Peru.