Date of death: 1/11/2017
Saint Meinrad Class: SS 1981
Sister Patricia Hejna, (formerly Sister M. Leo), died on January 11, 2017, at Rosary Care Center in Sylvania, Ohio, after a brave battle with cancer. Sister Patricia, the daughter of Leon and Clara Hejna, came to the convent from St. Anthony Parish, Toledo, Ohio, on January 19, 1960. She made her first profession of religious vows in 1962 and her final vows in 1967.In Sister Patricia’s 55 years of religious life, she served her Sisters and the people of God in a variety of ministries. She was well prepared for her ministries with an A.A. degree from Lourdes Junior College in Sylvania; a B.A. degree from Mary Manse College, formerly in Toledo, Ohio; and a M.R.E. from St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana. For almost 35 years, Sister Pat taught in Catholic elementary schools in Ohio, and Minnesota; she was principal at a school in Port Clinton, Ohio, and in Palms, Michigan; she worked as a caregiver in Los Ninos, a foster home in Los Lunas, New Mexico where she cared for Native American children. Before her illness, Sister Pat worked with the elders as a Wellness Coordinator and Activities Assistant at St. Leonard Living Community in Dayton, Ohio.To those who knew Sister Pat best, especially her classmates and friends, she will be remembered as a very private person who went about her work and life quietly but deliberately with an ability to accept others wherever they were in their life’s journey. Her six month battle with cancer was an example to those who visited her and cared for her. Though in great pain, she never complained and was more concerned about the needs of others than she was for herself. She truly lived out her favorite verse from Romans 12:12, Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. Sister Pat will be dearly missed by her Sisters in community, her classmates in religion and her friends and family.