Sr. Jane McConnell OSF Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Sr. Jane McConnell, formerly Sr. Jessica, age 75 of the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, Indiana, died on May 23, 2022 at the convent. Born on April 3, 1947 in Princeton, Indiana, she was the second of five children born to Jessie (Nee: Yeager) and William McConnell Sr. Jane grew up in Princeton where she and her brothers were educated at St. Joseph Church and School. She met the Oldenburg Franciscans at school and quickly was drawn to their open-hearted joyfulness. Sr. Mary Schmidlin was instrumental in forming her interest in religious life. On September 8, 1965, Jane said “yes” to her call and entered the Franciscan Community. In Jane’s “Vocation Story” she noted, “The Franciscans who taught me in grade school had a positive and important influence in my life and development. God used these relationships to make me aware that I was being called to the Franciscan way of life as well. It was their dedicated, joyful, unassuming, humble way of ministering and relating that attracted and influenced my life and journey into religious life as a Franciscan Sister.” After entering the community, she earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Marian College and a Master’s degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University. She did post-graduate work in Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University as well as in Theology/Scripture from Notre Dame through Purdue Extension. Following 16 years of teaching, Jane served as the Director of Novices at Oldenburg for three years, then as Pastoral Associate at both Holy Redeemer and Nativity parishes in Evansville before spending 24 years at St. Mary Health Center in Evansville. Nine years after serving as Chaplain at St. Mary’s, Jane took on the role of Director of Mission Integration. While serving in healthcare, Jane began sending email messages with short reflections on faith and related prayers daily to about 4,000 people employed at the in the St. Mary’s system. With the encouragement of many of those who received her daily messages and benefitted from her efforts, she compiled 365 of her favorite messages and published them in book form as “Daily We Seek You: Reflections and Prayers for Individuals, Caregivers and Ministry Teams.” Writing in support of her publishing Daily We Seek You, Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger noted: “Sister Jane has been there and done that. She suffered intensely. She underwent painful rehabilitation after a most serious car accident. She is a walking miracle. Her reflections and prayers flow from the depths of her heart. She is a most compassionate woman of faith and a dedicated Sister of St. Francis of Oldenburg. She epitomizes the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. She cares for the suffering and disenfranchised.” In more recent months Jane suffered from a debilitating brain tumor, causing her to leave the Evansville area and return to Oldenburg to walk the path to her eternal reward surrounded by her Sisters at the convent. As she walked her final earthly journey, Jane’s faith shown for others as a reminder to always seek God in our lives. Survivors include her father William McConnell Sr. of Princeton, Indiana; brothers and sisters-in-law William and Charlene McConnell. Jr. of Patoka, Indiana; Patrick McConnell and significant other Carolyn Highhouse of Mt. Carmel, Illinois; Michael McConnell of Princeton, Indiana; Joseph and Mary McConnell of Evansville, Indiana; numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. In addition to her mother, she is also preceded in death by her sister-in-law Jan McConnell. A visitation will be held Thursday, May 26th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. local time at St. Joseph Church in Princeton, with a funeral mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. On Friday, May 27th, a visitation will be held from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. at the convent in Oldenburg, followed by services at 3:00 p.m. and burial in the convent cemetery. Rev. Jim Meade will officiate. For those unable to attend, services will be live-streamed at https://youtu.be/L2S1dtokomk. Memorials may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, Indiana, 47036 (www.OldenburgFranciscans.org).

Sr. Jane McConnell OSF

April 3, 1947 - May 23, 2022