Sister Marilyn Joseph Czarnecki

September 9, 1935-October 23, 2022

This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad.

ASister of Charity for 69 years, S. Marilyn Joseph Czarnecki grew up in Jackson, Michigan, attending St. Mary Grade School and graduating from St. Mary High School. She entered the Sisters of Charity in September 1953 after working in a business setting for several years. She said she felt called to religious life for its challenge, friendship and love.

S. Marilyn Joseph’s ministries spanned more than 46 years in education. She gave nine years to early learning, 21 as an elementary administrator and 16 as a primary classroom teacher. She began her years of ministry at the Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1956 as a primary teacher and continued at schools in Michigan, Maryland and Ohio until 1972.

The year brought a change in S. Marilyn Joseph’s ministry, moving to the College of Mount St. Joseph and beginning an Early Childhood Learning Center, serving as the director. She remained there for nine years as a professor of education and directing the lab school where college students could gain valuable teaching experience without having to travel great distances; they served students from preschool through eighth grade, housed in Seton Hall on the Motherhouse campus.

S. Mary Fran Davisson ministered with S. Marilyn Joseph at both St. Saviour School in Rossmoyne and then at the Mount Campus School. She recalls, “I found S. Marilyn Joseph to be a gentle woman, who would encourage you, challenge you, and bring the best out of the little ones. She built a safe, comfortable environment in which to learn.”

In 1981 S. Marilyn Joseph accepted a position as school principal at Queen of the Miraculous Medal, Jackson, Michigan. It was like coming home again. She remained there until 1986 when she answered a call to come to St. Joseph School, Howell, Michigan, as principal; she served there until 2004 when she offered her services as a substitute teacher to the Catholic schools in the area, a role she loved.

As an administrator S. Marilyn Joseph offered her creative talents, but was quick to credit her support staff for the school’s accomplishments. She stressed the importance of the arts in education. She put an emphasis on the need for a growing awareness of concern for others and the religious impact children can have on other persons.

For her retirement years, S. Marilyn Joseph continued to serve as a substitute teacher when called upon by the area Catholic schools, and she appreciated the opportunities to enjoy enrichment programs and lectures offered to adult learners through the University of Notre Dame. She also responded to a request to write curriculum for a hospital school in the Detroit area; her gifts continued to be given for the good of others.