Three local Catholic sisters recently celebrated 60 years of dedicated faith.

Sister Marcia Kruse, Sister Elaine Freund and Sister Carolyn Schilling were all recognized for their milestone achievement with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville on Sept. 15. 

All three sisters made their first professions July 1, 1964 and final vows on June 29, 1969. 

A native of Columbia, Sister Marcia was one of three children born to Arthur and Thekla Kruse. Before joining the Adorers, she received her BA in Latin from Saint Louis University in 1962. Her MA in Spanish in 1971, MA in Religious Studies in 1988, and Certificate from the Institute of Religious Formation in 1987 were all earned at SLU.

Sister Marcia’s teaching ministry began at Precious Blood Institute in Ruma, where she taught Latin and Spanish. She continued teaching high school at Mater Dei in Breese, St. Edmond in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo. She taught in the fields of Religion, Latin, and Spanish. 

Sister Marcia spent 18 years as a missionary, five in Puerto Rico and 13 in Bolivia. Her time in Bolivia included being a member of the ASC formation team for Bolivian women who wished to join the community; she was also director of the Intercommunity Formation Program of La Paz.

Sister Marcia’s missionary spirit shaped her teaching before and after serving in Latin America. Following her return from Bolivia, she taught at Gibault, where she moderated the International Club, a group designed to expand the cultural horizons of her students. She retired from teaching in June 2013 and continues to reside in Waterloo. 

Since retiring, she has done tutoring, substitute teaching, translating, and writing. She is a member of the Monroe County Retired Teachers Association and the Mary & Martha Society at Ss. Peter & Paul Church in Waterloo. She is a member of the music ministry for liturgies at Immaculate Conception Church in Columbia. 

Sister Marcia resides in the Waterloo Neighborhood Community, where she continues to write and publish poetry in the Republic-Times newspaper. She is also writing a memoir based on missionary experiences and her life as a religious for 60 years.

Sister Elaine, one of seven children, was born to Joseph Sr. and Vivian Freund, and grew up in Waterloo. She received her BA in English from SLU in 1967 and her Master of Arts in Humanities, specializing in film and theatre, from the State University of New York, Buffalo, in 1980. She has directed dinner theatres, children’s plays and musicals.

Sister Elaine’s teaching ministry spanned 41 years, including 32 years at Gibault. She also taught on the elementary level at St. Clare in O’Fallon, and Ss. Peter & Paul in Waterloo. On the secondary level, she taught at St. Pius X High School in Festus, Mo., and St. Edmond in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Her fields were Film Study, Literature, Writing, and Religion. At Gibault, she served on numerous committees, councils and advisory boards. She continued coaching Scholastic Bowl at Gibault for another 10 years after her retirement.

Besides teaching, another ministry was serving as secretary to the provincial of the order for five years.

Sister Elaine retired from full-time teaching in 2013. She is currently a member of the Monroe County Retired Teachers Association and the Ss. Peter & Paul Mary & Martha Society in Waterloo. 

She is a part-time associate of the communications team of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at its regional offices in St. Louis, where her main projects consist of writing and editing. She is also a volunteer caregiver for a homebound woman in Waterloo. She continues to live in Waterloo as part of the neighborhood community. 

Sister Carolyn is one of four children born to Vincent and Viola Schilling in Mt. Vernon. She received her bachelor’s degree in American Studies from SLU in 1967 and her master’s in Religious Studies from Barry University in Miami, Fla., in 1976. She also earned a Certificate in Corporate Ministry from SLU in 1987.

Sister Carolyn’s ministry began in Illinois in the Diocese of Belleville, where she taught for nine years in parochial schools, including Ss. Peter & Paul in Waterloo, St. Adalbert and St. Regis in East St. Louis, Immaculate Conception in Centreville, and St. Bruno in Pinckneyville. She served as a Director of Religious Education for 10 years, including parishes in Pinckneyville, Dahlgren, Carmi, Benton, all in Illinois, and also in Daingerfield in Texas, in the Diocese of Dallas. For six years, she held the position of Pastoral Associate at Sacred Heart Parish in DuQuoin, 

Following her position as Director of Community Life and Assistant to the Pastoral Care Director for the local ASC community in Ruma for four years, Sister Carolyn moved into health ministry. She worked for four years with Human Support Services in Waterloo, then with clients over the age of 65 as a home care worker for Community Care Systems in both Waterloo and Columbia. Her interest in hospice care drew her to a part-time volunteer position in this field.

Sister Carolyn currently resides at Benedictine Living Community, where she is Living Mission in Later Life.