In Memory of Sister Concepta Joseph Milinski

October 17, 1919 – January 18, 2015

Sister Mary Concepta Joseph Milinski, PBVM, 95, died on Sunday, January 18, 2015, at Mount Loretto Motherhouse, 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque IA.

Sister Mary Concepta Joseph, daughter of Michael and Pauline (Urbaniuk) Milinski, was born Sophie Margaret on October 17, 1919, into a Polish family of her parents, 2 sisters and 1 brother. By the age of 9, both of her parents had died and the siblings were separated into foster homes. They were reunited at Mount St. Michael’s Home on Staten Island, NY, which was sponsored by Presentation Sisters. Sister entered a small community of the Sisters of the Presentation in College Point, NY in 1946, and professed her perpetual vows on February 22, 1952. In 1962, as part of a small group from this community, she became a member of the Sisters of the Presentation in Dubuque, IA.

She attended Clarke University in Dubuque, IA, and Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, IA, where she received a BS. Her Presentation journey, spanning 68 years, took her to Oregon and Chicago, IL; Algona, Dubuque Resurrection (1975), Osage, Sheldon, Humboldt, Storm Lake and Waukon, all in Iowa; Monticello, MN; and Timber Lake, SD. In ministry, she served in elementary education and as director of CCD Programs.

After her retirement to Mount Loretto in 1990, she joined the Foster Grandparents Program, was a volunteer in the Child Development Center at Hills & Dales, and with her strong commitment to the elderly, she visited residents weekly at Dubuque Nursing & Rehab for many years.

Sister Concepta Joseph (“Sophie” to her family and friends) celebrated her 60th Jubilee in 2007 and has been guided by the quote, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”

Surviving is her sister-in-law, Helen Milinski, her brother-in-law Anthony Barone, and the Sisters of the Presentation with whom she shared her life for 68 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Bernard, and her sisters Stella (Casimir) Galuszka and Lottie Barone

Memorials may be made to the Sisters of the Presentation, 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque, IA 52001 or online at www.dbqpbvms.org.