Jubilarian 2022 - Sister Winifred Adelsberger

Sister Winifred Adelesberger, baptized Mary Winifred, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1941 and was received into the novitiate in 1942 as Sister Mary Leander. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Fontbonne College in St. Louis in 1955 and a master’s degree in Latin from St. Louis University in 1964.

Sister Winifred devoted more than 60 years of ministry to education, teaching in the 1940s at Most Holy Rosary Grade School and St. Louis Cathedral Grade School in St. Louis. She continued teaching into the early 1950s in Missouri at St. Patrick’s in Rolla and St. Edward’s in St. Louis, before moving to Muskogee, Oklahoma, to teach at Sacred Heart.

In 1956, Sister Winifred started teaching high school, first at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florissant, Missouri. In 1957, Sister Winifred, along with four other sisters, moved to Chicago, Illinois, to open Little Flower, a new coed high school where she taught until 1963. The following year she taught at Redemptorist in Kansas City, Missouri.

Returning to St. Louis in 1964, Sister Winifred taught at St. Anthony High School. She served as a teacher and assistant administrator at St. Joseph Academy in St. Louis from 1966 until 1971. She then returned to St. Thomas Aquinas High School for 12 years, serving as an administrator and principal.

From 1983 to 1986, Sister Winifred worked for the Catholic Education Office in the Archdiocese of St. Louis as the coordinator of school data service.

Serving her Sisters of St. Joseph community, she worked at the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Congregational Center as an administrative assistant through 2002.

Sister Winifred was active for the next 17 years in volunteer ministry at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis. Moving to Nazareth Living Center in 2019, she continues to carry on her volunteer ministry with St. Joseph’s Academy.

She is an avid sports fan and enjoys reading mystery stories.

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