“May God reward you,” is the prayerful refrain you can expect to hear from Sister Julita Jelen whenever she receives a kind gesture or helping hand. You will find her daily with her rosary in her hands. She prays in English, Polish and Latin. On Saturday, April 27, the day Sister Julita will celebrate 103 years on earth, a Mass will be offered for her. Celebrations with sisters, associates and her extended family are planned throughout the week - with an abundance of chocolate at the festivities – one of her favorite things!
Sister Julita is one of three sisters and three brothers of Polish parents, Thomas and Julia Handzel. She was born in 1916 in Chicago and professed her first vows in 1935 at the motherhouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 19. Next year she will mark her 85th year as a vowed member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Sister Julita taught and served as principal in Catholic schools around Chicago and across Wisconsin for nearly 60 years. She received her Bachelor of Education in 1949 from Mount Mary College and her master’s degree at Marquette University in 1960. Upon her retirement, Sister Julita continued to volunteer for an additional ten years following her first decade at St. Columbia School in Chicago. She keeps a notebook on her nightstand containing all of the names of each student she ever taught.
