Saint Louis centenarian, Sister Pancratia, continues to serve...

Sister Pancratia Fik, OSF, plays the organ. She celebrated
her 100th birthday Oct. 7. She also crochets. Her advice
on longevity: “Be happy and keep going.”

from Saint Louis Review about religious serving in the Archdiocese...

Sister Pancratia Fik, who celebrated her 100th birthday last month, is a football fan to this day because of the boys she taught.

"I taught the boys how to cook, and they taught me all about how to play football," she said Nov. 1 after attending Mass at Mother of Perpetual Help Residence in Shrewsbury where she lives.

In 58 years of education, starting at St. Stanislaus School in North St. Louis, she taught all grade levels at schools in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and West Virginia. She was principal of St. Adalbert School in North St. Louis, Holy Martyrs of Japan School near Sullivan and a school in Chicago. In many parishes, she had additional duties as organist.

"I liked to be with the children," Sister Pancratia said, noting that she gets letters from time to time from her former students.

The Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help lined up celebrations for Sister Pancratia, the first centenarian from their congregation, including one attended by about 40 of her relatives traveling from various parts of the country. A native of Chicago Heights, Ill., she was one of 11 children born to Polish immigrants and came to St. Louis at age 14 to become a Franciscan Sister of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She was joined a few years later by a sibling, Sister Xavier Fik, who lives close by in the Emmaus Convent at Mother of Perpetual Help.

Retired for 17 years, Sister Pancratia continues to play the organ for some liturgies at the assisted living center and has played at a nursing home on the Cardinal Ritter Senior Services campus. She enjoys crocheting, cake decorating, sewing, cooking, music and dance, especially the Polka. "Anyone who needs help, we try to help," she said of herself and other retired sisters.

She thanked people who will give to the upcoming Retirement Fund for Religious collection and noted that she prays for vocations and urges parents to be open to their children entering religious life.

The Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was founded in St. Louis in 1901 to teach Polish immigrant children. Today, they serve in 14 states and 22 dioceses through ministries of education, health care, social services and pastoral work. They also seek to follow St. Francis as stewards in the care for the earth.

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