Sister Phyllis Wirtz 

Phyllis was born at home, the oldest of four children, to Ambrose and Lorraine Wirtz in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Three years later, they moved to the rural village of St. Peter, Wisconsin, in the heart of the “Holy Land,” so called by the locals because the villages all have names like St. Joe, St. Peter, Johnsburg, St. Ann, and Mt. Calvary.

These communities, founded by German immigrants, are predominately Catholic and conservative. For Phyllis, the Catholic description certainly took hold, but the conservative part didn’t seem to make the cut!

Phyllis attended the parish grade school, staffed by the School Sisters of St. Francis. As a youngster, she wanted to excel in everything she did: academics, sports, or her favorite hobbies. That hasn’t changed over the years. She still loves sports, especially watching the Brewers and Packers.

Two other qualities were evident at an early age. She was very religious, and she liked to help others learn. Once, as a second grader, she helped other students with their work, under the supervision of Sister Gregorio, her teacher.

Moving on to high school, Phyllis started at St. Mary’s Springs Academy in Fond du Lac. It seems that her freshman year with the Agnesian Sisters was not enough time for them to change her long-standing desire to become a School Sister of St. Francis. Her parents prized her religious vocation. In their bedroom hung a framed poem titled, “I’m Proud to be the Daddy of a Nun.” At her reception, she received the name of Sister Ambrosita, named after her father.

The changes in religious life in the early seventies caused many sisters to leave community. For Sister Phyllis, though, they were life-giving and fit with who she was and what she was about.

Professionally, Sister Phyllis spent her first 17 years teaching 40-plus first- and second-grade students in city, rural, and suburban schools, all in Wisconsin. According to Sister Phyllis, she was not a strong disciplinarian! Her responsibilities were beyond the school day classroom. Sister Phyllis taught CCD classes in most elementary grades, and she was part of a team that planned and ran a family program once a month in a parish setting, and planned and implemented a Sunday morning preschool. When some need was obvious, who better than Sister Phyllis to not only be the go-to person, but to also be the get-it-done problem solver?

Educationally, Sister Phyllis has a bachelor’s degree in education from Alverno College, a master’s degree in administration from Clarke College in Dubuque, and a master’s degree in community leadership from Regis College in Denver. As she was finishing her master’s degree, she became assistant director of education at St. Mary School in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, and then principal there two years later.

After seven years, she felt a need to look for a less stressful school and one that was closer to her aging parents. Holy Trinity in Kewaskum hit a home run in hiring her. Having just one job at a time never seemed like enough for Sister Phyllis, so while serving as principal, she also volunteered to be the coordinator of the U.S. Province Associate Relationship.

In 1991, she stepped away from the Associate Relationship position to become activity director and later the facility director at St. Joseph Convent in Campbellsport. In 2003, she began working for the U.S. Province as coordinator for campus mission and values integration, and member services.

Sister Phyllis said that several great blessings have been personally life-changing for her. At Regis College, she was the only School Sister of St. Francis on campus in a social group that had no preconceived expectations, so she learned many new things about herself. She was able to experience a sabbatical in Rome, with a week spent in Assisi in a program called “Franciscan Challenge.” She developed a deep love of St. Francis while participating in this program with 22 men and women from different countries and religious communities. She also enjoyed taking part in a watercolor painting-focused vacation/retreat at Marywood Retreat Center for a number of years. “I am truly enriched, and enter a different mindset, when I am involved in watercolor,” she said.

Sister Phyllis is grateful to the School Sisters of St. Francis for these 70 years of spiritual life and community living.

The School Sisters of St. Francis congratulate Sister Phyllis on her 70 years within our community, and thank her for her continued Franciscan Spirit.