Sister Francella Gust, age 90, died on February 2, 2023, at Villa Saint Vincent, Crookston, MN.
Sister Francella was born at home on October 10, 1932, in Tabor, MN, the tenth of eleven children of John Jacob Gust and Frances Ann (Kotrba) Gust. At baptism, she was given the name Frances.
The Gust family were members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Tabor. Sister Francella became acquainted with the Benedictine sisters when they came to her parish to teach summer religious education classes.
Frances attended District 64 country grade school. No matter the season, she and her siblings often walked the two-and-a-half miles to school. For high school, Frances attended Mount Saint Benedict Academy in Crookston.
During her senior year, she entered Mount Saint Benedict Monastery. She received the Benedictine habit and the name of Sister Francella on July 10, 1950, pronounced temporary vows on July 11, 1951, and made her final monastic profession on July 11, 1954.
Sister Francella graduated from the Saint Cloud School of Nursing in 1959. Over a period of thirty-one years, she successfully served as a staff nurse or as a nursing supervisor at Saint Francis Hospital in Crookston, Saint Mary’s Hospital in Detroit Lakes, and Villa Saint Vincent. She then pursued training in clinical pastoral education from Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND, and served in pastoral care at Villa Saint Vincent in Crookston for thirty-three years until her retirement in 2016.
Sister Francella said she found the celebration of feasts and the companionship of the sisters to be particularly life-giving. She lent her good soprano voice and full heart to liturgical prayer. She enjoyed small group living where, she said, she found the freedom to express and to receive love and concern.
In her retirement, Sister Fran liked watching good movies and plying various crafts, especially crocheting, decoupaging, and embroidering. Her embroidered dishtowels sold as fast as drops of water sizzle on a hot stove.
Sister Francella is preceded in death by her parents, John Jacob Gust and Frances Ann (Kotrba) Gust, her brothers Frank, Rudolph, Paul, Louis, Anthony, Eugene, Richard, Gerard, and her sister, Alice (Gust) Canterbury.
Surviving her are her brother Edward, many nieces and nephews and the Sisters of Saint Benedict of Crookston.
A prayer service celebrating Sister Francella’s life will be held on Wednesday, February 8, at 11:00 a.m., and the Mass of Christian Burial at 2:00 p.m. Both services will be held at the Sacred Heart Chapel of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery.
The Mass will be live-recorded for later viewing on www.stenshoelhouske.com.
Gifts in honor of Sister Francella Gust may be given to Mount Saint Benedict Foundation, 620 Summit Ave., Crookston, MN 56716.
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