Sister Mary Marcella Anne Wendzikowski, CSSF (1943-2017)

Tue, Apr 18th 2017 03:40 pm

Sister Mary Marcella Anne Wendzikowski, CSSF, died on Good Friday, April 14, 2017, in the Blessed Mary Angela Care Center of the Felician Sisters in Buffalo. She was 74.

The former Marcella Anne Wendzikowski was born Feb. 11, 1943, in Buffalo, to Mecislaus and Martha (Monczynski) Wendzikowski. She joined the Felician Sisters' Immaculate Heart of Mary Province in Buffalo in 1960 and professed perpetual vows in 1968.

Sister Marcella Anne received an associate's degree in education from Villa Maria College in Buffalo, a bachelor's degree in English from D'Youville College, also in Buffalo, and a master's degree in communication arts from the University of Notre Dame du Lac in Indiana.

Early in her ministry, Sister Marcella Anne taught at Notre Dame High School in Batavia, Bishop Colton High School and Villa Maria Academy in Buffalo, and Cardinal O'Hara High School in Tonawanda. She also served as assistant principal at Cardinal O'Hara for several years. Outside of the Diocese of Buffalo, Sister Marcella Anne taught at Sacred Heart High School in Syracuse.

In 1983, Sister Marcella Anne became a faculty member at the Permanent Deacon Formation at St. Ignatius Renewal Center in Clarence, where she helped deacons prepare for their ministry and improve their language skills. She remained part of the permanent diaconate program for 30 years.

For nearly 30 years, Sister Marcella Anne served at Villa Maria College. She taught English and Spanish, was director of public relations and grants, and served as a liberal arts program coordinator for 13 years.

She was also active in her congregation, having served as a collaborative member at provincial chapters and was an elected delegate to a general chapter within the order. Late in her life, she served in retreat work for the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate in Buffalo until her health no longer permitted.

She is survived by a brother, Msgr. Mecislaus Wendzikowski, and a sister, Theresa Wendzikowski.

A funeral Mass was held in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent chapel in Buffalo, after which she was buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Cheektowaga.