Mother Mary Leona Chojnacka

In 1929, Mother Mary Leona Chojnacka, the newly-named third provincial superior of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Province, began exploratory work with engineers and architects on the site of a new provincial house to ensure the hilly terrain in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, could support the large convent as envisioned.

Mother Leona studied contract formation and labor management, construction practices, and material selections. From mechanical infrastructure to interior design, including building an ornate 30-foot-tall altar, she oversaw every detail of the building’s construction. The resulting iconic three-story red-brick building in the shape of a capital “E” was completed in 1932 to great fanfare.

Depression-era construction strained finances, and indebtedness weighed heavily on Mother Leona. Her final days in leadership were fraught with “a bitter struggle for financial survival.” She died at the age of 52, only five years after completing her term as provincial superior.