Mother Mary Tyburcia Szymczak

Born Susanna Szymczak in Erie, Pennsylvania, Mother Mary Tyburcia Szymczak entered the Buffalo province of the Felician Sisters in 1932, then served in the Holy Name of Mary Vice Province in Canada for three decades. She had the distinction of studying at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland  in the late 1930s with Karol Wojtyla, who became St. Pope John Paul II.

After teaching and ministering in social work at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Toronto, Mother Tyburcia served as both treasurer and secretary of Holy Name of Mary Commissariat from 1955 to 1965. Though efficient in fiscal management, she relinquished her commissary positions to become director of the novitiate in 1963. In this role, she assisted 20 sisters in initial formation, guiding the growth of their relationship with God.

In 1966, Mother Tyburcia was appointed vice provincial of Holy Name of Mary Vice Province. 

Demands for teachers in Catholic separate schools (religious schools not run by the Canadian government) increased, and the vice provincial administration prudently staffed seven elementary institutions, but a shortage of personnel forced Mother Tyburcia to decline several urgent pleas.

When each of the provinces in Poland committed to sending a sister to Canada to minister to their displaced compatriots, Mother Tyburcia welcomed them and eased their way. 

The vice province staffed seven Polish language centers and two daycare centers where ethnic customs and traditions embellished early childhood learning.