Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska

Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska, a beloved superior of the Immaculate Conception Province, was elected for two terms from 1962 to 1970. Under her leadership, the province experienced a construction boom. 
 
Mother Virginette oversaw the building of a five-story, 200-bed extension to the motherhouse. Named the Mother Angela Wing. The added space provided rooms for sisters during summer months and on retreats. In later years, the it was utilized for care of elderly sisters. 

Another massive restoration and expansion project was St. Mary Hospital in Orange, New Jersey, that was directed by Mother Virginette after she assumed administration of the facility.
 
She also spearheaded the expansion of the Immaculate Conception Junior College, transforming it into the four-year, degree-granting Felician College, and with it she erected a new administration building and library – the beginnings of what is now the Felician University campus. 

Her building plans were not without their challenges. The Saddle River ran through the Felician Sisters New Jersey campus, meandering across acreage and often causing severe flooding.

Fearlessly optimistic, Mother Virginette envisioned diverting the problematic Saddle River to maximize land for the new college. She worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ultimately, a new channel was dug to eliminate the river’s curve. The old river bed was filled in, increasing acreage substantially. 

Mother Virginette was elected Superior General of the Felician Congregations, serving from 1970 to 1976.

Her contributions to the Immaculate Conception Province created a footprint that endured well into the next century.