Sister Loretta Beyer died unexpectedly on September 30, 2019, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn.
Loretta Pauline was born on November 27, 1936, in Brushvale, Minn. She was the second of 12 children born to the late Alphonse and Mary Gertrude (Miranowski) Beyer who farmed near Dent. She attended grade school in Campbell and graduated from St. Francis High School in Little Falls. Her aunt, Sister Mary David Miranowski, was a member of the Franciscan Sisters. Loretta was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on July 31, 1955, and given the name Sister Mary Loyola. She made her first profession of vows on August 12, 1957, and final vows on August 12, 1960. She was a Franciscan Sister for 64 years.
Sister Loretta ministered as a houseparent at St. Cloud Children’s Home, in food service at the convent, and was a nurse aide at Community Mercy Hospital and Bethany Home in Onamia.
In 1972 Sister Loretta, along with Sisters Louise McKigney and Beverly Weidner, heard the Franciscan call to step out of the “safe zone” and work among the poor. Saint Francis’ intolerance of the status quo was an inspiration and guide as they challenged the racism in Holmes County, Miss., a county that is 70 percent black and one of the poorest in the United States. They joined a black-led community organizing effort to protest discrimination in hiring and police brutality. In 1982, she and Sister Louise McKigney spent 30 days in jail and received a taste of “justice” usually reserved for black prisoners. She not only heard the words of Saint Francis, she lived them. She ministered as an organizer and advocate representing claimants for disabilities and other programs.
The three sisters received the Rural Organizing and Cultural Center for Outstanding Advocacy/Community Worker Reward in 1988 and the Unsung Heroes, Mississippi, Award in 1989. In 2003 they received the Franciscan Federation Reconciler Award at the Peacemaker Banquet of the Franciscan Federation Conference in Detroit, Mich.
Another of Sister Loretta’s many contributions to the people of Mississippi was her work to convert weedy vacant lots into gardens. With the help of children, elderly neighbors, farmers, local officials and other community members, they supplied vegetables to needy families. In addition, Sister Loretta played a very significant role in the care of the children entrusted to the sisters.
Sister Loretta was preceded in death by her parents, sister Joan, and brother-in-law Gary Mittendorf. Survivors include siblings: Mary (Neil) VanWechel and Dorothy Mittendorf, Phoenix, Ariz.; Dennis (Beth), Breckenridge; Gladys (Allen) Amundsen and David (Janet), Wahpeton, N. Dak.; Kenneth (Barbara), Shoreview; Evelyn (Anthony) Stangler, Albany; Eugene (Phyllis), Audubon; Florence (Alois) Lucken, St. Cloud; Therese (Gerald) Watkins, Livingston, Mont., many nieces and nephews and her Franciscan Community.
A wake was held for Sister Loretta on October 7, 2019. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on October 8, 2019, at St. Francis Convent.
