Sister Louise McKigney, 83, died on November 21, 2020, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn.
Louise McKigney was born on December 19, 1936, in Tracy, Minn. Later the family moved to a farm near Sedan, Minn. Louise was the 14th of 15 children of the late Edward and Mary (Hauger) McKigney. She attended a country school for eight years, then attended St. Francis High School in Little Falls. She graduated in 1955. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on July 31, 1955, and given the name Sister Mary Zita. She returned to her baptismal name in 1967. Sister Louise made her first profession of vows on August 12, 1957, and final vows on August 12, 1962. She was a Franciscan Sister for 65 years.
Sister Louise ministered in food service, serving at St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Little Falls; Community Mercy Hospital, Onamia; and Holy Spirit Convent, St. Cloud.
In 1972, Sister Louise, along with Sisters Loretta Beyer, Maurita Niedzielski and Beverly Weidner, responded to the Franciscan call to step out of the “safe zone” and work among the poor. Sister Beverly had seen an article in Newsweek about Doctor Palmer who was practicing medicine in Holmes County, Miss., one of the poorest counties in the country. In the article, he asked for nurses to join him. Sister Beverly was an RN, working with Native Americans, and she responded to his call as well as Sister Maurita who was an LPN. Sisters Louise and Loretta joined them. Saint Francis’s intolerance of the status quo was an inspiration and guide as they moved to and lived among the poor in Holmes County. As white women living in a county that was 70% black and one of the poorest counties in the country, they challenged the racism of the white elite in Holmes County. They joined a black-led community organizing effort to protest discrimination in hiring and police brutality and were told by the local (white) Catholics to either stop marching or leave the Church. Sister Louise recalled that their response was, “We believe in our Catholic religion, so we continued to march and stayed in the Church.” They not only heard the words of Saint Francis, they lived them.
Sister Louise ministered as a social services advocate representing claimants for disabilities and other programs. In 1982, Sisters Louise and Loretta spent 30 days in jail and received a taste of “justice” usually reserved for black prisoners. It was during this time that the sisters began to accept children whose parents were unable to care for them. Sister Louise played an integral role in providing a nurturing environment for these children. In 1989, the three sisters received the Rural Organizing and Cultural Center annual award for Outstanding Advocacy Work. In 2003, at the Peacemaker’s Banquet at the Franciscan Federation annual meeting in Detroit, Mich., Sisters Louise, Loretta and Beverly received the Franciscan Federation Reconciler Award—a prestigious award given annually to a person or group that exemplifies the spirit of the Federation. She spent 46 years living and serving among the poor.
Sister Louise was preceded in death by her parents and siblings: Vincent (Audrey), Mary (Bill) Baumgartner, Edward, Charles, Helen (Al) Grandy, Rita (Nicholas) Jansen, James, and Joan Peters; sisters-in-law Marci McKigney and Arlene McKigney; brothers-in-law Edward Helm and Lawrence Rasmusson. She is survived by siblings: Theresa Helm, Goodrich, Mich.; Geraldine Rasmusson, Glenwood; Alice (James) Kinney, Sauk Centre; Dorothy (Walbert) Peters, Springdale, Ark.; Robert, Osakis; and Leo, Villard; sister-in-law Barbara, Royal Oak, Mich.; brother-in-law Jerome Peters, Sauk Centre; as well as by many nieces and nephews and her Franciscan Community.
A private burial was held on November 23, 2020. A Memorial Mass was celebrated on September 19, 2021.
