Sister Patricia Ann Preston, SSND

(formerly Sister Mary Charles Ann)

First Profession July 23 1958

Motherhouse

Mequon, Wisconsin

Patricia Ann Preston was born in Milwaukee on March 11, 1933, second of the four children of Charles and Dorothy Preston. After first grade at St. Matthew's, she began second grade at Christ King School, when the family moved to Wauwatosa. It was here that she met the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Because of congenital nystagmus she experienced constant headaches. Her fifth grade teacher suggested that she look upon these as Jesus' "gift of His crown of thorns." "I never lost sight of that privilege," she said, "even through the years I suffered most from them."

Pat's academic gifts carried her through grade school, Wauwatosa High School, and—with a scholarship—to Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania. In college she majored in Spanish and graduated magna cum laude.

She returned to Milwaukee to teach third grade at Christ King with her "heart set on serving God alone." After much deliberation on the best way to do that, Pat entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame and was professed as Sister Charles Ann in 1958.

After one year of teaching at the Academy of Our Lady in Chicago, she received a grant to study Spanish at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. There she earned her Master's Degree and Doctorate in Spanish and Comparative Romance Linguistics. In the 43 years at Mount Mary College that followed, she served as Professor of Spanish, Academic Dean, Advisor to International Students, and Director of the Center for Assessment.

Sister Patricia Ann combined her academic career with numerous significant social projects in the Milwaukee community. In 1965, in conjunction with the Council for the Spanish Speaking, she began the first bilingual Head Start Program in the United States.

She founded and directed Guadalupe Center to serve children, youth, and their parents and played a role in founding Casa Maria, Milwaukee Spectrum Alternative High School, Milwaukee Achiever Program, and Notre Dame Middle School for Hispanic Girls.

In 1999 the Council for the Spanish Speaking presented her with a Community Leadership Award acknowledging her as "scholar, social activist, educator, and spiritual guide to hundreds of students and parents in the Milwaukee area."

We remember Sister Patricia in her own words, "Say that I did everything for God – and that God did it all."

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Sister Patricia Ann's ministry locations were:

•Academy of Our Lady, Chicago, IL – 1959-1960 (High School Spanish Teacher)

•Catholic University, Washington, D.C. – 1960-1964 (Graduate Studies)

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 1964-1971 (Professor of Spanish)

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 1971-1976 (Academic Dean)

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 1977-1992 (Professor of Spanish and Academic Dean)

•Sabbatical – 1992-1993

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 1993-1998 (Professor of Spanish)

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 1998-2005 (Professor of Spanish and Director of the Center for Assessment)

•Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI – 05/30/2005 (Retired)

•Notre Dame of Elm Grove, Elm Grove, WI – 11/14/2007 to present (Retired)

(School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province)

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!