Sister Margaretta (Maria Kisielewicz), of the (Ukrainian) Sisters of St. Joseph, went to meet our Heavenly Father on June 21, 2026 in Krakow, Poland at the age of 90.

Born August 3, 1935 to parents Jan and Michalina (Kleszczyńska) Kisielewicz in Swirz, a village in Ukraine.  Maria was a sickly baby, and was quickly consecrated by her mother to the Blessed Virgin Mary in front of her holy icon.  Maria's early childhood was marked with stories of war, and she recounted often the day she stood knee-deep in water under a bridge and prayed for relief from the bombing.   Ater the death of her father, her mother fled with her to western Poland and eventually remarried, settling in Jaszkowa Górna.  She attended the village school and tended to her new little siblings, Józef and Chrystyna, but in her teens was drawn more and more to a community of Sisters of St. Joseph up the hill and across from the church.  These Sisters, too, were from Ukraine.  Due to Akcja Wisła, they had been packed into train boxcars a few years earlier, along with their cows, chickens and few possessions, and dumped here in this territory so new to them.  Maria was Latin Rite, and these Sisters were Eastern rite, but to her it didn't matter -- their life of prayer and hard work and love of God was to her a magnet impossible to disregard.  On May 26, 1958 she was accepted into the community, and worked hard on their Jaszkowa farm and later in Wroclaw and other nearby towns. In time, she was granted transfer into the Eastern rite.

In 1967, Canada's centennial year, Sister Margaretta was missioned to Saskatoon, Canada to join the two "pioneer" sisters who had been sent to Canada in 1961 to work in the Saskatoon eparchy. Here, the sisters, at the behest of Bishop Andrew Roborecky, had campaigned from door to door to raise funds for what would soon be the new St. Joseph's Home for the Aged and Infirm, on Eby Ave.  Sister Margaretta here found her niche:  she was supervisor supreme of everything except nursing care of the elderly.  After she made her final vows in 1970, she was in charge of the kitchen, the garden, the sewing room and especially of maintenance of the 85-bed nursing home.  Her sharp eye missed not a trick, and woe to the workmen on any project who did not put their full effort into their work, or keep a safe, clean environment.  Her flower arrangements in the chapel, of flowers all cultivated in the sisters' garden; her soups and honeycakes, her perfect stitching on the sisters' habits and veils, and her constant attention to future projects... all were indicative of how seriously she took her mandate of doing things perfectly for Our Lord Jesus Christ.  She learned English quickly, learned to drive even sooner, and became the "procurator" for the Sisters.  Her singing voice was exceptional:  her soprano was a treasure to the community, and she was one of a lovely trio of sisters (Sr. Simona, Sr. Augustyna and herself) that was much called upon in the early days to sing at religious functions.

When Sisters were invited by Rev. Mitrat Roman Dobriansky to open a new home in Winnipeg, Manitoba to work at Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic parish on Boyd Ave., Sr. Margaretta, ever the adventurous missionary, obtained permission to join them.  The parish welcomed the sisters most graciously, and Sr. Margaretta soon became a visitor of the parish sick, a key member of the parish choir and an associate of the ladies' league (UCWLC).  While the other sisters taught catechism in the parish or taught at local Catholic schools, Sister Margaretta was again the domestic who kept the home front safe and tended to.  The Sisters worked at the nursery school as well -- Blessed Virgin Mary Sadochok -- and, with the blessing of foundress and teacher pani Luba Huk and BVM parish committee members, became the primary operators of the sadochok.  Sister Margaretta, though not actively involved in teaching the children, loved interacting with them and prepared their noon meals with great love and care.

New vocations in Winnipeg were not forthcoming, and the convent was closed in 2007, with the sisters returning to their home countries.  Sr. Margaretta, too, returned to Poland June 21, 2014, after first spending some retirement time in prayer in Mississauga, then in Edmonton.  She took up residence in the sisters' convent in Krakow, where she lived until her death.  Her last decade of life saw her bed-bound, but she offered up this cross for the salvation of souls.  Heart-felt gratitude is given to Sr. Lubomyra Chaban, SSJ who was her nurse and spiritual mentor for the entire time.

Sr. Margaretta leaves to mourn her brother Józef Siudak (Zofia) with their seven children, and her sister Krysia (Staszek) Pilipaka and their three children, all for whom she prayed constantly.  Left to mourn and to pray for her as well are all the sisters of her religious community, and the friends she made along her life travels.

Funeral Divine Liturgy was held in Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Parish in the "old town" section of Krakow, Poland on June 23, 2026, with interment at nearby Borek Falęcki cemetery.

A 40-day memorial service (Divine Liturgy) will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Vasyl Hoi on Thursday, July 30 at 6:30 PM at Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, 965 Boyd Ave., Winnipeg.

Please pray for the repose of her soul.  Вічна її пам'ять!