Sister Paula Laschenski, SNDdeN
July 4, 1928 – January 18, 2026
Livestream and recording of Mass and memorial.
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes
Sigmund and Mary (Oldham) Laschenski welcomed their middle child Mary Jane, later known as Paula, on an auspicious day on the calendar: July 4, 1928. She was baptized on July 29, 1928, at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Upper Darby, PA. Her father and mother met on a blind date in Washington DC during World War I. At the time her mother was a secretary in the war effort and her father was a Captain in the U.S. Army at Fort Mead in Maryland. Her father was an architect and artist, enjoying wood carving as a hobby, and designing the annual family Christmas card. Paula no doubt inherited this talent, becoming an artist herself, as well as an audio/visual specialist and a professional photographer. She had an older brother Sigmund Jr., who later became a Jesuit priest serving in Nepal, and a younger brother John, an accomplished pianist.
Paula attended St. Laurence Elementary School, then Notre Dame High School Moylan, PA, where she met the Sisters of Notre Dame, graduating in 1946. She subsequently entered the Sisters of Notre Dame at Ilchester on August 11, 1946 and received the name “Paula” as she began her novitiate. She professed her final vows on July 31, 1954. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Trinity College, Washington DC.
Sister Paula began her teaching career at Sts. Joachim & Anne school, Queens Village, NY, then spent the next twenty-one years teaching in parish schools in NY, Maryland and Washington DC. Then, after Vatican Council II, Paula relates that her life took a radical turn. She was given the opportunity to study at Indiana University to earn a Master of Arts degree in Education as a generalist in audio/visual production. In Paula’s words, “This took me onto a road less traveled and to many undreamt places, as I attempted to use the skills acquired. My passion to capture and reveal beauty- a reflection of God, underpinned my designs as I worked for various for-profit and non-profit organizations, both religious and secular.”
A sampling of her ministries and adventures in this new, fast developing world of audio and visual technology included the Catholic Mission Office in the Diocese of Erie, PA, documenting the work of migrant farm workers in a tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York via video and still camera; Southwest Virginia Community College as a TV producer and manager; South Carolina as a Vista Volunteer documenting the work of a health center there via an audio/visual presentation for advocacy work among the poor. She served on the staff of the Notre Dame Mission Education Center as team producer of the MEC newsletter, and at Trinity College, DC, as an audio/visual specialist and manager in the library. Paula’s final “official” ministry was in the Tri-Province Development Office in Maryland, as the editor of the Endeavor newsletters, and the Jubilee celebration booklet each year. “I am a whole city desk,” she said. “I go after material, write or edit it, then design and publish it.” In all of these ministries, Paula found herself on the cutting edge of new communications and visual technology. She blended this with her expanding artistic skills, giving her a unique perspective on her various ministries. They were life-changing experiences for her.
In 2008, Paula was quite proud of the exhibit of her art, entitled “Seasons,” that she created for display at Stevenson University, next door to Villa Julie. Her favorite color was yellow because it is bright and cheerful. At the top of the list of things that gave her life were loving relationships with family and friends; the many aspects of nature- trees, flowers, landscapes, sunrises and sunsets. “Nature takes my breath away! Through photography, I try to capture some of these awesome wonders of life for pure enjoyment and hopefully to incorporate them into greeting cards to share.” Always wanting to contribute financially to Notre Dame through the sale of her artistic work, she maintained a website in conjunction with “Fine Art America” which managed sales, framing and distribution of work submitted by artists. Paula’s goal was to help others appreciate the beauty of God’s creation as well as to contribute to Notre Dame ministries.
Just a few years ago Paula designed and produced a calendar in memory of Sister Dorothy Stang, a Sister of Notre Dame, who was murdered in Brazil in 2005. She put her heart and soul into this project, her one last project, a tribute to another lover and protector of nature and the forest.
Paula is described by her friends as a woman of deep faith, a gentle spirit, creative, full of wonder, gracious, someone who valued friendships, an artist to her socks- insisting that her socks matched her outfit for the day! She enjoyed a good novel, transitioning to “large print” as her eyesight diminished. Making a difference in someone’s life was most important to her.
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes
Colette Didier, SNDdeN
January 19, 2026