Benedictine Sister Clare (Bonaventure) Witzman, 88, died April 12 at St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud. The Eucharist of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18, at Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph. Burial will be in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call at St. Scholastica Convent on Monday, April 17, for a prayer service at 3 p.m. followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m., or for a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral on Tuesday, April 18.
The sixth of Ben and Minnie (Diel) Witzman’s eight children, she was born June 30, 1934, in Cold Spring. She attended District #17 Public Grade School in Cold Spring and St. Agnes Grade School and High School in St. Paul. On September 8, 1953, she entered St. Benedict’s Monastery, was received into the novitiate as Sister Bonaventure June 16, 1954, keeping her name in religion until 1968, made first monastic profession July 11, 1955, and perpetual monastic profession July 11, 1958. Her golden jubilee was celebrated July 11, 2005, and her 60th jubilee in 2015.
Education was at the heart of Sister Clare’s ministry beginning with earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in philosophy from the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph. She received a master’s degree at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, and a license in middle school English and language arts. She also attended Hamline University, St. Paul.
Sister Clare served as an educator at several locations in Minnesota, including St. Mary’s Cathedral Grade School in St. Cloud, Long Prairie, Bluffton, Perham, Maple Lake, Pearl Lake, and Cathedral High School/John XXIII School in St. Cloud, where she taught English literature, language, arts and religion classes for more than 35 years. She was also principal at Bluffton, Pearl Lake and Maple Lake. After retiring from teaching, S. Clare worked in monastery services at St. Benedict’s Monastery and as an artisan creating beautiful tatting and cards. She moved to St. Scholastica Convent in 2022 where she undertook a ministry of prayer.
Sister Clare is survived by her Benedictine community, her brother, Bernard (Sandy), her sister, Julia (+James) Piechowski, her sister-in-law, Patricia Witzman, as well as nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, Catherine Witzman and Josephine (+Sam) Bongiovanni, and her brothers, Milton (+Dolores), Benedictine Father Hugh Witzman and Otto.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict Outreach Ministries.