Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA
Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA, is a talented and gifted scholar, musician, and religious leader who has committed her life to people and causes that uplift the spirit, awaken the mind, and bring out the best in people and organizations.
Raised with her three sisters and four brothers on a dairy farm near Durand, Sr. Marlene joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) of La Crosse in 1962.
She has responded to her call to ministry in multiple ways which include serving her congregation as president from 2002–2010 and as an elected member of its General Council for eight years from 1986–1994.
As president of the FSPA, she served as corporate member of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, St. Anthony Regional Medical Center (Carroll, Iowa), and Viterbo University. She gave a significant number of years as a trustee of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare from 1989–1995 when it was known as St. Francis Medical Center, on its Community Board from 1995–2002, and as trustee from 2003–2012. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the Family and Children’s Center from 2003–2009 and served as chair of the Board of Trustees for Viterbo University from 1994–2002. During her leadership role at Viterbo, enrollment dramatically increased as did the number of academic offerings and improvements and additions to campus facilities.
Sr. Marlene served the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious from 2009–2011. Prior to that, she was the Chancellor, Defender of the Bond and Auditor in the Marriage Tribunal, and director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Diocese of La Crosse from 1991–2002. She is a past president of the National Conference of Vicars for Religious.
Most recently, Sr. Marlene has been serving as a consultant in religious law to individuals and religious institutes. She holds the licentiate in canon law from Saint Paul University in Ottawa, a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and degrees in music from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and Viterbo University.
Currently, Sr. Marlene is chair of the Sponsor/Canon Law Committee for the Catholic Health Association of the United States and also serves as Administrative Coordinator for the Franciscan Common Venture, a collaborative ministry relationship of four congregations of the Third Order Regular, including three from the U.S. and one in Cameroon, West Africa.
She also serves as a cantor at Maria Angelorum Chapel and is a Eucharistic adorer, participating in the rich FSPA tradition that reminds us of the importance of God’s presence in our lives and our need to be present in others’ lives.
Sr. Marlene and her beloved FSPA have been and continue to be inseparable to a path intimately linked to serving and meeting the needs of others. She has done so willingly and capably, demonstrating a long standing and faithful commitment to promoting the Gospel and the common good. She truly models servant leadership.