Sister M. Frances Veitz, CSFN, ’62, Ed.D
Sister M. Frances Veitz, CSFN, ’62, Ed.D., a beloved former faculty and staff member, passed away on August 17, 2024.
Frances came to Holy Family University (then College) as a freshman in 1958 – after completing 12 years of public school. She immediately made friends and became involved in extracurricular activities and sports, including playing varsity basketball for the Hi-Fis (Holy Family’s team name before the Tigers).
In her sophomore year, Frances represented her class at the declaration of perpetual vows made by Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, ’59 (who would go on to serve as Holy Family’s President for over 30 years), Sister Immaculata Kraemer, CSFN, ‘58, and their fellow novices. The ceremony moved her deeply, and she could not stop thinking about it. A meeting was set up to discuss a possible calling and the rest is history.
After declaring vows and then finishing her degree, Sister Mary Frances taught at St. Katherine of Siena on Frankford Avenue and was recruited by the bishop of Allentown to teach a language program in Pottsville, PA.
She returned to teach at her alma mater in the mid-1970s and served in a number of roles until 2017. To name a few, she served as a French Professor and founder/moderator of Le Cercle Francais (French Club), Head of the Business Administration Division, and founder of the Internship Program in Business French. In 1992, she took on a new role as Director of Cooperative Education and would go on to place thousands of students in hundreds of organizations for 25 years.
In her time at Holy Family, Sister Frances also established two endowed scholarships – The Samuel and Edith Veitz Memorial Scholarship and the Sister Frances Veitz Internship/Co-Op Education Award – which will be awarded in perpetuity to current and future Holy Family students.
She is a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award and is a member of the Founders Society.
We are so grateful for the indelible mark Sister Frances left on countless alumni and friends at Holy Family. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and to Sister Frances’ loved ones.