December 25, 1929 – February 12, 2026
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Sylvia Krawfczk, who died peacfully in the early morning of February 12, 2026, at Carondelet Village in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was a generous, joyful teacher, a selfless caregiver, and an engaging storyteller who loved her family, farming, the North Shore, and all creatures great
and small.
Sylvia Caroline Krawfcyk was born on a farm in Long Prairie, Minnesota, on December 25, 1929, to August and Cecelia (Berendsen) Krawfcyk. In 1951, Sylvia entered the community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) in St. Paul.
Her educational path included the Myndal Cain Cosmetology School in Minneapolis (1949-51), a bachelor of arts in elementary education (1964), and certificate courses in teaching English as a second language (1980-81) from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. Sister Sylvia spent nearly 30 years teaching second grade students in many of our sponsored schools including: St. Columbia, St. Vincent, St. John, and Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul; St. Anthony, Saints Cyril and Methodius, St. Stephen, and Ascension in Minneapolis; and St. Michael in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
She then made it her mission to return to school. She devoted the next 17 years to teaching English as a Second Language to adult learners at Ascension Parish in Minneapolis and at The Vineyard in the Frogtown Neighborhood of St. Paul.
In her retirement, Sister Sylvia volunteered at the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. She joyfully supported every aspect of its mission, working behind the scenes whenever and wherever she was needed, always with quiet dedication.
Through it all, Sylvia was a peaceful, prayerful presence and a true friend to the end. Her radiant smile and tender, gentle way will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Sylvia is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Marie Van Horrick and her brother Lawrence. She is survived by her sister Wilma Buhl; many nieces, nephews, grand- and great-grand-nieces and nephews; dear friends; and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 11 :00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, in St. Paul, with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
Memorials are preferred to the Sisters of St. Joseph Retirement Fund. Donate online.
Dear Sylvia, rest in love and peace.
Rest in peace, sister, Sylvia