December 25, 1935 – September 8, 2023
Virginia Mary “Gina” Webb, CSJ was a lover of creation, family and friends, a compassionate listener, a strong proponent of justice and women’s leadership. This wonderfully wise and witty woman was born on December 25, 1935, and died peacefully the morning of September 8, 2023, at Carondelet Village in St. Paul.
She was born the first daughter of three, to Leo J. and Virginia Mary (O’Connell) Webb in St. Paul, and entered the community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) in 1953. In 1963, Sister Gina earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, and later a master of arts in counseling and psychology from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota in 1979.
Sister Gina’s early career was spent teaching elementary education at St. Luke and St. James in St. Paul; St. Michael in Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Holy Redeemer in Marshall, Minnesota, where she was also made superior and principal. She spent the next eight years supervising religious education and offering counseling to the community of St. Edward parish in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In 1980, Sister Gina initiated the role of employee assistance director/counselor for St. Mary’s Hospital in Minneapolis. In 1984, she and her good friend Susan Oeffling, CSJ, were called to serve as associate principal and principal, respectively, at Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, and when Derham Hall merged with Cretin High School, Sister Gina continued in her role for one more year.
For the next several years, Sister Gina worked at many ministries run by our sisters including mission awareness director, co-director and counselor for Derham Community, and co-founder of Sarah’s…An Oasis for Women.
A true pioneer, she faithfully served on and, in some cases, established several boards and councils. In 1998, she was selected for our Congregational Leadership Team, and in 2004, the St. Paul Province Leadership Team. On leadership, Gina had this to say: “Ours is a service ministry, and when we act together, we exercise leadership at its best. The greatest challenge at all times is to move beyond what we know today.”
Sister Gina is preceded in death by her parents and sisters Barbara Miller and Gayle Summers. She is survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and great-grandnieces and nephews, friends, colleagues, and Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 20, at 11:00 AM, in Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, 1884 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. Memorials are preferred to the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation.
Dear Virginia Mary, rest in love and peace.
Rest in peace, Sister, Virginia