Sister Carlene Unser's Story & Gallery
Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Sister Carlene Unser was born in 1920 and grew up in Eau Galle, Wisconsin. She was the sixth of eight children. She entered St. Rose Convent in 1936 at the age of sixteen. She was received into the novitiate in 1938 and professed vows in 1946. Sister Carlene received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Viterbo College, La Crosse, WI, and her Master of Arts Degree from Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For 26 years, she served as a primary teacher in elementary schools in Roselle, Iowa; Carroll, Iowa; Mosinee, Dodgeville, Boyd and La Crosse Wisconsin. Her last thirty years of teaching were at Viterbo College Art Department. For ten of those years, she served as chairperson of the Viterbo College Art Department. She retired from Viterbo at the end of 30 years, in 1996. She is most known for her intricate large-scale weavings and icons. She was an outstanding artist who was proficient in many media. She created approximately 80 icons during her lifetime, following her 1998 trip to Eastern Europe as part of the Renaissance of Iconography Project.
In her 2004 autobiography, she writes on her life after retirement, saying, “As we all know, Franciscan Sisters never really retire. I just completed a double or triple term of Board member for the Franciscan Spirituality Center in Marywood. I am currently on the Design and Standards Subcommittee for the CAMS building at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center. I continue to speak in classes at Viterbo College on Iconography.” Sister Carlene is remembered for her devotion to teaching, artistry and leadership. Up until months before passing away, Sister Carlene was still weaving and making quilled greeting cards for the St. Rose gift shop.
She moved to Villa St. Joseph in 2015 and passed away in 2017 at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare, La Crosse.
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