Sister Gwen Hennessey born

Sister Gwen Hennessey, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis, was born on September 29, 1932, on a farm in Buchanan County, Independence. She was the third youngest of 15 children born to Maurice and Anna Hennessey.

After attending a one-room country school and St. Patrick’s High School in Ryan, she entered Mount St. Francis in 1950 and received the name Sister Mary Sharon one year later. Her first mission was Sacred Heart School in Dubuque, where she taught primarily in the primary grades.

Following her teaching career, Sister Gwen focused on social justice and worked within the Des Moines diocese. During this time, she and her sister, Sister Dorothy, were indicted and sentenced to six months in a federal prison in Pekin after entering government property to conduct activism. She later served in Sioux City, ministering to women on parole or recently released from prison. Sister Gwen retired to Mount St. Francis in Dubuque, where she continued her prison ministry.