Sister Marietta was born as Elizabeth Hackner in La Crosse in 1882, the eldest child of Egid & Julia Hackner.
She grew up surrounded by art when her father’s company was based out of the family home. After housework and helping with the family, she learned to draw under the instruction of her father.
As a teenager, Elizabeth became ill and received treatment at the Sacred Heart Sanitarium in Milwaukee. During her stay in Milwaukee, she attended an art school with the intent to study art in Europe as her father had.
At the age of 20, she again faced medical setbacks and was hospitalized. After recovering, she went to Chicago and studied art at St. Xavier’s Academy which was under the direction of the Sisters of Mercy. During this time, she also had an opportunity to visit the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
Sister Marietta Hackner. Courtesy of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
FSPA Artists, 1915. Sister Marietta Hackner is on the far right, standing. Courtesy of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
At this time, she began to reflect on her vocation and at the age of 25, entered St. Rose Convent in 1907 and took her final vows in 1916. Sister Marietta served the Franciscan Community for 56 years as an artist, 54 years in the art departments at Viterbo, St. Rose Convent, and Aquinas High School. She also spent a year in Sparta, Wisconsin, and a year at Marycliff High School in Spokane, WA. In the 65th year of her religious profession, she passed away at the age of 92 in 1974.
