In Memoriam: John Christine Wolkerstorfer, 1931-2017

Sister John Christine Wolkerstorfer, professor emerita of American history at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, died on August 3 at a senior living facility in St. Paul. She was 86 years old.

Professor Wolkerstorfer was a native of St. Paul. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1949 and four years later earned a bachelor’s degree in American history at St. Catherine University. She later earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Wolkerstorfer was the author of Pride in the Past, Faith in the Future: A History of the Catholic Aid Association of Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1878-1996 (Catholic Aid Association, 1997) and You Shall Be My People: 150th Anniversary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (Editions Du Signe, 1999).

Professor Wolkerstorfer taught American history at Saint Catherine University for 24 years. She retired in 1997.