Sister Mary Joanne Lusk was born on August 15, 1933, to Joseph and Ann (Bilek) in New Prague, Minnesota, the eldest daughter in a family of two children. Her younger brother, John, died shortly after birth. She was baptized and confirmed at Holy Redeemer parish in Montgomery, MN. In 1951, she entered the scholasticate at St. Paul’s Priory. She entered the novitiate on June 16, 1952, and made her First Profession of Vows on December 19, 1953. She was given the name Gertrude and later returned to the name of Mary Joanne (in honor of her father Joseph and her mother Ann). She attended the College of St. Catherine, earning a BA degree in Elementary Education and Sociology in 1961.