Obituaries/Reflections

Sr. Marcellita Brown Dies

Sister Marcellita Brown, BVM, 96, died May 4, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be May 7 from 9-11 a.m. with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Marcellita was a life-long teacher and principal. She served at Gesu, Milwaukee, Wis.; Mount Carmel Academy, Wichita, Kan.; Sacred Heart, Lincoln, Neb.; Immaculate Conception, Butte, Mont.; Annunciation, Chicago, and Sacred Heart, Rock Island, Ill.

In Iowa, she was missioned at St. Patrick, Cedar Rapids; Holy Family, Mason City; St. Joseph, New Hampton, and St. Anthony, Dubuque, where she ministered for 21 years as teacher, principal, and staff member.

Sister Marcellita was born April 10, 1912 in Peosta, Iowa to Leo and Gertrude McGovern Brown. She graduated from St. John the Baptist High School, Peosta, before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1928. She professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1930 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1936.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Marcella Miller, Isabelle Mueller and Ramona Brown; and brothers Cyril, Loras, Mark and Jerome Brown. She is survived by her sisters, Sister Gertrude Ann Brown, OSF and Monica Digman; a brother, Kenneth Brown; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 79 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Marcellita Brown, BVM Funeral Reflections by Judy Callahan, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, May 7, 2008

In the first reading we read, “God will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces… On that day it will be said: Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!”

In the Gospel, Matthew explains the criteria for entrance into eternal happiness: “Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me.” Conversations with those who knew Marcie well are filled with examples of how she welcomed people, fed them, nourished them with friendship and consolation in their sadness. She lived the Beatitudes just as she lived life itself, to the fullest.

Born on April 10, 1912, Marcie was the second oldest of eleven children born to Gertrude McGovern Brown and Leo Brown of Peosta. Preceding her in death were her siblings Marcella, Cyril, Isabelle, Loras, Mark, Jerome and Ramona and her great aunt, Sister Mary Sabas Walsh, BVM. Surviving her are two sisters, Monica Digman, Sister Gertrude Ann Brown, OSF, her brother Kenneth in Tacoma Washington and her BVM cousin, Mary Clemento McGovern.

Marcellita grew up on a farm, went to a one-room schoolhouse, and caught up to her sister Marcella by accompanying her to school, thus graduating from high school at the age of 16. She entered the BVMs on Sept 8. 1926. Coming from such a large family of limited economic means yet filled with love set the groundwork of how Marcie came to be a woman of faith, ingenuity, creativity and spontaneity in ministry and community.

She ministered as teacher and/or administrator in Chicago, Milwaukee, Wichita, Cedar Rapids, Rock Island, Dubuque, Lincoln, Nebraska, Butte, Mason City and New Hampton. Those who lived and worked with Marcie spoke of her as “very kind”, “full of energy”, “a good welcomer”, “wonderful to work and live with”, “a good Scout!” She lived life to the full, and found joy in people and the circumstances in which she found herself. She had an amazingly positive outlook and was to me an example of how to live and grow old gracefully. I had the joy of living with her at St. Anthony’s in Dubuque and also in New Hampton, Iowa. She was the first to volunteer to do any dirty job that needed doing, and was incredibly efficient. She could get more done in one hour than many could manage in a day. She earned the nickname “Go-Go Marcie” because she was the first to pitch in to do a project, but also the first to set up the card table for a good game. She was so caring about people, and made many friends in the neighborhood, in the parishes where she served, and had an amazing memory of people and their situations.

Her love for her family was always so evident. I followed little Rachel and Andy’s incredible achievements as pre-schoolers as Marcie recounted the amazing advanced skills of her grandnephew and grandniece during the time when I had more contact with her. She was so aware of the feelings of members of her family who were in the stages of grief as cancer was very aggressive in so many. She was always writing letters, sending cards and even visited people she loved when she was able. And her attention was always on the person being visited. Her kindness was the fruit of a rich spirituality which she lived rather than preached. Her actions and attitudes toward others were her method of living the faith.

To me personally she was a good model of what makes for a “Good BVM” (or “Community Woman” as we described those giants among us). I admired her generosity of service; using her talents and skills for the benefit of the community; her prayerfulness; her positive spirit; her joy in life itself; her readiness to laugh and to help others to laugh; her common sense; her acceptance of others as they are rather than what they “should be”; her simplicity of lifestyle; her love of and involvement with her family; her loyalty to her friends, and her appreciation of all that she received at Mt. Carmel.

One of her greatest gift was her sense of humor, reflected well in the following quote from her autobiography: “We had a large barrel churn in which we made our butter by turning a handle round and round. One time when I was assigned the duty of churning, I filled the churn with cream, but neglected to lock the lid securely. With the first turn of the handle the cellar floor was covered with cream. By the time I had finished cleaning it up, I felt like a dilly bar that had melted.”

Her taped autobiography reveals the importance of family and friends as she dictates: “Getting together with family and friends is a special time in my life even when there are sad times. I look at my life as a blessing from God to be used in serving others; that has always been my philosophy of life”. When asked what, if anything, she would change about her life if she could, she responded: “I can’t think of what it would be; life has been very good. I know what I can say about that. If I could change one thing I would try to slow down a little bit because it seems I am always on the go. I have acquired the nickname, “Go-go” Marcie.” Marcie concludes her own autobiography with the following: “God has really blessed me and I thank Him every day for all He has done for me and my family. I am grateful to Him for all the opportunities He has given me to serve Him in others. I don’t know how many years I have left, but I pray He will come for me when He is ready, and that I may be ready when He comes.”

Marcie, as you “Go – go” to God and all your beloved relatives and friends, know that you will be missed by many and that we celebrate your life with us and ask you to help us “to rejoice and be glad with you that God has saved us.”

Sr. M. St. Julian Flaherty Dies

Sister M. St. Julian Flaherty, BVM, 101, died April 21, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 24 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. with burial in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister St. Julian was a life-long educator, primarily in high school classics. She taught at St. Cornelius, Chicago, Ill; Carmel High School, Mundelein, Ill.; St. John, Des Moines, Iowa; and in Lincoln, Neb., at Cathedral and Pius X High School, where she was also principal.

In California, she taught in San Francisco at St. Paul Elementary and High School, and at St. Brigid. She taught and was principal at St. Vincent High School, Petaluma; and at Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara.

In retirement, she served as convent cook at Maria del Mar, Santa Barbara; and Holy Family, Glendale.

Sister St. Julian was born March 20, 1907 in Point Reyes, Calif. She graduated from St. Vincent High School, Petaluma, before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1925. She professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1927 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1933.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters Sister Mary Eduardus, BVM; Josephine, Margaret, Alice and Anne Flaherty; and brothers Thomas, Albert and Ned Flaherty. She is survived by a sister, Rosalie Kelly, nieces and nephews, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 82 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Mary St. Julian Flaherty, BVM Funeral Reflections by Eileen Healy, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 24, 2008

“Let your mercy be upon us, Lord, as we place our trust in you.” “For your words, O God, are faithful and all your works to be trusted. You love justice and righteousness, and fill the earth with your steadfast love.”

As we sing Psalm 33 today, we honor the long and fruitful life of Mary St. Julian, she who so trusted in the steadfast love of God.

Catherine Flaherty was born on March 20, 1907 in Point Reyes, California to Edward and Julia Ryan Flaherty. They had met on the ship coming over from Ireland and were married in Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco in 1893. Catherine was the seventh of nine children to be born into the family, three sons and six daughters. A seventh daughter, Rosalie, was adopted by her parents when Catherine entered Mt. Carmel. Mary St. Julian has said that “Rosalie has been a good sister to us ever since.” Mr. Flaherty worked on the narrow gauge railroad which ran through Marin County. The job ‘ran out’ and they moved to a new farm near Sacramento. Before Catherine started school, the family had returned to the Petaluma area and she attended St. Vincent’s Academy for all twelve years. Mary St. Julian attributes her vocation to the example of the BVMs who taught her there.

Catherine entered Mt. Carmel on September 8, 1925. She was received on March 19, 1926 and received the name Mary St. Julian. She was professed on August 15, 1927. For the next fourteen years Mary St. Julian taught in grade schools in Chicago, Des Moines, and San Francisco. In 1941, she began her long career as a high school teacher or principal. Her missions included St. Vincent’s, Petaluma; St. Brigid’s and St. Paul’s, San Francisco; Cathedral/St. Mary’s and Pius X, Lincoln; Carmel, Mundelein, Illinois. and Bishop Garcia Diego, Santa Barbara, California

In 1979, Mary St. Julian’s career changed from teaching Latin and English to fulfilling a desire she had had as a second grader at St. Vincent’s when SM St. Vincent de Paul, the convent cook, would give her cookies and milk. She had told her mother at that time that she would become a ‘cook sister’. From 1979 to 1987, she cooked for the sisters at Maria Del Mar Convent in Santa Barbara and then Holy Family Convent in Glendale, California. After retiring from cooking, Mary St. Julian volunteered for a year in the Motherhouse as assistant infirmarian. She returned to Glendale for one year and then became a resident of the Motherhouse volunteering as a letter writer and taking care of the guest rooms in the Motherhouse, seeing that guests had everything they needed. In 2002, she became a resident of Marian Hall.

Mary St. Julian’s beloved older sister, Helen, our Sister Mary Eduardus, died suddenly in 1973. It was a terrible shock for Mary St. Julian and she later said that she never got over it and could weep about it if she let herself. In her autobiography, Mary St. Julian states that her philosophy of life has been that you make your own life. “You can make it happy or you can make it sad, crabby or jovial, friendly or unfriendly…I try to keep an up attitude and look on the bright side of things.” When she was about twelve years old, leaving confession one Saturday she was sure that the statue of Mary had smiled at her. When she got home and told her mother, her mother said, “And why wouldn’t Blessed Mother smile at a nice little girl like you?” What a great boost to a pre-teen’s self-image!

In all the roles of her 101 years – loving daughter, devoted sister and aunt, faithful friend, exemplary teacher, European tour guide, thoughtful cook, letter writer for the frail or humorous, English-correcting resident of Marian Hall, Mary St. Julian looked on the bright side of things and made things brighter for all around her. She modeled for all of us the steadfast love of God in which she trusted. I have a favorite little prayer that I believe fits you, my dear friend;

“O God, send me out today as one who is easy to live with – like an old shoe, congenial to work with – like an oiled hinge, and flexible to discuss with – like an old friend. Keep me livable, congenial and flexible the whole day. Amen.”

Sr. Eleanor Burke Dies

Sister Eleanor Burke, BVM (Anna Martine), 88, died April 11, 2008 at Caritas Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 15 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. with burial in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Eleanor taught in Iowa at Visitation, Des Moines; and St. Martin, Cascade, where she was also principal and superior; and at Immaculate Conception, Butte, Mont.

She was an educator in California for 36 years at St. Leo, San Jose; St. Vincent Elementary, Petaluma; and St. Paul High School, San Francisco, where for 23 years she was a teacher, vice-principal, librarian and registrar. In retirement, she volunteered at St. Paul Parish.

Sister Eleanor was born Nov. 8, 1919 in San Francisco, Calif. to Martin and Mary Ann Kelly Burke. She graduated from St. Paul Elementary and High School before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1941. She professed first vows on March 19, 1944 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1949.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Timothy Burke. She is survived by her sister, Sister Veronica Burke, BVM, cousins, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 66 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Eleanor Burke, BVM (Anna Martine) Funeral Reflections by Joan Stritesky, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 15, 2008

We, the BVM Community, BVM Associates, the nursing staff and aides, the sisters viewing this Liturgy on Channel 6, family, and many, many friends, join Sister Veronica (Jackie) Burke, BVM in this celebration of her Sister Eleanor's life and entrance into her new life with her Lord and God. How does someone catch the vitality, the joyousness, the outreach of a person, and place it before this gathering? So many persons, events, and relationships help place our thanksgiving and offerings at this liturgical celebration. Many have shared missions, ministries and encounters.

Special people in Eleanor's life with us today, surrounding Jackie with their love and supportive presence, are the "Family"...many who could be here only in spirit, and Betty Carey, BVM Associate, Maureen O'Brien, BVM, Kathy Bebe and her two sons, Jonathan and David (El's, Jackie's and Betty's godsons). They came from California, Oregon, and Florida to be here. Others journeyed from closer states and places. Welcome! You the Family and all gathered here, formed the strong, personal relationships that energized and gave Eleanor life.

Eleanor's spirit, life, and loving ways began when Ireland gave us both Martin G. Burke and Mary Ann Kelly who married and settled in San Francisco. The Burke family loved and cherished Tim, the oldest, then Mary Eleanor, followed by Veronica. A young two year old boy, Martin, died during a flue epidemic.

A strong connection with the Gospel stories of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, could be made to Eleanor's family, the Burkes - Tim, the oldest brother, Eleanor and Jackie, sisters. Tim, was the apple of his Mother's eye, as he was equally cherished by Eleanor and Jackie. Tim's death at 51 grieved immensely both El and Jackie. They loved him so. Tim, dying in a San Francisco hospital, admonished his wonderfully loved sisters: "Go and do something besides sitting here with me. I'll still be here, so go to a show or something." While El was approaching her own death this past week, she told Jackie who was constantly at her side: "I have to sit in this chair for the rest of my life, but you don't have to do so. Jackie, go out and do some fun things."

St. Paul's Parish was the center for this Irish family while the grade and high school became their learning blocks. Tim entered the seminary and later left. Long enduring friendships developed for the family. El and Jackie's vocations were nourished and manifested while at St. Paul's. Jackie entered after high school while Eleanor, the older, entered two years later.

Eleanor wrote to Mother Mary Gervase June of 1941: "I spent a week at Mount Carmel visiting my sister, Sister Mary Timothena. I am looking forward to the day when I shall be able to call Mount Carmel my home." On her application she wrote, “I sincerely believe God has blessed me with a vocation to the Religious Life. To me, it is a question not of my wanting to become a Sister, but of His wanting me."

After Profession, Eleanor, then Sister Mary Anna Martine, ministered and was missioned in Montana, Iowa, and the San Francisco area. El taught in elementary and high schools. Besides teaching, she was Superior, Principal, Vice Principal at St. Paul High as well as Librarian and Registrar...you might say she was an Eleanor of many gifts in ministries.

As Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary we are called to love...that calls forth a benevolent, tender, and sensitive response to all people and events...with friends we are called to be faithful to the demands of relationships...I believe Eleanor exemplified these directions in her 88 years of life.

How do you catch the colors of a rainbow in one glance? Trying to describe El's spirit, I listened to many of you who gave me a hint - MISCHIEVOUS, A GREAT LISTENER, RESPONSIVE, LOVED, AND LOVING. Words like these are buried in the hearts of those who loved and were loved by Eleanor. Those of us who shared life with her are many, and we are very grateful for her living life to the fullest.

In A Pilgrim’s Almanac, Ed Hays wrote of Moses being buried in an unmarked grave. But in spite of this fact, his tomb is among the greatest in this world. Moses is buried in the hearts of his people, Israel, and in ours, as those who shape the fulfillment of his mission from God. All of us, by our lives, similarly construct our own tombs, they are located in the hearts of those whose lives we touch...in a memory that is both blessed and beautiful...let us reflect on whom we have loved and served.

In the 1998 Winter Salt, Eleanor and Jackie shared with all of us what it meant to have a sister in the BVM Community: "Having a blood sister in the congregation has been one of the greatest joys of being a BVM. Home visits were a double joy - no need to find a companion, no need to be concerned about entertaining her. In times of sorrow, the grief we felt was alleviated by the sharing of it. And now, in old age, we continue to share our journey - we continue to be BEST FRIENDS."

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME WILL LIVE, EVEN IF THEY DIE. THAT'S JESUS' PROMISE AND WE WILL ENJOY THIS NEW LIFE AND WE WILL SEE ONE ANOTHER AGAIN.

"I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN I SHALL BE ABLE TO CALL MOUNT CARMEL MY HOMEL' – Respectfully, Eleanor Burke.

Give me grace to climb Mt. Carmel...and you have, Eleanor...YOU ARE HOME.

Sr. Monica Cahill Dies

Sister Monica Cahill, BVM (Monita), 94, died April 7, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Arrangements are pending.

Sister Monica Cahill, BVM (Monita) Funeral Reflections by Pat Griffin, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 10, 2008

Today’s first reading is from Proverbs – some refer to it as the Valiant Woman reading – I am sure it is familiar to you: Here are some excerpts: “When one finds a valiant woman, her value is far beyond pearls. She brings good and not evil, all of her life. She reaches out her hands to the poor and extends her arms to the needy. She opens her mouth in wisdom and on her tongue is kindly counsel.”

The Monica Cahill I knew was that kind of woman.

Monica was born on July 22, 1913 to Monica Nolan Cahill and Michael Frances Cahill. She was the older of two girls born into that family. On Sept 8, 1932, Monica entered the BVMs after graduating from Our Lady of Angels School in Clinton, Iowa. On March 19, 1933, she received the name Sister Mary Monita.

Monica began her teaching career at Presentation, Chicago. Mason City and Burlington, Iowa were next to experience the ministry of this very caring teacher. The following 22 years were spent out west in Burbank, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Monica served the BVM Community as Superior/principal at St. Bernard, Los Angeles; Sacred Heart, Lincoln, Nebraska; and Presentation, Chicago.

I first met Monica in 1970 when I hired her to be the ESEA Reading teacher at St. Agatha. Two hallmarks of Monica were her love of the children and her care for the poor. She would say that she was taught this by her father, who told her to “listen to the cries of the poor.” He had never forgotten what it meant to be a poor Irish immigrant.

The more Monica dealt with the Inner City youth, it became clear to her that she needed to work with and teach their parents – many of whom were very young them selves. In 1978 the TAPROOTS program was begun in a basement room at St. Thomas the Apostle church on the West side of Chicago. The TAPROOTS program included teaching parenting skills to young teen mothers, helping them to finish school and find a job and providing low cost day care for their children. Monica chose the name TAPROOTS because it refers to the sturdy root which digs deepest into the soil, drawing the richest nourishment from the earth and bringing it up to the plant. This symbol of nurturing and supporting represented the goal of TAPROOTS.

For 22 years Monica heard and responded to the cries of the poor through TAPROOTS. Money was always a problem, so when you saw Monica coming toward you, you knew you were going to be a part of another fund raiser. Monica learned to write grant proposals: her first big grant came from the BVM Congregation. She formed a board of directors and she trained two women to take over, so in 2000 she passed on the leadership to these women.

In 1972 Monica was one of 50 religious women who helped found NETWORK, a Catholic lobbying group in Washington, which addresses social issues. In 1997, on the 25th Anniversary of that organization, Monica received the Woman of Justice Award. In 1983, Monica was inducted into the Senior Citizen Hall of Fame in Chicago, and in 1984 she received the Call to Action Peace and Justice Award.

As this celebration of Monica Cahill’s life continues, listen carefully to the entire first reading from Proverbs and see what images of Monica it conjures up within you. Amen, Alleluia.

Sister Monica was a teacher and principal for more than 40 years. She taught in Iowa at Holy Family, Mason City, and St. Paul, Burlington; in California at St. Robert Bellarmine, Burbank, and St. Bernard, Los Angeles; in Chicago, Ill., at Presentation, Annunciation, Holy Family and St. Agatha; in Arizona at St. Agnes, Phoenix; in Nebraska at Sacred Heart, Lincoln; and also in New Orleans, La.

In Chicago, she also did youth ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, and for 20 years was executive director of TAPROOTS (Teen-age Parents Realizing Ongoing Orientation toward Success.).

Sister Monica was born July 22, 1913 in Chicago to Michael and Monica Nolan Cahill. She graduated from Our Lady of Angels Academy, Clinton, Iowa, before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1932. She professed first vows on March 19, 1935 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1940.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Margaret Gallager. She is survived by cousins and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 75 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Monica Cahill, BVM (Monita) Funeral Reflections by Pat Griffin, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 10, 2008

The Monica Cahill I knew was that kind of woman.

As this celebration of Monica Cahill’s life continues, listen carefully to the entire first reading from Proverbs and see what images of Monica it conjures up within you. Amen, Alleluia.

Sr. Monica Cahill Dies

Sister Monica Cahill, BVM (Monita), 94, died April 7, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 10 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

In Chicago, she also did youth ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, and for 20 years was executive director of TAPROOTS (Teen-age Parents Realizing Ongoing Orientation toward Success.).

She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Margaret Gallager. She is survived by cousins and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 75 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Monica Cahill, BVM (Monita) Funeral Reflections by Pat Griffin, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 10, 2008

The Monica Cahill I knew was that kind of woman.

As this celebration of Monica Cahill’s life continues, listen carefully to the entire first reading from Proverbs and see what images of Monica it conjures up within you. Amen, Alleluia.

Sr. Mary Jane Halla Dies

Sister Mary Jane Halla, BVM (Jean Gertrude), 73, died April 7, 2008 at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 10 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Mary Jane ministered in the Chicago area for 21 years. She taught at Mary Queen of Heaven in Cicero, St. Agatha, St. Odilo in Berwyn, Holy Cross, and Holy Family, and was on the staff of Resurrection Hospital.

She was also an educator at St. Joseph, Rock Island, Ill.; Father Bertrand Elementary School, Memphis, Tenn..; and in Iowa at Assumption High School, Davenport, and LaSalle High School, Cedar Rapids.

Sister Mary Jane was born Feb. 11, 1935 in Chicago, Ill., to John and Gertrude McCaverty Halla. She graduated from St. Dorothy’s School and Loretto Academy before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1953. She professed first vows on March 19, 1956 and final vows on July 16, 1961.

Her parents preceded her in death. She is survived by the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 54 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Mary Jane Halla, BVM (Jean Gertrude) Funeral Reflections by Therese Frelo, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 10, 2008

Today, we are celebrating the life of Mary Jane Halla, BVM. BVMs, family, BVM Associates, Mt. Carmel Continuing Care Staff Members, and her good friend, Fr. Arthur Anderson, are here gathered together to share and rejoice the life of Mary Jane Halla, BVM.

Born in Chicago, IL, February 11, 1935, Mary Jane was the only child of John Francis Halla and Gertrude McCaverty. She attended St. Dorothy's Elementary School and graduated from Loretto Academy. Her father died when she was a child and her mother worked at the rectory to support the family.

Mary Jane applied for admission to the BVM Congregation on January 25, 1953. In her letter to Mother Mary Josita, BVM she states: "The Sisters at St. Dorothy have taught me for eight years and I have long since wished to be a BVM. I have a deep desire to come closer to God and to be able to bring others to know and love God more. My dearest friend at St. Dorothy, Sister Mary Martinice, has been very kind in helping me find out more about the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Mary Jane entered Mount Carmel on September 8, 1953. She was received March 19, l954 and was given the name Jean Gertrude. Her final vows were made on August 15, 1959.

Mary Jane's elementary education teaching career included eight years at Mary Queen of Heaven - Cicero, IL and St. Joseph's - Rock Island, IL, 13 years in Chicago African-American parishes - Blessed Sacrament, Holy Family, St. Agatha, and Holy Cross - and five years at Fr. Bertrand Elementary School in Memphis, TN. She also was a DRE at St. Odilo, Berwyn, IL, did secretarial work at Assumption, Davenport, and was an assistant librarian at LaSalle, Cedar Rapids. While residing at St. Constance in Chicago, Mary Jane volunteered at Our Lady of Resurrection Hospital. Ill health brought Mary Jane to Mt. Carmel in 2002.

In the Easter story, Mary Magdalen searched for Jesus and she did not recognize Him until He called her name, Mary. During Mary Jane's life, she, too searching for Jesus, reached out to those in need. Her special calling was to serve with those in the African-American community and she touched their lives. As her Principal in Memphis, I witnessed her great care and love for her students and for the needs of the African-American people. Black people have a unique ability to see through to the core of an individual, to see the real person. Mrs. Hines, our school secretary, often said to me, "Mary Jane is one of us. We know she loves us and we love her." I know many of her African-American friends are with us in spirit today.

Do we not all, at times, hide behind the masks we wear? Perhaps the fear that other persons will not take the time to find out who we really are or who we are becoming, frightens us, and we use the mask to hide those fears -- Or, does illness or frailty hide the truly faith-filled or faithful persons we are? I am sure, at times; Mary Jane was a cross to herself and to others - something we all experience in ourselves. We all know that when we struggle, or are in pain, we are not our best selves. At times, Mary Jane tried our patience. When that happened, as her friend, I reminded myself that it was her way of crying out for understanding and love.

Mary Jane was truly a faith-filled and faithful person. After her mother's death in 1973, each month, from her small stipend, she faithfully paid her mother's old bills. Mary Jane never forgot a birthday or a holiday. She was always thoughtful about sending cards to others.

Included in Mary Jane's belongings was a paper which stated: "I found this prayer card, which reminds me of the qualities of Mary Frances Clarke. As a birthday tribute to her, I will say this prayer every day and try to be as good a BVM as she was as our foundress." The prayer card states: "Lord, help me to be slow - slow to anger - slow to condemn - slow to walk - that I may not pass one who needs me." Intercede for us Mary Jane, as we, too, strive to walk slowly and not pass one who needs us.

This week - God - called: "Mary Jane" - and - she - found - Jesus.

Sr. Ann Roselle Dullard Dies

Sister Ann Roselle Dullard, BVM, 92, died April 1, 2008 at Caritas Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 8 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel at Mount Carmel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Ann Roselle was an educator for more than 50 years. She taught at St. Brendan, Los Angeles, Calif; St. Patrick, Lincoln, Ill.; St. Gertrude, Chicago, Ill.; St. Francis Xavier, Kansas City, Mo.; and St. Mary Magdalen, Altamonte Springs, Fl..

Her 34 years as a teacher in Iowa included St. Joseph, New Hampton; St. Mary, Riverside; St. James, Washington; St. Ambrose and St. John, Des Moines; Sacred Heart and Fort Dodge Catholic, Fort Dodge.

Sister Ann Roselle was born Nov. 20, 1915 in Maxwell, Iowa. She graduated from St. Joseph Academy, Des Moines, before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Feb. 2, 1935. She professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1937 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1942.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Mary Dullard and Sister Thomasina Dullard, BVM; and a brother, John Dullard. She is survived by a sister, Margaret Dullard; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 73 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Mary Ann Roselle Dullard, BVM Funeral Reflections by Judith Sheahan, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 8, 2008

Good afternoon and welcome to this celebration of the new life of our sister, Ann Roselle Dullard.

Sister Mary Ann Roselle Dullard was born in Maxwell, Iowa on November 20, 1915. Her parents were second generation Iowa pioneers, John Dullard and Mary Quinn Dullard, and she was the fourth of five children. John, Mary, and Honora were the older children and Margaret was the little sister of the family. At baptism, Ann Roselle was given the name Rosalita.

Rosalita attended grade school in Maxwell and when it was time for high school, she became a boarder at St. Joseph Academy, thirty mile down the road in Des Moines. The BVMs were well-known to the Dullards as two aunts and eight cousins had already entered the BVM Community. Three of them- Mary Wendelin (#301), Mary Lamberta (#416) and Mary Thomasina (#417) had experienced BVM life on the prairie.

By the time Rosalita graduated from the Academy, her older sister Honora had become Sister Mary Thomasina, BVM. So it was not surprising that on January 12, 1935 that Rosalita wrote to Mother Gervase and asked to enter the community in February. At her reception in August, Rosalita became Sister Mary Ann Roselle.

After profession, Ann Roselle was sent to St. Brendan’s in Los Angeles to begin her mission of teaching. During the next fifty years, she taught in schools in Iowa, (New Hampton, Washington, Des Moines, Riverside, Fort Dodge) in Chicago, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri. As classrooms became more specialized, she became an excellent upper-grade math teacher. One deviation from the Midwest took her to St. Mary Magdalen School in Altamonte, Florida. It was here on the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week that she was unanimously honored by her eighth –grade students as the “Super Nun” because “she always takes time to help you when you need it – a boon to math students!.

When she decided to retire in 1988, Ann Roselle spent several years as a resident at St. John’s Convent in Des Moines before coming to the Motherhouse in 1991. Here she offered her services as the Mt Carmel Librarian.

As I have visited with her friends these past few days, I became aware of two aspects that seem to speak of Ann Roselle. She was a quiet woman, somewhat reserved, but she was also a good story teller. She especially loved to tell stories of her trip to Ireland with her sister.

As we say our final farewell to Ann Roselle, we pray today that as Ann Roselle enters eternal life she will be greeted by her BVM aunts Geralmo and Ethelbert, her BVM cousins, Rinarda, James Edwin, Corneille, Wendelin, Thomasina, Angela, and Orlanda, and her own dear sister Thomasina. We can just imagine what a wonderful reunion that will be.

Sr, Cleonica Meier Sr. Cleonica Meier Dies

Sister Cleonica Meier, BVM, 94, died March 31 at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be April 2 from 2:45-4:45 p.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a wake service at 4:45 p.m. The funeral will be April 3 at 11 a.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Cleonica was an educator in Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux City and Fort Dodge, Iowa; Butte and Missoula, Mont.; Lincoln, Neb.; San Francisco, Petaluma and Sacramento, Calif.; and Chicago, Ill. She was also a parish minister in Fort Dodge and Sioux City, Iowa; Denver and Aurora, Colo.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Lincoln, Neb., and was on the staff at Marian Hall, Dubuque.

Sister Cleonica was born Jan. 21, 1914 in Crofton, Neb. to Joseph and Frances Hoesing Meier. She graduated from Cathedral High School, Sioux City, Iowa, before entering the Sisters of Charity, BVM on Sept. 8, 1932. She professed first vows on March 19, 1935 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1940.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Evelyn Dunham, Freda Persinger and Elsie Ream; and brothers Adolph and Thomas Meier. She is survived by nieces and nephews and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 75 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Cleonica Meier, BVM Funeral Reflections by Ann Therese Chaput, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, April 3, 2008

A quilt with all its pieces, so often stitched together by Sister Mary Cleonica, could represent her life. The family piece…born January 21, 1914, the youngest child of Mary Frances Hoesing and Joseph Frank Meier, Lorina Mary Meier had three sisters and two brothers. Cleonica remained close to her family, especially her nieces and nephews, and was so happy when they could celebrate her 75th anniversary with her last fall.

The BVM piece of Cleonica’s life began with her entrance in 1932, profession in 1935, then teaching in Chicago, Montana, Iowa, California and Nebraska, first in the primary grades, then junior high. After 35 years of teaching, Cleonica left the classroom to be a Director of Religious Education in Fort Dodge and then with the Army in Colorado. After her 50th Jubilee, Cleonica trained in clinical pastoral education. Her ministry took her once again to parish life where she directed RCIA programs, preparing adults to enter the Church.

The personal piece of Cleonica’s life, which often hid itself in a strong-willed and sturdy presence…. I was privileged to come to know Sister Mary Cleonica beneath the tightly sewn stitches of her fast “get it done” methods. I met Cleonica when I was a novice. During a quilting class we sewed together and became friends. Along with sewing, we shared quilting, rubber stamping, rosary making, and all the crafts the Activities Department here at Mt. Carmel continued to enable Cleonica to do.

While she sought to live the great commandments, the stitches of Cleonica’s life’s quilt were often torn by her own struggle to feel accepted and acknowledged. But, today, with BVM community, during this season of Resurrection, Cleonica, you are now alive without borders, bound only by the peace of Christ. We are thankful that the word of Christ you heard and spoke in your teaching and living now dwells in you richly. Today we will sing psalms and hymns to God with gratitude in our hearts.

Sr. Carmencita Fradinardo Dies

Sister Carmencita Fradinardo, BVM, 90, died March 9, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be March 14 from 9-11 a.m. at the Marian Hall Chapel, with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. with burial in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Carmencita was an elementary school teacher in Illinois and Iowa. In Illinois she taught at Mary Queen of Heaven, Cicero; St. Agatha, Chicago; and St. Joseph, Rock Island. Her Iowa missions were Sacred Heart, Davenport; St. Patrick, Cedar Falls; St. Anthony, Dubuque; and Regina, Iowa City.

For 22 years she was the cosmetologist at Marian Hall, Dubuque.

Sister Carmencita was born June 8, 1917 in Chicago, Ill., to Sandalo and Carmella Como Fradinardo. She worked as a beautician before entering the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1937.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Rose Iuorio and Isabel Sabatino; and brothers Jacob, Ernest and Fred Fradinardo. She is survived by a sister, Ann Coglianese, nieces and nephews, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 70 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Carmencita Fradinardo, BVM Funeral Reflections by Alice Caulfield, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, March 14, 2008

Good afternoon and welcome to all present and those Sisters and staff who are watching in their rooms on Channel 6.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live!” We are here today, to celebrate the new life of a woman who truly believed in that message.

Stella Fradinardo was the youngest of seven children, three boys and four girls, born on June 8, 1917 to Carmella Cuomo and Sandalo (known as Samuel) Fradinardo. Her older sister Ann is her only surviving sibling. She has many nieces and nephews to whom she is very special. Both parents were born in Italy. Italian was spoken in the home when she was small and so she spoke Italian before she spoke English.

After graduation from high school, Carm followed in the footsteps of her mother and one of her sisters and became a beautician. She spent three and a half years working in Gloria’s Beauty Shop on the West Side of Chicago. While she loved her work, Carm felt something was missing in her life. She had a strong attraction toward religious life, which she expressed in her letter to Mother Mary Gervase.

Stella Fradinardo entered Mt. Carmel on Sept 8, 1937 from St. Callistus Parish in Chicago. Six months later at her reception into the Congregation, she received the name Carmencita. It was a form of her mother’s name which pleased her very much.

Carmencita was an excellent primary teacher and taught in BVM Schools in Davenport, Cedar Falls and Dubuque, Iowa, and also in Cicero, Chicago, and Rock Island, Ill. While in Rock Island, Carm had an interesting experience. It was during World War II and Italian prisoners were being held in the Arsenal in Rock Island. On Sundays the Catholic prisoners attended St. Joseph Church in Rock Island. Carm, being able to speak Italian, became a link for them with someone outside of the prison. They enjoyed chatting with her after Liturgy on Sundays.

Carm was at St. Anthony’s in Dubuque at the time the Congregation was changing from religious habit to modern day clothing. The beautician instincts arose in Carm and she had a friend come to the convent and cut, shape or perm everyone’s hair before they appeared in public.

In 1974, for health reasons Carm moved to Marian Hall. She had good days and bad days, but she noticed the need for hair care at Marian Hall. She found a small room on ground floor and an old dental chair – thus the beginning of a Beauty Shop at Marian Hall with Carm being the first beautician. She believed if your hair looked good you would feel good. She would not tolerate a wig that looked like a wig; it had to look natural.

As the severity of her physical condition increased, Carm had to give up doing hair and became the supervisor of the Beauty Shop. She hired the first beautician who has been with us for 28 years. Eventually, a second Shop and more beauticians were needed.

Carm’s deep love of family is clear, as she shared stories and pictures of all generations of her family. Her love of family flowed into her love of her BVM Sisters. She always invited the Sisters when her family was celebrating special events in her life. She visited those who were ill and brought joy, love and a delightful sense of humor.

Carm believed and trusted in the Gospel message of today and now is enjoying the life promised her forever. God bless you, Carm.

Sr. Osmunda Griffin Dies

Sister Osmunda Griffin, BVM, 91, died March 5, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be March 11 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Osmunda was an elementary school educator at St. Cornelius and St. Gertrude, Chicago, Ill.; St. Philip, San Francisco, Calif.; St. Bridget, Omaha, Neb.; and Sacred Heart, Boulder, Colo.

She served in Iowa for 25 years at St. Joseph Academy, St. John, St. Ambrose and Visitation, Des Moines; Sacred Heart, Maquoketa; St. Jude and St. Patrick, Cedar Rapids.

Sister Osmunda was born April 3, 1916 in Cosgrove, Iowa to Edward and Mary Agatha McDonough Griffin. She graduated from St. Patrick High School, Iowa City, before entering the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1933. She professed first vows on March 19, 1936 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1941.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Elaine Sirhall; and brothers John, Francis and Cecil Griffin. She is survived by nieces and nephews and the Sisters of Charity, BVM with whom she shared life for 74 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Osmunda Griffin, BVM Funeral Reflections by Patricia McNamara, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, March 11, 2008

Good afternoon and welcome to our celebration of the new life of our sister, Osmunda Griffin. A warm welcome to BVM Sisters and Associates, staff and all those who have joined us on Channel 6.

Mary Pauline was born on April 3, 1916, in Cosgrove, Iowa, the third of five children of Edward and Mary Agatha McDonough Griffin. Brothers John, Sr., Francis and Cecil and sister Elaine Sirhall are all deceased.

Mary Pauline grew up on the family farm near Iowa City and attended St. Patrick Elementary and High School in Iowa City. In her letter seeking admission to the BVMs, she gave as one reason –“to do all the good I can for God’s greater honor and glory." Pauline entered Mt. Carmel on September 8, 1933 and was received March19, 1934. She was given the religious name Osmunda.

After her first profession on March 19, 1936 she was sent to St. Joseph Academy, Des Moines. She was later missioned at each of our schools there: St. John, Visitation, and St. Ambrose, where she was superior/principal. Osmunda was one of six who opened St. Philip School, San Francisco in 1936. She again was called to open a school as superior/ principal at Sacred Heart in Maquoketa, Iowa in 1962.

Osmunda was seen as kindness personified. As a superior, in her down to earthness, she welcomed all with her graciousness. These qualities enabled her to make early inroads to ecumenism both at St. Ambrose, Des Moines via Indianola, a town where Catholics had been banned, and at Maquoketa, where Sisters were met by some with gaping astonishment. Undaunted, Osmunda replied "that our mission will be to smile at everyone."

As principal and teacher, Osmunda’s concern for the children’s transition to the public high school led her, at the suggestion of SM Lidwina at St. Anthony’s, Dubuque, to contact the Maquoketa school to see how Sacred Heart children were doing. That was the beginning of a partnership in the areas of education, athletic programs and combined choral groups which Osmunda described as "We were partners rather than rivals.”

Osmunda continued her ministry of education until 1983, her 50th Jubilee year, when she returned to Mt. Carmel and resided in the newly opened Deerfield apartment with four other BVMs. Osmunda reported their goals, "Let us strive to be aware of Christ’s presence in one another as we live each day together." She wanted to continue in service to the Congregation and asked for a "job." She ran the Gift Shop and then a need arose for a supervisor of housekeeping. Osmunda related in her biography, "I have lovely women to work with and I have enjoyed it."

Osmunda, "you have remained in God’s love, you have borne fruit that will last" as the Gospel will proclaim. You have fulfilled your goals. May your continued life in God be one continuous, grand celebration with family, friends and the clans of the McDonoughs and Griffins.

Sr. Mary Frances Leahy Dies

Sister Mary Frances Leahy, BVM (Thomas Nora), 73, died Feb. 27, 2008 at University of Illinois Hospital, Chicago, Ill.

Visitation will be March 2 from 2-5 p.m. at Notre Dame de Chicago Church, with a prayer service at 4 p.m., and March 3 from 9-10:15 a.m. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside.

Sister Mary Frances was a music and classroom teacher in Chicago for 45 years. She taught at St. Agatha, St. Eugene, St. Tarcissus, St. Jerome, St. Eulalia in Maywood, Holy Family and Children of Peace schools. She also was a tutor at Westside Employment and Education Center, and worked at Franklin Park Animal Hospital, Franklin Park.

She was born Feb. 16, 1935 in Chicago to Thomas and Nora O’Mahoney Leahy. She graduated from St. Ferdinand and Immaculata High School before entering the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1953. She professed first vows on March 19, 1956 and final vows on July 16, 1961.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Thomas Leahy. She is survived by a sister, Noreen Smith; two brothers, William and James Leahy; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 54 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund, 1100 Carmel Dr., Dubuque, IA 52003.

Mary Frances Leahy, BVM (Thomas Nora) Funeral Reflections by Mary Therese Cusack, BVM Notre Dame de Chicago Church, March 3, 2008

Today's Gospel reminds us of the story of Jesus visiting Martha and Mary. Most of us have heard the story hundreds of times. Who among us is Martha? Who among us is Mary? At our gathering to plan the liturgical celebration of the life of Mary Frances Leahy those of us present unanimously agreed that Mary Frances was both!

Mary Frances Leahy was born on February 16, 1935. Just two weeks ago last Saturday she celebrated her 73rd birthday with her friends from Roosevelt Place at both lunch and dinner! No one suspected how few days on this earth she had left.

Mary Frances was the first of five children born to Thomas Leahy and Nora O'Mahoney of County Donegal and Mitcheltown, Ireland. She then welcomed her brothers Thomas and William, then her sister, Noreen, and finally her last brother, James. Her devotion to her family, her love for her father, mother, siblings and their spouses, nieces and nephews has been apparent to all who knew her.

Mary Frances wrote to Mother Mary Josita on April 11, 1953 asking for admission to the BVM Congregation. She stated her reasons for entering the BVM Congregation as, "to save my own soul and to help others find God." She certainly helped hundreds of 'others' to find that God in her 55 years of service as a BVM. She made her firsts Vows on March 19, 1956, and was perpetually professed on July 16. 1961.

Mary Frances' missions included St. Agatha's, St. Eugene's, St. Tarcissus, St. Jerome's in Chicago, then on to St. Eulalia's in Maywood where she lived for 29 years. In between she served at Holy Family School, which eventually became Holy Family Campus of Children of Peace School. In her retirement she worked part time at the Franklin Park Animal Hospital and at West Side Employment, a literacy program at Holy Family Parish.

When I first interviewed her for a teaching position at St. Eulalia's in 1978, her eyes lighted up when we visited the convent and met McGonnigal, our faithful dog! I don't think she even needed to see the classroom before she jumped at taking the position! As much as I would prefer to think of my "charming her" into taking the position, I knew it was McGonnigal who won the day for us!

At the time of Mary Frances' profession we were assigned positions rather than applying for a position we would choose. Music teachers were at a minimum. But it was they who 'earned' the most money which would be sent directly to the Motherhouse. Classroom teachers were still at the 'mercy' of whatever pastor or bishop thought was a legitimate stipend. Because of her musical training, Mary Frances was assigned Music Teaching, rather than the full time classroom teaching she would have preferred. She would often laughingly refer to a parody a Tertian group sang to us as Novices when they came back to Mount Carmel for Perpetual Vows. The line she quoted was, 'A Music Teacher you will be if you can find Middle C!" Mercifully, as soon as we could apply for our own positions, she returned permanently to full time classroom teaching.

Her love and sensitivity to animals was paramount in her life. When going through snapshots and pictures that she treasured, snapshots of her many dog companions are there, with McGonnigal and Tipper on center stage! She found God in every living creature and honored and respected each one.

She also treasured pictures of her 'set' and kept a copy of an article written about her Golden Jubilee Celebration at Mount Carmel in August of 2003. It contained pictures of the entire group she entered with in 1953. She had several copies of her Golden Jubilee companions from that August gathering.

How to summarize the life of such a unique and talented woman? Our reading from Proverbs reminds us that Mary Frances “prepared her food, mixed her wine and set her table." She was the ultimate hostess and gourmet cook. Yet, she was an introvert who could easily spend hours and hours simply reading, reading, reading. Yes, both Martha and Mary were integral parts of Mary Frances.

A good friend described her as the ultimate "Renaissance Woman." And I have never met anyone with such a profound and disarming sense of humor!

She was perfectly comfortable with children and parents, with peers and administrators, with adults struggling with illiteracy and with Mozart and Beethoven. An accomplished musician, she hid many of her talents shyly, but when needed she would play and sing for a Funeral Mass or teach a song and accompany an entire school assembly at the last minute with little or no preparation.

She preferred the background, never trying to impress anyone. But her sharp mind added much to discussions of our Church, religious life and the political scene in America. But her love of history and her profound hunger for more knowledge led to her devouring book after book. I doubt that there is a book in the Maywood or any Western Suburban Library that Mary Frances has not read. Seven to ten books a week would be her minimum. Also, she was able to pass on her passion for reading to the students she taught.

When Mary Frances made her Perpetual Vows on July 16, 1961, she used the same Vow formula that many of us used in that era. After vowing Poverty, Chastity and Obedience forever, Mary Frances said, "Father of Mercy, may this offering of my heart be acceptable to You. Take me into the arms of Your infinite goodness and grant me the grace so to fulfill these things which my Vows require of me that one day I may see Thee, praise Thee and love Thee forever."

Well, dear shy and brilliant friend, that day is now! May you wallow in God's love as you praise that God with Martha and Mary, your parents and brother, Tom, and all the saints who, through the ages, have spent their lives as you have, serving some of the dearest and most neglected of God's people.

We are so grateful for your life with us, Mary Frances, and we will always love you,

Sr. Remi Caldwell Dies

Sister Mary Remi Caldwell, BVM, 84, died Feb. 21, 2008 at Caritas Center, Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be Feb. 26 from 9-11 a.m. in the Marian Hall Chapel with a prayer service at 11 a.m. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Remi was a kindergarten and primary school teacher and administrator at St. Francis Xavier, Kansas City, Mo.; Holy Rosary, Milwaukee, Wis.; St. Francis Xavier Elementary, Phoenix, Ariz.; and Holy Family, Glendale, Calif.

In Chicago, she taught at Our Lady of Angels and Holy Family, and was part of the Holy Family Parish ministry to persons in the neighborhood.

Sister Remi was born May 2, 1923 in Milwaukee, Wis. to Francis and Margaret Fitzsimmons Caldwell. She graduated from St. Michael Grade School and Holy Angels Academy before entering the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1941. She professed first vows on March 19, 1944 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1949.

Her parents, sisters Sarah Tyson and Frances Kilcollins and brother James Caldwell preceded her in death. She is survived by two sisters, Sister Mary Ellen Caldwell, BVM and Helen Smith; two brothers, Rev. Thomas Caldwell, SJ and Joseph Caldwell; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 66 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Mary Remi Caldwell, BVM Funeral Reflections by Mary Ann Lenore Eifert, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, February 26, 2008

Good afternoon and welcome to our celebration of the new life of our Sister, Mary Remi Caldwell. A special welcome to Remi’s family, her sister, Sister Mary Ellen, her sister Helen Margaret, her brothers Joe and Father Tom, our concelebrant, her nieces and nephews and friends. A special welcome also to members of Mary Remi’s set and to the sisters celebrating with us via Channel 6, especially our sisters and staff on 4th floor Caritas who were Mary Remi’s loving companions this past year.

Remi was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 2, 1923, the third child of Francis and Helen Fitzsimmons Caldwell. Mary Ellen and Jim preceded her, and Helen Margaret, Tom, Sally, Joe and Frances followed. Remi was baptized Rose. Her mother called her “my little Rosebud” – the name stuck, and forever after she was Rosebud to her family. At Confirmation she chose the name “Mary” so it could be added to Rose and she could be known to her many friends as Rosemary. She was educated in St. Michael’s grade school, an Irish girl in a German parish, and at Holy Angels Academy where she met the BVMs.

She applied for admission to the BVM community on March 16, 1941 and in her letter stated, “I have always had the desire to become a Religious, and with your permission, I wish to enter the novitiate of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary next September. Her signature was Rosemary Caldwell. Mother Mary Gervase accepted Remi for entrance September 8, 1941. She was received March 19, 1942, made first profession Mary 19, 1944, and was perpetually professed August 15, 1949.

We all knew Mary Remi as an excellent kindergarten and primary grade teacher. Today’s Gospel about Jesus wanting the little children to come to him is a theme so fitting to Remi with her loving welcome to the students in her classes. Remi’s first mission was St. Francis Xavier, Kansas City where she taught kindergarten in the morning and music in the afternoon. Some of you may remember the popularity of the Ward method: Remi went from class to class with her pitch pipe and trained the children in “arsis, thesis.” While she was there the parish built the “Fish Church;” the kindergarten children became playground supervisors.

Remi’s next kindergarten was at Our Lady of Angels, Chicago. After eight years she was sent to Milwaukee where she taught at Holy Rosary in the morning and Gesu in the afternoon. Her time there was short, however, as she was called back to Our Lady of Angels after the 1958 fire, not only as a teacher where she still know many of the students, but also as one who consoled the many families grieving for the loss of their children. Every year the anniversary of that fire was important to her.

Her next assignment was St. Francis Xavier in Phoenix where she called her first grade classroom the “Joy Room.” Indeed it was a Joy Room as Remi showed the little ones that it is the love behind the lessons that make the lessons live. Then came Holy Family School in Glendale, California where she was my principal for nine years. 1991 brought her back to Chicago to a school also named Holy Family; she was delighted to be missioned in a school so full of BVM history. In 2000 she moved to the Motherhouse, then to Marian Hall in 2006 and Caritas Center in 2007. Last Thursday evening God called her home.

Remi is well known as a gentle, conscientious, humble, patient woman whose smile could bring charm, grace and comfort to all whose lives she touched. We are reminded much of Remi in the first reading from John’s first epistle where he says “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like God, for we shall see God, as God is.” Surely now Remi has seen God face to face and God has truly welcomed a valiant woman.

Sr. Isidora Lorentz Dies

Sister Isidora Lorentz, BVM, 96, died Feb. 17, 2008 at Marian Hall, Dubuque, Iowa. Arrangements are pending.

Sister Isidora was a lifelong educator. She spent 58 years in the Northwest. In Oregon, she taught and was principal at St. Anthony, Tigard; St. Cecilia and St. Clare, Portland. Her Washington missions were St. George, St. John and Christ the King in Seattle, and St. Pius X, Mountlake Terrace.

She also taught at St. John, Butte, Mont.; St. Joseph, Rock Island, Ill.; Holy Name and St. Tarcissus, Chicago.

Sister Isidora was born Sept. 27, 1911 in Seattle, Wash., to Isidore and Louise Doppler Lorentz. She graduated from St. George School and Holy Names Academy before entering the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1927. She professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1929 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1935.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Isabel Lorentz and brother Clement Lorentz. She is survived by nephews and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 80 years.

Memorials may be given to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund.

Sister Isidora Lorentz, BVM Funeral Reflections by Kathryn Lawlor, BVM Marian Hall Chapel, February 20, 2008

“Sing praise to the Lord for God’s glorious achievements let this be known throughout all the earth.”

How fittingly this scripture verse summarized Isidora Lorentz’s life. She lived with an attitude of gratitude. She certainly followed the example of Mary Frances Clarke in seeing only God’s great abundance in her life. Much of what I’m reflecting this afternoon is taken from Isidora’s memoirs which begins, “I dedicate my memoirs to Mother Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as one of her children from the ‘far, far West.’”

Clara Gertrude Lorentz, born on September 27, 1911, in Seattle, Washington, was the youngest child of Isidore and Louise Doppler Lorentz. She had an older sister Isabella and a brother, Clement. She attended Seattle public school until 5th grade. Then she became a charter student at St. George’s grade school when the BVMs opened it in 1921. She attended Holy Names High School until, completing her sophomore year, she entered the BVMs. When Isidora informed her parents of her plans, her mother responded, “This doesn’t surprise us. When you were eight years old Mother Cabrini and her sisters came for lunch at our house. She patted you on the head and said, ‘One day this little one will be a religious in a teaching community.’”

Isidora entered the Congregation on September 8, 1927, over 80 years ago, with 47 other young women. She is the last member of her set to die. When at her reception she received the name Isidora after her father, she said her mother wrote to her that her father was thrilled that she had his name. And he was so proud, her mother wrote, that he would have to buy a hat several times larger.

After profession in 1929 Isidora’s first assignment was teaching second grade at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago. Shortly after she arrived the first grade sister became ill, so Isidora taught both grades which contained 104 pupils. She wrote, “But I was blessed with wonderful sisters. Every day after school, one of the sisters tutored me on what I was to teach the next day.” It was the midst of the depression while Isidora taught at Holy Name and of that time she said, “We had to provide food for the children. We would beg for week-old bread. We didn’t have freezers in those days so the bread was very hard. In early morning we would put large kettles filled with water on the stove. We would cover them with a sort of cheesecloth and get the water boiling so the steam would soften the bread. We wrapped it in some sort of paper to keep it moist. We also were able to get some powdered milk, not quite as refined as it is today, but it was something to feed the poor hungry children. If we had any left, we would send it home at the end of the school day.”

After six years of teaching in Illinois, Isidora was sent to the Northwest where she taught for the next 60 years until her return to Mt. Carmel in 1997. In Oregon at St. Anthony, Tigard and St. Cecilia, Portland, in Washington at St. John, St. George, Christ the King, Seattle, St. Pius X, Mountlake Terrace, in Montana at St. John. Isidora’s history flows along with the history of the Northwest United States. She survived threats from the Klu Klux Klan, threats from the state of Oregon trying to close the Catholic schools, threats during a long strike of miners at the Butte copper mines. She even survived a threat of drowning when a boat she and other sisters, including Margaret Swann, were sailing in overturned on an Oregon lake. Isidora provided care for the children of the migrant farm workers. She successfully politicked for children in the Catholic schools to ride the public school buses. She sent students to plant seedlings in places destroyed by forest fires.

Isidora delighted in being a teacher. She enthusiastically prepared for every grade she was assigned. She deeply cared for the students and their parents to whom she generously gave her time. In 1987 she received the Top Teacher Award for the State of Washington. Isidora would attribute her success to her prayers to all the angels and saints who surrounded her students.

After retiring at Mt. Carmel in 1997 Isidora continued generously contributing her time. She became a vital member of a Centering Prayer group. She wrote letters for sisters at Marian Hall and she kept vigil during the nighttime for sisters who were dying. She wrote, “It is a tremendous experience to be with a sister as she leaves this world to go to meet God. They are always so peaceful. It is very hard to describe. I always feel I am on Holy Ground.”

As we celebrate Isidora’s entrance into eternal life today, we sing praise to God for the glorious achievement this daughter from the far, far west was to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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