Jean Reimer, OP, Nurse, Humanitarian, Survivor
Fluent in five languages, Sister Jean Reimer (1929-2022) missioned in Siberia after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and in Guatemala rife with corruption and humanitarian atrocities. In Guatemala for 10 years, she helped indigenous peoples impoverished and oppressed by organized crime, government corruption, and civil war. She survived kidnapping and imprisonment before escape and return to the United States to bear witness. Between 1960 and 1996, over 200,000 Guatemalans were killed, and 40,000 more “disappeared” through decades of civil war and military-led governments.
Sister Jean Reimer never turned away from people in desperate need and danger. Hidden in plain sight and the dark of night, she traveled paths few of us can imagine.
“Going on mission is something I like doing. Another language, culture, people, place. It has nourished my soul. It gives me another glimpse of God,” she once said of her ministry presence.
Bear Witness to Dignity of Every Human Person
As vowed women religious and as a Congregation, it is the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching that call the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids to bear witness to the dignity of every human person.
We embrace our Dominican charism of Veritas (“Truth”) which compels us to search for and preach truth as it impacts the lives of people and planet—to be a voice that focuses attention on the cry of Earth and the cry of the poor.
Please join us in remembering the legacy of Sister Jean and of all Sisters and Brothers dedicated to fighting for the forgotten.
Dominican Presence Around the World
Experiences of Dominican brothers and sisters around the world inform our hearts and positions on Peace and Justice. War is not the way, as we have seen throughout history.
Our hearts are heavy with the horrible loss of life and destruction wrought by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens and the ensuing Israeli war with Palestine.
In Sister Jean’s name, we pray… for the victims; for change of heart among the perpetrators; for our sisters and brothers living and serving in war zones throughout the world: `We assure you, you are not alone, nor forgotten.’
“I have been bountifully blessed with calls to minister in a variety of places, peoples and languages: Health Care in: California (Brawley and El Centro); New Mexico, Saginaw, Texas and Grand Rapids; Pastoral Care in: Mexico (Mexicali and Juarez), Guatemala, Saginaw, Russia and France (Prouilhe and Fanjeaux). Each holds a blessing and a story.
I am grateful for this itinerant journey inspired by the Spirit through the giftedness of Congregational Leadership and the sacred sisterhood each in turn gift to world and church.” ~ Jean Reimer, OP
