†Sister Aquinas Weber, OP

“Ability to be of service to others both within and outside my community has meant the most to me in my Dominican vocation,” wrote Sister Aquinas on the occasion of her silver jubilee. Years later at the age of seventy-five she remarked upon receiving the Edmund Frey Distinguished Service Award that she was not ready to retire. “Even if I retire, I will not be an idle person.” Her life before entering the congregation had prepared her well for a life of service.

Lucille Weber, born May 2, 1923, was the first daughter and fifth child of Jacob and Anna Weber, who operated a family farm near Kingsley in northern Michigan. She had nine brothers and one younger sister. From her mother she learned the skills of household management, including food preservation and the careful use of time and resources. In her father, she had a model for involvement in politics, education, and church activities. Large extended family gatherings were a Sunday routine; and during the Depression, the Weber family shared with neighbors and provided shelter to those in need.

Lucille’s education began at St. Mary’s School, Hannah, and was enriched through wide reading at home. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School in 1941, she worked for nearly three years in Detroit at Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Co., where penicillin was the latest product. There she acquired business acumen.

Inspired by a young teacher in a rural school, Lucille made weekend visits to Marywood and entered as a postulant in 1944. At reception she received the name Sister Mary Aquinas – an exceptionally prophetic choice as she would later become Chancellor of Aquinas College. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College and later pursued graduate studies at The Catholic University of America and Marquette University.

Her teaching ministry began at St. Stephen, Grand Rapids and continued at St. Mary, New Salem; St. Boniface, Bay City; and St. Alfred, Taylor, where she also served as principal. In 1963, Sister Aquinas returned to Grand Rapids as Directress of the House of Studies, where seventy young Sisters lived as they completed their education before being sent out on mission.

In 1966 Sister Aquinas was elected Prioress of the Dominican Congregation and was the first to discontinue the title “Mother.” During her six-year term, many other changes occurred: adoption of the official breviary, gradual modernization of religious dress, the introduction of preference sheets for ministry placement, freer association with lay people, and more flexible daily schedules.

When her term was completed in 1972, Sister Aquinas attended the University of Michigan, earning a master’s degree in Sociology with a concentration on urban studies. Upon returning, she became the first director of the Eastown Project, an initiative founded by Aquinas College to address urban blight in the surrounding neighborhood. The Eastown Community Association—later recognized as the first of its kind in the city—was formed under her leadership. Sister Aquinas made frequent trips to City Hall to advocate for better police protection, lighting, street repairs, and demolition of abandoned buildings. When the college transitioned leadership of Eastown to the residents, she remained a member of the Grand Rapids Housing Authority until 1979.

In 1976 Sister Aquinas was elected treasurer of the Marywood Congregation, a position she held for four years. In 1980, she began three years as Directress of Aquinas Emeritus College, a program of non-credit courses for older adults. Then President Norbert Hruby persuaded her to become Vice-President for Development at Aquinas; her title was eventually changed to Chancellor – Special Assistant to the President. She continued serving the development department as fund-raiser – or friend-raiser – as she preferred to call it.

Sister Aquinas was also a prominent leader in public affairs. She was the first woman elected to the board of the Old Kent Financial Corporation and served on boards of the Salvation Army, YMCA, St. John’s Home, Gleaners, Porter Hills, and Hospice of Greater Grand Rapids. Her numerous awards include the Notre Dame Award for distinguished leadership in Christian ideals of justice and moral responsibility; the Tree of Life Award (highest honor of the Jewish National Fund) for promoting Jewish-Catholic relations; the first Aquinas Reflection Award; and the Legacy Award from the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council. “It is my hope, “she once said, “that women may serve in positions anywhere with the same credibility, recognition, and compensation given to men.”

In her professional life Sister Aquinas was noted for vision, commitment, integrity, and trustworthiness. Despite extensive public recognition, she remained unassuming and simple in her tastes. She was faith-filled and attentive to daily Mass, meditation, and liturgy of the hours. She was a loyal friend and a frequent visitor to those who were sick or lonely and in need. Drawing on her early years on the family farm, she cultivated vegetables in the backyard of her home on Woodward Lane and ventured out to harvest from berry patches and orchards. Her hobbies and interests included reading, hiking, cooking, fishing, and travel.

She will be remembered for her strong, level-headed commitment to justice, her kindness to those in need, and her faithfulness to serving God above all as she lived her Dominican life most fully to the end.

Sr. Aquinas is survived by sisters-in-law, Barbara Weber and Mary Ellen Weber, many nieces and nephews, friends, and members of her Dominican Community.