Sister Elizabeth Amman

How can I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?

“The years have flown by; it seems only yesterday I was considering religious life as a lifestyle option. It has been a blessed journey thus far, and in the Providence of God, I know that the `dance’ will continue to offer life, energy, and beauty. My heart overflows with gratitude for my family, sisters, friends and acquaintances who have helped keep the face of Jesus before me.”

Sister Elizabeth was the director of Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center in Arborvitae, Wisconsin until returning to Marywood in Grand Rapids in 2023. She managed the marketing and fundraising, and operations. As a spiritual director, she also led individual retreats for vowed religious and men and women preparing for final vows.

She refers to this ministry in the north woods of Wisconsin as the capstone of her life. “Every ministry before led me here to this spiritual retreat center on a lake in the middle of a pine forest. Nature soothes the soul, it centers me and brings me in touch with the Creator. And to be ministering in a place where we can share the quiet peacefulness of creation is such a blessing in my life. The retreats and programming at “the other Marywood” is for women and men religious of all orders, adult catechists, and confirmation students. We blend art, nature, and spirituality. We have backpacking and kayaking retreats.”

Prior to serving in Wisconsin, Sister Elizabeth taught and worked in administration of schools. She also served as the first development director for the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids.

She is a 1974 Aquinas College grad with a BA in Spanish. She later earned an MA in Religious Education from Aquinas College and an MA in Hospital and Health Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, she was vice president of a hospital. She later served as Vice President of Mission Integration at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend, Kansas for five years.

Among her favorite memories of serving at the Grand Rapids Marywood is being present for the opening of Dominican Center at Marywood. “It was a wonderful thing to open Dominican Center at Marywood. It’s a place  where people can come and be real, just be themselves,” she says.

Another memory is traveling to Chimbote, Peru with then Prioress Sr. Barbara Hansen. The two went to witness the blessing of a newly renovated commercial kitchen at Maternidad. “My degree in Spanish came in quite handy and memory didn’t fail. The priest from Pittsburg got sick and wasn’t able to attend the Blessing Ceremony and so I filled in, practicing my Spanish for hours in the convent before the ceremony. It was a great experience!”

Biography

Sister Elizabeth Amman OP is a native of the small town of Chesaning, Michigan. After graduating from Our Lady of Perpetual Help high school, she attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 along with certification for teaching junior high and high school. She also earned a Master of Arts in Religious Education in 1978 from Aquinas. She taught in Grand Rapids and Hannah Michigan.

Being drawn to the healthcare field in the administrative area she earned a Master of Hospital and Healthcare Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati Ohio in 1985 and landed her first healthcare position as Administrator of Caledonia Health Care Center, a small rural clinic, hospital and nursing home in Caledonia, MN. After the sad closure of CHCC, she took a position at Central Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend, KS. While in the healthcare field she took classes in Ethics, Spiritual Assessment and Clinical Pastoral Education. Most recently Sr. Elizabeth was Administrator/Director of Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center in Arbor Vitae, WI for 15 years. Sister Elizabeth currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.