SisterStories
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Sister Inspiration: Verona Wangler, OP
June 21, 2019
People are Just People One of the most important things I’ve learned from this project is that the differences between people don’t really matter as much as we think they do. The gap in age between me and Sister Verona, about 74 years, has faded into the background of our interactions. When we talk, I […]
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Sister Inspiration: Bernice Garcia, OP
March 15, 2018
Sarah Toppen and Sister Bernice Garcia, OP are walking together on an oral history project for SisterStory. It is an ongoing initiative of National Catholic Sisters Week, a campaign to broaden awareness of Catholic sisters. The following is an introduction to this project by Aquinas College Student Sarah Toppen. From the moment I enter the Dominican Center […]
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Sister Inspiration: Helen Bueche, OP with Marissa Ebels
March 2, 2018
Marissa Ebels and Sister Helen Bueche, OP are walking together on an oral history project, SisterStory. It is an ongoing initiative of National Catholic Sisters Week, a campaign to broaden awareness of Catholic sisters. The following is an introduction to this project by Aquinas College Student Marissa Ebels. On January 24th, I was paired with Sister […]
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Sister Inspiration: Kateri Schrems, OP
February 9, 2018
“It is a gift to be called upon and so I approach each person I meet with reverence, honoring all that they are.” That’s how Sister Kateri Schrems characterizes her ministry on the Pastoral Care Team at Marywood Health Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “We are allowed, not just asked, to become a part of […]
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Sister Inspiration: Jackie Hudson, OP
February 2, 2018
What calls a cradle Catholic from a quiet mid-western town to become one of God’s most vocal preachers of peace and justice? This Saginaw, Michigan native taught piano and vocals to youngsters for 25 years. She had the ear and expertise to tune pianos. As a child, she accompanied her mother on marketing trips to local […]
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Sister Inspiration: Ardeth Platte, OP and Carol Gilbert, OP
January 26, 2018
Looking into the eyes of children is certainly part of the conviction that has led two Catholic sisters, both former teachers, to a lifetime of preaching against and protesting nuclear weapons. Their personal protests started in Michigan in the 1980s. Their impassioned actions working with Home for Peace and Justice, led lawmakers in the State […]
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Sister Inspiration: Marybride Ryan, OP
January 19, 2018
A Golden Pathway of Love Led Her To Vocation and Service In 1913, little Margaret Ryan was born and baptized in Waterford Ireland. The bright, confident child thrived at home and school. She was surrounded by the presence of an extended family and close-knit community. Thanks to a public education fund, she attended an excellent […]
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Sister Inspiration: Teresita Garcia, OP
January 12, 2018
There is no doubt that Sister Teresita Garcia’s personal prayer focus is informed by her life experiences. She prays for “an increase in vocations to religious life and for world peace”. Born and raised in New Mexico, Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters were her role models and teachers. Sisters Seraphine , Isadora, Sienna, and Clotilda inspired […]
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Sister Inspiration: Marilyn Holmes, OP
December 29, 2017
The Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids live in community at Marywood. They have given their lives to be available to one another and to others. They have spent their lives as Sisters learning to live communally, learning to live by example: “let all things be done to build each other up.” Sister Marilyn Holmes is […]
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Her Story: Sister Inspiration – Josephine Mary Birchmeier, OP
December 15, 2017
She knits, sews, and cooks and bakes. None of these are easy tasks for a women whose hands can be painfully uncooperative due to Lupus. Yet, what Sister Josephine “Jo” Birchmeier describes as her homemaking ministries continue to be a blessing to our Congregation of Dominican Sisters and to the West Michigan community. Sisters who […]