Daughters of Charity - West Central Province

After moving to St. Louis in 1964 and working for the Daughters of Charity at Guardian Angel Settlement I joined the community in 1966. Most of my community life I have worked in various positions at social ministry agencies in St. Louis, Dallas, Kansas City and New Orleans. From day care teacher to Director to Administrator and presently as Mission Effectiveness Director at Our Little Haven; it has been a blessing for me to serve children and persons who are poor. I love the opportunity to be creative in my work, my garden, my cooking and my photography. To visit Our Little Haven’s website just click on the photo of Sr. Rosemary.

I am the eldest of a family of seven children. I have served in Child Care, Early Childhood Education, Inner City Social Ministry, and Social Worker in a nursing facility as well as rural Home Health. I have served our retired Sisters as well as in Parish Social Ministry and as a Pastoral Associate. I've been on my present Mission in Springfield, Missouri for 7 years and I'm still going strong. I Coordinate Parish funerals, I’m Spiritual Moderator for both the St. Vincent de Paul Conference and Regional Council of Catholic Women, I visit homebound and nursing home residents in the Parish and coordinate their Ministers of Communion and I Coordinate Social Ministry in the Parish.

I grew up on a farm with my parents and one sister in Perryville, Missouri. I attended St. Vincent High School taught by the Daughters of Charity. I entered the Community in 1953. I taught elementary grades in Catholic Schools for 14 years in Louisiana, California, Utah, and Missouri. My first introduction to extreme poverty was in 1983 in El Petin, Guatemala. I then served in parish team ministry for five years in Nebraska. About 10 years were spent in parish ministry/RCIA in many areas of Texas. In March of 2007 I accompanied Vincente Gutierrez, on Death Row, for execution in Texas. This was the hardest thing I've ever done and I could not have done it without the prayers and support of the world-wide community. My present ministry is serving the poor at Helping Hand Food Pantry in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I am a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and the oldest of five children, born of French-Irish parents. I grew up three blocks from "Little Charity Hospital" where the Daughters of Charity served for more than fifty years. Prior to entering the Daughters of Charity I received my degree from the University of Louisiana and taught Spanish and History in High School. I also worked in Social Service at Travelers Aid Society in New Orleans. Since joining the Community I have served as an Elementary and Junior High teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas, Texas and Perryville, Missouri and as part of a team for Rural Community Services in the Diocese of Fresno, California. I was a Religious Education Coordinator in Cotulla, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas as well as Parish Ministry and Hispanic Ministry in North Platte, Nebraska and Pampa, Texas. I am now living in Gould, Arkansas and serving as Parish Administrator of a rural Hispanic Community.

I returned to New Orleans in February 2008, after serving on the Provincial Council and Ascension Health Board for nine years. I love living in the area of the City where the Sisters first began ministry to children in the early 1800s. I have lived community in institutional settings and have participated in establishing four houses in neighborhoods in Texas, Missouri and Louisiana. My ministries have included nursing staff positions (7 years), advanced nursing practice (6 years), staff development (10 years) and teaching in a baccalaureate nursing program (2 years). As a registered nurse, I currently accompany persons who have chronic illnesses. I am "coach" and "cheerleader"!

I was born in Chicago and educated by the Dominicans. I met the Daughters on a train trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I entered the Community through Marillac House in Chicago with the idea of working with newborns. I received my Bachelors Degree at Marillac College and my Masters Degree in Administration from St. Louis University. I taught in grade schools and served as a principal for many years. I received a Masters Degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was asked to enter the world of healthcare and have served as Vice President Mission Effectiveness at Providence Health Center for over 17 years and love it. I am a Certified Doula and at last am with newborns. I enjoy reading, quilting, writing, cooking and daydreaming.

I was raised in Dedham, Massachusetts and Altadena, California. I entered the Daughters of Charity through Maryvale in South San Gabriel. I have served in education in the West Central Province, Turkey and Bolivia as well as in Diocesan work in Little Rock, Arkansas and Dallas, Texas. Presently, I am an associate in Mission Integration at Seton Family of Hospitals in Central Texas. My passion is social justice and advocacy. God has been very good to me and I am grateful! Centering prayer has brought me into a closer walk with Him.

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. I had the happiness of being taught by the Daughters of Charity in 7th and 8th grades at St. Catherine Laboure School in Sappington, Missouri. After graduating from Marillac College in 1966, my mission experience included teaching in La Salle, Illinois, Brewer and Jennings, Missouri and Dallas, Texas. I taught and was in administration in San Antonio, Odessa and Edinburg – all in Texas. I loved all the challenges that each special place of ministry placed before me and I deeply appreciate all those who gave, and continue to give, support to the ministry of Catholic education, especially in the places where we meet those who are most Poor.

I was born and raised in a small town in New Mexico to parents poor in material goods but rich in faith and family values. I was educated in public schools and met the Daughters of Charity when I entered Hotel Dieu School of Nursing in El Paso. I had the privilege of celebrating 50 years in the Community recently and have had the joy of serving in various missions, beginning with hospital nursing, nursing education, as a missionary in Ecuador and Bolivia for 18 years and currently on the border in the Diocese of El Paso, with women religious and with women of all ages at our family health clinic. I thank God for calling me to be a Daughter of Charity and for giving me the grace to respond to the invitation to serve those who are poor and vulnerable. I have been truly blessed and evangelized by them, and I am very grateful for the opportunities given me to know and to serve in many cultures and places.

I am one of eleven children and was born in Des Moines, Iowa. My parents struggled to make a living and send all of us to Catholic Schools. I read about the Daughters of Charity in the Sacred Heart Messenger and went to Marillac House in Chicago, Illinois. My first mission was to Perryville, Missouri to teach grade school. There were 25 - 27 sisters in our House. Then I was asked to study biology in order to prepare to teach at Marillac College. I completed my Bachelor in Science degree at Marillac, went to Fordham University and obtained Masters and Doctoral Degrees in biology. I spent about 12 years teaching at Marillac College. My next missions were in Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Cochabamba in Bolivia, Austin, Texas, back to Missouri and now here in San Antonio, Texas working with the South Texas Coalition against Human Trafficking and the Provincial stop-trafficking committee.

I am the oldest of two children. While in initial formation I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts/Art Education degree and then later studied for a Masters in Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in New Orleans. My ministry experiences have been predominately in community-based settings as an educator; working with people of all ages in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gould, Arkansas and St. Louis, Missouri. I presently serve in Brownsville, Texas at Proyecto Juan Diego. I love working with children and youth. I also enjoy sharing the Vincentian Spirit with others. I am a Texas Master Naturalist, gardener and runner. I also enjoy writing, reading poetry, arts and crafts.