News | Live Stream | Video Library
Contact Us | Employment | Donate
(1939-2025)
Sister Rosalie Esquerra, formerly known as Sister Maria Antonia Esquerra, died on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian. She was 86 years of age and in the 69th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Rosalie was born in Kingman, Arizona, to Raymond and Eva (Torres) Esquerra. She graduated from St. Joseph Academy in Adrian, Michigan, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian and a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Sister Rosalie ministered 17 years in education in Detroit, Michigan; Douglas and Winslow, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. This included one year as principal at Our Lady of Las Vegas and two years as education specialist at the Latin American Pastoral Center in Detroit. She then served for 12 years as associate director for Focus Life, Inc. in Detroit. Focus Life was renamed Life Directions in 1987.
Sister Rosalie served in many ministerial roles for Life Directions from 1987 on: three years as associate director, one year as formation director, four years as the CEO, and nine years as the director of training, all in Detroit. She also served Life Directions in Chicago for over two years as project director and in Tucson, Arizona, for 10 years as director and one year as an administrator. Sister became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in 2021.
Sister Rosalie was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Roger, Raymond, Richard, Mary Louise, and Regina Lozoya. She is survived by siblings Robert, Roland, Rebecca, Randolph and Ronald Esquerra and Rachel Stapleton, other loving family members; and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Visitation will be held from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2025, in the gathering space of St. Catherine Chapel. The Vigil Prayer will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 18, 2025, in St. Catherine Chapel. A Funeral Mass will be offered in St. Catherine Chapel at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Prayers of Committal will be held in the Congregation Cemetery.
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian.
Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)
Note: To view recordings with closed captioning, they must be viewed on our public video library rather than through the links below.
Recording of Sister Rosalie's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Rosalie's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
LEFT: Rosalie at the age of 4. MIDDLE LEFT: Sister Rosalie at St. Mary, Kingman, Arizona. MIDDLE RIGHT: As a postulant, December 25, 1955. RIGHT: Sister Rosalie adds music to her ministry as a teacher at St. Joseph, Winslow, Arizona, 1968-1971.
MIDDLE: Sister Rosalie Esquerra in her ministry as Associate Director of Focus Life, Detroit, 1976-1988. RIGHT: Sister Rosalie celebrates during a Eucharistic liturgy.
LEFT: From left, Sisters Rosalie Esquerra, Noella Maria McLeod, and Barbara Ann Long. RIGHT: Sister Rosalie with her parents, Raymond and Eva.
LEFT: Sister Rosalie enjoys some travel time. RIGHT: Members of the 2015 Diamond Jubilee December Crowd are back row, from left, Sisters Rosalie Esquerra, Kathleen Waters, Norine Burns, Molly Nicholson, Sheila Delaney, and Nancyann Turner; third row, from left, Sisters Leontia Cooney, Barbara Ann Long, Margaret Manners, Mary Kastens, and Joan Leo Kehn; second row, from left, Sisters Mary Hemmen, Anneliese Sinnott, Joan Mary, Jo Ann Lucas, and Elizabeth Gibbons; and front row, from left, Sisters Esther Ortega, Marilyn Uline, Arlene Seckel, Ann Ziemba, and Jovanna Stein.
Leave your comments and remembrances – if you don't see the comment box below, click on the "Read More" link.
(1928-2025)
Sister Shirley Ann Cushing, formerly known as Sister Blanche Marie, died on Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 97 years of age and in the 78th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Shirley was born in Detroit to Frank and Blanche (Réaume) Cushing. She graduated from St. Theresa High School in Detroit and received a bachelor’s degree in English from Siena Heights College (University), Adrian; a master’s degree in English from DePaul University, Chicago; and a master’s degree in religious education and a Doctor of Law degree, both from the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy).
Sister Shirley ministered in education for 20 years in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Shaker Heights, Ohio; and Tokyo, Japan. She served three years as Postulant Mistress and three years as Juniorate Director for the Congregation. She served for one year as pastoral minister at St. Lawrence in Utica, Michigan, and seven years as the Adult Education Resource Director at St. Edmund in Warren, Michigan.
Sister Shirley then served for seven years as a staff attorney in the senior unit for Lakeshore Legal Service, Inc. in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and seven years as the attorney manager for the legal program at Macomb County Department of Senior Services in Mount Clemens. She moved to the Dominican Life Center in 2021.
Sister Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, William Cushing and Father Frank Cushing; and her sisters, Dorothy Cushing, Mary Blanche Trudeau, and Sister Virginia Cushing, also an Adrian Dominican Sister. She is survived by other loving family members and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Visitation will be held from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in the gathering space of St. Catherine Chapel. The Vigil Prayer will be held at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in St. Catherine Chapel. A Funeral Mass will be offered in St. Catherine Chapel at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 24, 2025. Prayers of Committal will be held in the Congregation Cemetery.
Recording of Sister Shirley's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Shirley's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
LEFT: 1945 graduate of St. Theresa High School, Detroit. MIDDLE RIGHT: From left, siblings Sister Blanche Marie (Shirley) Cushing, Father Frank Cushing, and Sister William Francis (Virginia) Cushing. RIGHT: Sister Shirley prepares for her graduation from the University of Detroit Law School, May 13, 1984.
LEFT: From left, Sisters Anne Liam Lees, Shirley Cushing, Margaret Lane, and Arlene Kosmatka. RIGHT: Members of the 2016 Double-Diamond Jubilee Crowd are: back row, standing and sitting, from left, Sisters Sheila N. Flynn, Anne Bernadette Stein, Ann Romayne Fallon, Beverly McEachin, Patricia M. Martin, Shirley Ann Cushing, Joanne Patricia Gwizdala, Edith Kathleen Zemke, and Jean Fitzgerald, and front row, from left, Sisters Ann Patrice Remkus, Jean Irene McAllister, Winifred C. M. Lynch, Georgina Luznicky, and Marie Therese Emery.
LEFT: Sister Shirley visits a shop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. MIDDLE LEFT: Sister Shirley stands in front of the Holy Cross Abbey, built in 1252 in Sligo, Ireland. MIDDLE RIGHT: Blood sisters Shirley (left) and Virginia Cushing. RIGHT: Sisters Shirley Cushing, left, and Virginia Cushing celebrate Christmas.
(1931-2025)
Sister Charlotte Hoefer, formerly known as Sister Marie Josepha, died on July 16, 2025, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 93 years of age and in the 77th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Charlotte was born in Lafayette, Indiana, to Joseph and Marie (Reuter) Hoefer. She graduated from St. Joseph Academy in Adrian and received a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian; a master’s degree in Latin from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.; and a Master of Theology degree in spiritual direction and a Master of Divinity degree in spirituality, both from Weston College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sister ministered 24 years in elementary and secondary education in Chicago; Dearborn, Clawson, and Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Grafton, West Virginia; and Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She also served in various pastoral ministries for 40 years in Adrian, Detroit, and Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and Orlando, Florida. This included 35 years with the Dominican Center for Religious Development, which she co-founded and later served as director.
Sister Charlotte became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2016. She was preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, Rita de Raud and Joseph Hoefer, Jr. She is survived by her brother, Michael Hoefer; other loving family members; and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Visitation will be held from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, in the gathering space of St. Catherine Chapel. The Vigil Prayer will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, July 21, 2025, in St. Catherine Chapel. A Funeral Mass will be offered in St. Catherine Chapel at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Prayers of Committal will be held in the Congregation Cemetery.
Recording of Sister Charlotte's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Charlotte's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
MIDDLE LEFT: Sister Marie Josepha poses with her family at the time of her final profession in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1952. MIDDLE RIGHT: Sister Marie Josepha enjoys some horseback riding in Roy, New Mexico. RIGHT: Sisters Charlotte Hoefer, left, and Joanne Podlucky visit Sedona, Arizona, 2008.
LEFT: Charlotte, left, in eighth grade, with her blood sister Rita, seventh grade, attend the eighth-grade prom, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 1940.
LEFT: Sister Charlotte in her teaching ministry, 1985. RIGHT: Members of the Dominican Center for Religious Development staff, circa 1995, are, from left, Sisters Maribeth Howell and Charlotte Hoefer, Rev. Victor Clore, and Sisters Carol Johannes and Rosemarie Kieffer.
LEFT: Members of the 2007 Diamond Jubilee, February group are, back row, from left, Sisters Charlotte Hoefer, Marie Damian Schoenlein, Shirley Boettcher, and Patrice Eilers; middle row, from left, Sisters Anne Worcester, Elizabeth Condon, JoAnn Fleischaker, Eileen Meyers, Sarah Cavanaugh, and Mary Cecile Quirke; and front row, from left, Sisters Jacquelyn Murray, Catherine Podvin, Imelda Marie Eckhoff, Paul Emelia Brown, Noreen O’Connell, Elizabeth Williams, and Helene Dompierre. RIGHT: From left, Sisters Charlotte Hoefer, Maureen Comer, and Carol Fleming, May 2010.
(1930-2025)
Few people in either the secular or religious world can say they spent fifty years working in the same place, but Sister Marion O’Connor seems to have taken a page out of her father’s work history and then some: Fifty-three years of her life in ministry, from 1964 to 2017, took place at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois.
When she was to be honored by the school at the fifty-year mark in 2014, the school wrote in its announcement of the event:
It is not the longevity of S. Marion’s career that makes her deserving of recognition; it is the way she fulfills her desire to make education come alive for her students by infusing values and relevancy into the curriculum. She has had an extraordinary influence on hundreds of young women. As an Adrian Dominican Sister, teacher, department chair, class moderator and role model, Sister Marion has been a priceless gift to Regina Dominican.
Marion Rita, as she was baptized, was born on June 17, 1930, in Chicago to Jeremiah Joseph and Mary Bridget (Stack) O’Connor. Both Jeremiah and Mary were immigrants to America from County Kerry, Ireland; they met at an Irish dance in Chicago, immediately began dating, and married in 1927.
Jeremiah worked for the New York Central Railroad almost as long as his daughter was at Regina Dominican, serving as a clerk there for fifty years. Mary was a stay-at-home mother to her daughter, who was “an only child that grew up in a loving home filled with laughter and joy,” Sister Marion said in her life story.
Read more about Sister Marion (PDF)
Recording of Sister Marion's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Marion's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Our Adrian Dominican cemetery with its circular headstones is a beautiful place of rest for women who gave their lives in service to God — and a peaceful place for contemplation and remembrance.
Event Recordings (Video Library)
Dominican School Alumnae/Alumni
Become an Adrian Dominican Associate
What do you have to do to become a Sister?
Share our blog, A Sister Reflects
Sign up for the monthly Veritas newsletter (or view our other publications)
Employment opportunities
We invite you to meet some of the wonderful women who have recently crossed into eternity.