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(1924-2017)
Help us, when the work is done, to have been Friends of God and prophets.
Sister Nadine Foley, known also as Sister Thomas Aquin, was born on April 10, 1924, in Newberry, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. She was the first of eight children born to Thomas and Ursula (Thompson) Foley. Both parents were born in Michigan and, based on her father’s family, are of Irish/French heritage. Sister Nadine’s mother was given up for adoption at birth and nothing is known about her birth mother.
Their eight children were born over a period of twenty-eight years. Her mother was about twenty when Sister Nadine was born and when the youngest child, Michael, was born, her mother was forty-seven.
In her autobiography, Sister Nadine shared the following memory about her mother.
I still think a lot more about my mother since her death [1997]; she was really a remarkable woman. She loved school and she was a very good student [but] she never had the opportunity to attend high school. I realized, as the oldest one, that much of what she wanted for herself she transferred to me. In the course of time she worked at Newberry State Hospital, a mental health institution, and later became a licensed psychiatric nurse by taking courses at Northern Michigan University. When she was 70 she got her high school equivalency from Newberry High School and we were all there for her graduation.
Sister Nadine’s early years were during the Great Depression. Her education began in Newberry Elementary School in 1928 and ended in 1941 when she graduated from Newberry High School.
Read more about Sister Nadine (pdf)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.
Additional articles:
Come Wisdom: Remembering Sr. Nadine Foley, written by Sister Elise D. García, published by Global Sisters Report: http://globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry/come-wisdom-remembering-sr-nadine-foley-46786
Learn more about Sister Nadine in this What's Happening article.
Text of Funeral Homily by Sister Attracta Kelly, OP.
Leave your comments and remembrances (if you don't see the comment box below, click on the "Read More" link).
(1933-2017)
Wisdom Woman, Critical Thinker, Friend to All
Sister Diana Bader, baptized Gloria Bernadine, was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 9, 1933. She was the first of five children born to Martin and Marjorie (Hartney) Bader. Her siblings are John (Jack), Donna, Betty, and Colleen.
In her autobiography, Sister Diana wrote:
During my childhood, family life was much broader than our immediate family, embracing fourteen aunts and uncles and numerous cousins. My father’s Dutch ancestry has always been a matter of pride and fascination for me, especially as I have observed the Dutch Catholic Church over recent decades.
Sister Diana was educated at St. Patrick, the parish school in Vancouver. She graduated from St. Patrick High School in 1950. Her first interest in a religious vocation developed during those years, but, she said, “I didn’t give it a lot of attention because my focus was on becoming a physician.” However, this all changed when she heard the Dominican preachers. She wrote:
When I “heard the call” it came from the Dominican Order, through the preachers who offered missions and retreats fairly regularly in Vancouver parishes. I soon found my way to the women’s branch of the order, located in Everett.
Read more about Sister Diana (pdf)
(1920-2017)
Sister Helen Walsh, known also as Sister Rose Michaeleen, was born in Chicago on June 15, 1920. She was the second oldest of six children born to William and Rosemary (O’Sullivan) Walsh.
Her parents were married at St. Bride Church on Thanksgiving Day in 1917. Because her dad was serving in the army, the couple walked out of church beneath an arch of soldier’s swords in military style. When the war ended, her father returned to his law practice.
In her autobiography, Sister Helen described the arrival of her five siblings and the gifts of her parents.
The first child, Rosemary, was born on November 1, 1918, in a military hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan. Soon the war ended and the family moved to Port Huron, my father’s birthplace. When I was expected, my father took my mother back to Chicago, where he felt the best doctors could be had. However because of the speed of my arrival, a hospital intern was in charge and I arrived late on Sunday night June 15, 1920, at South Shore Hospital. When I was four, my brother Billie was born and the story was later told that I asked my mother if she could return him get a baby that didn’t cry so much. My last three siblings, Nan, Mary Jo and Joe, were born in Port Huron and all were surrounded by doting relatives.
Read more about Sister Helen (pdf)
(1944-2017)
Sister Mary Ann Dardy, known also as Sister John Marguerite, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 26, 1944. She was the second of three children born to Henry and Mary Margaret (Lindich) Dardy. The family’s ancestry is Polish/Slovenian. Her two brothers are Hank (now deceased) and Tony.
Her parents were married in June of 1940. Eventually, her father was able to obtain the large home of his parents by assuming their mortgage. It had four apartments that were in poor repair, but her father rebuilt it from the foundation to the roof. He died in 1990, and her mother continued to live in that house for many years.
Here is Sister Mary Ann’s brief description of her family.
Though we don’t agree on everything, I would describe our relationship as “closely-held.” From Catholic roots, I attended a Catholic grade school and high school. It was through the influence of the sisters who taught me, that I probably heard the call to dedicate my life to God most clearly.
After graduating from Hoban Dominican High School, Sister Mary Ann entered the postulate on June 26, 1962, at the age of eighteen. In December of that year, she received her religious name, Sister John Marguerite. She made first profession on December 29, 1963, and the following month was assigned to teach at St. Patrick School in Joliet, Illinois. Two months later she was sent to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Chicago, where she taught for two academic years. In August 1966 she was assigned to teach at St. Kilian School in Chicago for one year.
Read more about Sister Mary Ann (pdf)
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