(1927-2020)

On October 23, 1927, twin girls entered the world in Detroit, born to Robert and Irene (Whitty) Buchanan. First came Virginia and then, fifteen minutes later, came Mildred Marylyn, or Millie, the future Sister Robert Irene.

The girls were Robert and Irene’s fourth and fifth of eight children in all, two boys and six girls. Three of the children died while quite young. According to Robert Irene’s autobiography, she and her twin did what twins so often do: they dressed alike so as to fool people. Once, when their teacher asked how she was ever going to tell the pair apart, dressed as they were in their identical blue and white striped school uniforms, young Millie responded wittily: “My stripes go up and Virginia’s go down.” One of their other pranks to confuse a teacher was to switch seats in class.

Virginia and Millie attended public school for first and second grade and then spent the rest of their elementary schooling at Detroit’s Christ the King School. High school was at Immaculata High, where they were taught by the IHM Sisters.

Millie worked for several years after graduation, first at Kay Wright Jewelers in downtown Detroit and then for the Ronson Lighter Company. Then Virginia made the decision to join the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (Franciscans) in Mishawaka, Indiana, becoming Sister Mary Luke, and Millie began her own exploration of religious life. Six months later, in June 1951, aged twenty-four, she entered the Congregation.

Read more about Sister Robert Irene (pdf)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.

 

 

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(1937-2020)

“She had the heart for hard conversations. Truth telling. Denise’s heart, her courage, showed through at every stage of her life.”

These words by Sister Mary Ann Dixon, in her homily for Sister Denise Devitt, drew upon the Gospel reading Sister Denise had chosen for her funeral: John 20:19-22, which includes Jesus’ exhortation “do not let your hearts be troubled.”

“The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for ‘heart,’” Sister Mary Ann said. “In one of its earliest forms, the word ‘courage’ meant ‘to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ That [Sister Denise] did! She spoke her mind and it revealed her heart, her strong heart.”

Sister Denise was born Catherine Denice (but was always known as Denise) Devitt on June 17, 1937, in Chicago. Her parents were Thomas, a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, and Irene (Mackey) Devitt. She was the older of two children in the family; her sister Pat was born four years after her.

(1932-2020)

Agnes Ann Peplinski was born March 14, 1932, in Parisville, Michigan, to Matthew and Lucy (Zmich) Peplinski. Parisville, which is an unincorporated community within Paris Township in Huron County, at the tip of Michigan’s “Thumb,” was one of the first Polish settlements in the United States, and both sets of Agnes’ grandparents were immigrants to that locale from Prussia, making them a combination of Polish and German.

Like many other Huron County residents, Matthew was a farmer. He and Lucy had eighteen children in all, two of whom died in infancy; Lucy herself died in April 1947. Agnes attended grade schools in Forestville, Minden City, and Port Sanilac, Michigan, and graduated from Sandusky High School in Sandusky, Michigan, in May 1950.

She wrote in her letter to Mother Gerald seeking entrance to the Congregation that she had come to know the Adrian Dominican Sisters through summer school programs in Port Sanilac; Sister Mary Richard Rea had taught her particular class, and it was at that time, in eighth grade, that she knew she wanted to enter religious life. A high school retreat at Dominican High School in Detroit cemented her choice of which community it was to be.

Read more about Sister Agnes (pdf).

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.

 

 

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