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(1934-2026)
Sister Carmen Rose Álvarez, known as Sister Carmen, died on Monday, September 7, 2026, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 91 years of age and in the 60th year of her religious profession: 46 years with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de’ Ricci in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and in her 14th year with the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Carmen was born in Havana, Cuba, to Fermín and Cora (Alberto) Álvarez Guzman. She graduated from high school in Cuba.
Sister Carmen served as an assistant at three Dominican retreat houses: one year in Dayton, Ohio; two years in Schenectady, New York; and two years in Kendall, Florida. She later worked with migrants at St. Ann Mission in Naranja, Florida, and in refugee resettlement in Miami, Florida.
Sister served several Florida parishes more than 33 years: one year in parish ministry at Immaculate Conception in Hialeah and 10 years at St. Hugh in Coconut Grove, five years in pastoral ministry and as the director of religious education at St. Helen Parish in Fort Lauderdale, and more than 17 years as a pastoral assistant and the Director of Hispanic Ministry at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Boca Raton. She later volunteered for more than seven years at St. Joan of Arc Parish and for Catholic Charities, also in Boca Raton.
Sister Carmen became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in 2018, after which she volunteered in the local migrant ministry and at the Adrian Rea Literacy Center.
Sister was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Mirta Álvarez. She is survived by loving family members and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Visitation will be held from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, in the gathering space of St. Catherine Chapel. The Vigil Prayer will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, in St. Catherine Chapel. A Funeral Mass will be offered in St. Catherine Chapel at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Prayers of Committal will be held in the Congregation Cemetery.
Those not attending services in person are welcome to participate via live stream at https://adriandominicans.org/Live-Stream.
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 Services, 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 Carmen'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 Carmen's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
LEFT: First Holy Communion, May 28, 1946. MIDDLE LEFT: High school graduation, 1956. MIDDLE RIGHT: Sister Carmen Rose in Cuba, 1961. RIGHT: Sister Carmen Rose with her sister, Mirta Álvarez.
LEFT: Sisters Carmen Rose Álvarez, seated, and Frances Madigan on December 8, 2012, the day that Sister Carmen Rose transferred into the Adrian Dominican Congregation. MIDDLE: The Stella Maris Mission Group celebrates Christmas on January 6, 2009. Shown are, standing, from left, Sisters Jean Rosaria Fisch and Frances Madigan, Associate Patricia O’Neill, and Sisters Joan Leo Kehn and Mary Therese Napolitan, and seated, from left, Sisters Carmen Rose Álvarez and Elizabeth Ross. LEFT: Sister Carmen Rose displays the 2016 Golden Rule Award she received in Boca Raton, Florida.
LEFT: From left, Sisters Frances Madigan, Lorraine Sinn, and Carmen Rose Álvarez gather at the 65-year Jubilee celebration of Sister Lorraine in Boca Raton, Florida. MIDDLE: Cora Alberto, mother of Sister Carmen Rose Álvarez. RIGHT: Fermin Álvarez Guzman, father of Sister Carmen Rose Álvarez.
Members of the 2014 Golden Jubilee Crowd are, back row, from left: Sisters Jacqueline Phillips, Mary Frances Fleischaker, Patricia (Pam) Millenbach, Attracta Kelly (Prioress), Sisters Mary Margaret Pachucki, Judith Friedel, Dianne Koszycki, Myra Jackson, Carmen Rose Álvarez, Rosemary Asaro, and Mary Ellen Plummer. Not shown are Sisters Judith Bisignano and Viviana Custo.
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(1941-2026)
Joan called forth from her students the values and virtues buried deep inside, and isn’t it likely that those same young women called forth virtue in Joan? That’s how her life was, filled with family and friendships that enriched her life and prepared her for this lasting time with God.
Sister Susan Van Baalen’s funeral homily for Sister Joan Krajewski, from which this quote is taken, honored a woman whose more than twenty-two years in ministry at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois, helped shape the lives of thousands of young women – and who was, in turn, shaped by them.
Joan Marie Krajewski entered the world on May 28, 1941, at a hospital in Highland Park, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. She was the first child of Walter and Genevieve (Ringvelski) Krajewski, who lived on Detroit’s east side; her brother, Daniel, was born about seven years later.
As the oldest child and, especially, as the only girl, she was “nicely spoiled” by her father, with whom she was very close. “I loved my mother, her sense of humor and everything, but I could always talk much more easily with my dad,” she said in her life story.
Sister Joan described her home life as “kind of a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ home.” Her father worked as a tire checker for what was then called U.S. Tire, later known as Uniroyal, while her mother worked in a school cafeteria. One set of grandparents had a farm where she spent her summers, while the other set of grandparents lived with Joan and her family – as did her aunt and the aunt’s two boys until Uncle Gene came home from his military service in World War II.
“My grandparents took care of us while my parents were at work,” she wrote. “My two cousins and I were called the ‘Hole in One Gang.’ We climbed trees, went through the alley collecting pop bottles and taking them to the store for money. I was a real tomboy. We had wonderful times together.”
She was educated by the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters at both St. Catherine School, where she attended first grade, and St. Raymond of Penafort School. She also had two cousins who were Felicians, and between the two congregations, “I thought those were the only kind of Sisters there were,” she wrote. “The first time I saw a Dominican was when I went to Dominican High to register.”
Read more about Sister Joan (PDF)
Recording of Sister Joan'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 Joan's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Richmond, Virginia, was the birthplace of Barbara Nash Gentry, the only child of James and Catherine (Nash) Gentry, on October 13, 1934. Her parents bestowed Catherine’s maiden name on her as her middle name, following a Southern tradition of honoring both sides of the family.
When she was old enough for school, she attended public school for two years until James and Catherine transferred her to St. Paul School. There, she was taught by the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, a congregation based in Bristow, and she was immediately drawn to the religious life of the Sisters who were her teachers.
Her high school years were spent at St. Gertrude High School, an all-girls’ school in Richmond also run by the Benedictine Sisters, and in September 1953, after having graduated that June, she made the roughly hundred-mile trip from Richmond to Bristow to enter the congregation.
She was received as a novice in March 1954 and given the religious name Sister Mary John. Little is known about her earliest years with the Benedictines, but in a brief autobiography she wrote that she had studied music in school and done well, and so, while still a novice, she was given charge of the Sisters’ choir when the choir mistress died.
Read more about Sister Barbara (PDF)
Recording of Sister Barbara'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 Barbara's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Sister Frances (always called Fran) Madigan concluded a brief version of her autobiography with this paragraph:
I am grateful to a God who has called me and continues to invite me to be a partner to bring the love of God to all creation. “Be still and know that I am God” is a mantra I hope to accomplish before the Last Judgement.
Those who knew her would certainly attest to the way she fully responded to the invitation from God which she referenced. As one of her friends, Sara Martinez, wrote in a remembrance shared at her wake:
She was always curious and genuinely interested in learning about other traditions, cultures, and ways of seeing the world. Even when she didn’t agree or share the same beliefs or customs, she never judged. Instead, she listened with an open heart, with compassion and understanding. She always tried to find the good in people and to understand them. She had a beautiful gift of making everyone feel heard, respected and valued.
Laverne Frances Madigan entered the world on August 30, 1934, in Cook County Hospital, Chicago. Her parents were Dennis and Josephine (DeSmidt) Madigan. Both Dennis and Josephine were first-generation Americans; Dennis’ father came from Ireland to Philadelphia, where Dennis was born before the family moved to Chicago, and Josephine’s parents came from Belgium to Chicago.
Dennis and Josephine met in Chicago. In time, the couple had seven children: Laverne, Dennis, Karen, Terry, Larry, Tom, and Frances. An older girl, a half-sister named Joan, was raised by Josephine’s mother for most of Laverne’s childhood.
Joan went on to enter the Congregation, becoming known as Sister Frances Karen, but withdrew during her novitiate year in 1949.
The children attended St. Laurence School, where Adrian Dominican Sisters were their teachers. “I loved school and I loved the nuns,” Sister Fran said in her life story. “They were young, joyful people who, really and truly, you could tell they were happy,” and she enjoyed being around them and looked for ways to spend time with them.
Read more about Sister Frances (PDF)
Recording of Sister Fran'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 Fran'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.
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