Born to Eternal Life We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Click here: Obituary of + Sister Mary Stephen Dominick In 1997, Sister Mary Stephen became the fourth Sister to receive the Marie de la Roche Award, given annually to a person who most exemplifies the life and virtues of Mother Marie, our Foundress. In our Constitutions , this spirit is defined as one of contemplation in action, a person who lives with a deep faith, with total openness to God's will and with trust in Divine Providence. Mother Marie was a person characterized by humility, gentleness and simplicity in the midst of demanding duties. One could just say a profound “Amen” to this description in the life of Sister Mary Stephen, as she received this Award. Born Anna Dominick in a family of four sisters, she lost both parents by the time she was thirteen. She had already begun talking to Sister Aquina, her friend at All Saints, Etna, about entering the convent. At the tender age of fourteen, she came to the Aspirant School , where she completed her high school education. She later received Normal School certification and her teaching certificate. As a young Sister, she ministered in many of the Pittsburgh diocesan schools. Her sixteen years at Toner Institute were those which she cherished the most. Here, she not only taught but became a surrogate parent to young boys in need of her care and affection. During this time, she also received certification from the Devereux Foundation as a houseparent and child-care worker. Just as Sister returned to Providence Heights for a short prayerful respite, her life took a significant turn. In 1969, she was asked to minister as housekeeper at the residence of John Cardinal Wright in Rome . Not only did she assume this assignment with her usual care and simplicity, but she mastered the role of a docent at St. Peter's Basilica where she conducted tours on a regular basis for English-speaking tourists. During these eight years in Rome , she also cared for Father Donald Wuerl, the current Bishop of Pittsburgh. Ever mindful of Sister Mary Stephen's kindness to him, Bishop Wuerl has been a frequent visitor here at Providence Heights and also administered the Sacrament of the Sick to Sister this past week. In some ways, Sister Mary Stephen's life and personality were paradoxical. A very simple, contemplative person, with a great heart for the poor and the marginalized, she was also totally at home in the presence of Cardinals and Bishops. Her death is also paradoxical, not on Mother Marie Day, rather, immediately following the feast of the Transfiguration. Having known both simplicity and transformation here on earth, she now joins the Transfigured Christ in glory for all eternity. SMJC Feast Day: December 26 |
