Diamond – 60 Years

Sister Joan Duerst, OP, has ministered in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Mississippi as well as and Trinidad and Tobago. Her religious name was Sister Marie Herve’. Sr. Joan’s ministry has been dedicated to social justice, especially for criminal justice reform. In Wisconsin, Sr. Joan taught at Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, 1968-1972. She ministered as volunteer coordinator at South Madison Coalition of the Elderly (now New Bridge), Madison, 2008-2014, and served with the multigenerational faith formation team and directed the first reconciliation and First Communion program at St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie, 2009-2011. Sr. Joan is a member of MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity), where she is a religious leader, and has served on the antiracism transformation team of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa since 1999. In Nebraska, Sr. Joan taught at Dominican High School, Omaha, 1972-1979. In Oklahoma, she served as neighborhood organizer at Immaculate Conception Parish, Tulsa, 1979-1982; founder and director of Osage Hills Apartment Ministry, Tulsa, 1982-1987; coordinator for peace and justice at Christ the King Parish, Tulsa, 1993-1998; and founder and community organizer for North Tulsa Neighborhood Alliance, Tulsa, 1993-1998, facilitating 12 neighborhood associations to build strong organizations in a neglected area of the city. She taught at Bishop Kelley, Tulsa, 1987-1993, and served the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation as provincial councilor for the Southern Province while living in Tulsa, 1998-2003. In Mississippi, Sr. Joan ministered as director of high school religious education and social concerns coordinator at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Madison, 2004-2008. She is living in community with her Dominican Sisters in Madison, WI. Her home parish is St. Patrick, Madison, in the Madison Diocese. She is the daughter of the late Hervey and Catherine “Kay” (Skibba) Duerst. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Elizabeth “Liz” Dunn, OP, has ministered in Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Her religious name was Sister Mary Denysa. Sr. Liz’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, congregation leadership, and educational administration. In Minnesota, she taught at Annunciation, Minneapolis, 1966-1967. In Illinois, Sr. Liz taught at St. Luke, River Forest, 1967-1968. In Wisconsin, she taught at St. Joseph, Baraboo, 1968-1971, and served as principal at SS. Andrew-Thomas, Potosi, 2011-2014. Sr. Liz served the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa as provincial of the Southern Province, 2004-2006, and on the Leadership Council, 2006-2011. In New Jersey, she taught at St. James, Ventnor, 1971-1973, and, in New York, she ministered at Corpus Christi School, New York, as a teacher, 1973-1978, and as principal, 1982-1988. In Pennsylvania, Sr. Liz served at Lock Haven Catholic School, Lock Haven, as teacher, 1978-1980, and as principal, 1980-1982. In Florida, she ministered as founding principal at St. Andrew, Cape Coral, 1988-1999; reopened St. Michael Academy, Fernandina Beach, and served as principal, 1999-2004; and has served as executive director at Hope Rural School, Indiantown, since 2015. Her home parish is Our Lady Queen of Peace, Madison, WI. She is the daughter of the late John Vincent and Mary (Sholts) Dunn. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Kathleen Hayes, OP, has ministered in Wyoming, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, and Wisconsin. Her religious name was Sister Mary Joseph. Sr. Kathleen’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, educational administration and pastoral care. In Wyoming, she taught at St. Mary, Cheyenne, 1965-1968. In Illinois, Sr. Kathleen taught at Trinity, River Forest, 1968-1969; Immaculate Conception, Chicago, 1982-1984; and St. Thomas the Apostle, Chicago, 1984-1991. In Minnesota, she ministered at Consolidated Catholic School (now Divine Mercy Catholic School), Faribault, in the Immaculate Conception building as teacher, 1969-1970, and as teacher and assistant principal, 1970-1972; and in the Sacred Heart building as building principal and teacher, 1972-1977. Sr. Kathleen served as principal at Holy Rosary, Minneapolis, 1977-1981, and in pastoral care at Divine Mercy Parish, Faribault, since 2016. In Montana, she ministered as Title 1 tutor and house parent at Discovery House, Anaconda, 1981-1982. In New Jersey, Sr. Kathleen served as principal at St. James, Ventnor, 1991-1997. In Florida, she ministered as librarian at St. Paul Catholic School, St. Petersburg, 1998-2010. In Wisconsin, Sr. Kathleen ministered at the Motherhouse, Sinsinawa, as pastoral caregiver, 2010-2011, and as assistant prioress, 2011-2015. Her home parish is Immaculate Conception (now Most Blessed Trinity), Waukegan, IL. She is the daughter of the late John and Margaret (Kirby) Hayes. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Elaine LaCanne, OP, has ministered in Illinois, Colorado, California, and Minnesota. Her religious name was Sr. Marie Alice. Sr. Elaine’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, technology, and parish ministry. She is living in community with her Dominican Sisters in Muskego, WI. Her home parish is St. Leonard, Port Maurice, in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese. She is the daughter of the late Joseph and Alice Delores (Blais) LaCanne. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Marie Lucek, OP, has ministered in Wisconsin, Alaska, Illinois, New York, and the District of Columbia. Her religious name was Sister Doris. Sr. Marie’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, administration, and pastoral ministry. In Wisconsin, she served as pastoral minister at the Motherhouse, Sinsinawa, 2002-2005. In Alaska, Sr. Marie ministered as pastoral associate at Co-Cathedral of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Juneau, 2006-2018. She is living in community with her Dominican Sisters and volunteering in Madison, WI. Her home parish is St. Patrick, Rockford, IL. Sr. Marie is the daughter of the late Walter and Magdalen (Kazunas) Lucek. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Judith Mather, OP, has ministered in Illinois. Her religious name was Sister Lucilla. Sr. Judith’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching. Sr. Judith taught at St. Basil, Chicago, 1964-1970; St. Barnabas, Chicago, 1970-1983; and St. Sabina, Chicago, 1983-2012. She is living in community with her Dominican Sisters in Oak Lawn, IL. Her home parish is St. Joseph, Baraboo, WI. She is the daughter of the late Walter and Bella (Wartner) Mather. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Maureen McDonnell, OP, has ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Montana. Her religious name was Sister Dolorosa. Sr. Maureen’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, campus ministry, and spiritual guidance. In Wisconsin, she taught at St. Anne, Wausau, 1965-1967, and at Newman, Wausau, 1968-1973. Sr. Maureen ministered as director of Associates for the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, Sinsinawa, 1980-1983; served at Edgewood College, Madison, as director of campus ministry, 1988-2004, and campus ministry staff member, 2004-2009. She cofounded Wisdom’s Well Spirituality Center, Madison, in 2006, where she was a spiritual guide and presenter on various spiritual topics and at retreats until the center closed in 2015. Sr. Maureen continues to serve as a spiritual guide and retreat director, based in Madison. She studied spiritual guidance from 2005 to 2006 at Siena Retreat Center in Racine and has served on a summer retreat team there since, as well as in Fond du Lac with the Sisters of St. Agnes at their retirement center. In Wyoming, Sr. Maureen taught at St. Mary, Cheyenne, 1973-1976, and served as campus minister at St. Paul Newman Center, Laramie, 1976-1979. In Pennsylvania, she served as director of campus ministry at the Lock Haven Newman Community, Lock Haven, 1983-1988. Sr. Maureen’s home parish is St. Columba, Ottawa, IL. She is the daughter of the late John and Margaret (Hanley) McDonnell. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Judith Nilles, OP, has ministered in Washington. Her ministry has been dedicated to leadership and pastoral ministry. Sr. Judith ministered at St. Thomas More, Spokane, as teacher 1967-1970 and 1971-1974, and as principal, 1974-1979, and at Assumption, Spokane, as teacher, 1970-1971. She served in congregation leadership for the Dominican Sisters of Spokane (now merged with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa) as provincial, 1979-1986, and as Prioress, 1986-1995. Sr. Judith served as pastoral minister at St. Mary of the Rosary Parish, Chewelah, 1998-2004; director of parish services for the Diocese of Spokane, Spokane, 2004-2006; and pastoral associate at Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Spokane, 2007-2011. She has been ministering as service representative for Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of Spokane since 2012. Sr. Judith’s home parish is St. Mary of the Rosary, Chewelah. She is the daughter of the late William and Helen (Schmidlkofer) Nilles. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Mary Catherine Rice, OP, has ministered in Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and New York. Her religious name was Sr. Marie Louis. Sr. Mary Catherine’s ministry has been dedicated to teaching, environmental education, and climate activism. She is currently volunteering at St. Walter Parish, Roselle, IL, and with the Laudato Si’ committee for the Diocese of Joliet. Her home parish is St. Angela, Chicago. She is the daughter of the late John and Evelyn (Ryan) Rice. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Elizabeth Rodkewich, OP, has ministered in California and Iowa. Her religious name was Sr. Francis Xavier. Sr. Elizabeth’s ministry has been dedicated to health care and nursing. She is living in community with her Dominican Sisters in Madison, WI. Her home parish is St. Louis, Washburn, WI. She is the daughter of the late John Rodkewich and the stepdaughter of the late Alice (Grace) Rodkewich. Click here to send an honor online.

Sister Stella Storch, OP, has ministered in Wisconsin and Illinois. Her ministry has been dedicated to teaching, educational administration, congregational leadership, and social justice. In Illinois, Sister Stella served as principal at St. James, Rockford, 1980-1984. In Wisconsin, Sr. Stella taught at St. Peter, Oshkosh, 1966-1974; Lourdes Academy, Oshkosh, 1972-1974; and St. Robert, Shorewood, 1974-1976. She ministered as principal at Annunciation, Green Bay, 1976-1980, and Blessed Sacrament, Madison, 1985-1994. Sr. Stella served as a member of the Leadership Council for the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, 1994-2000, and as the coordinator of justice, peace, and ecology for the Sisters of St. Agnes, Fond du Lac, 2001-2013. In her retirement, she volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul store, Fond du Lac, and continues with her support of the Aids Orphan Sewing Project in Tanzania, East Africa, which she began 20 years ago. Graduates receive a sewing machine. The purpose of the program is to train young women in a skill so that they won’t be trafficked for sexual exploitation. Her home parish is Blessed Sacrament, Madison, WI. She is the daughter of the late Alois and Walburga (Wolters) Storch. Click here to send an honor online.