Dominican Sister of Peace Elaine (Sr. Gregory Anne) DesRosiers, OP (90), a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, died on December 16, 2020, at Springview Hospital in Lebanon, KY.
Sister Elaine was one of five children born to Lena Gregoire and Romulus DesRosiers of Worcester, MA. She heard the call of God at the age of 16 and entered the Congregation in 1948. Sr. Elaine made her first profession in 1950, took her final vows in 1953, and celebrated 70 years of religious life in 2020.
Sister Elaine earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry from Spalding College, her Master of Science in Biology from the University of Notre Dame, and her Doctorate in Educational Media and Technology from Boston University.
She ministered as a teacher in elementary and high schools in Illinois, Kentucky, and Massachusetts for more than 20 years. In 1976 she began a new chapter as Director of Educational Media and Director in the Office of Information Technology at Notre Dame, where she served for more than 2 decades.
Sister Elaine also served her congregation as Promoter of Ongoing Dominican Life and Promoter of Preaching at Saint Catharine Motherhouse and as Information Technology Consultant at Saint Catharine College.
A gifted artist, Sister Elaine created oil paintings of each of our Motherhouses, using her time at each house to just not familiarize herself with the building, but with the women who lived in the community. She also created a series of paintings of downtown Springfield, KY, which were exhibited in the conference room of the Opera House, and created an exhibition for the Martin de Porres Center. Sr. Elaine was a member of the Dominican Institute of the Arts and was a proud recipient of the Fra Angelico Award.
Sr. Elaine’s fun-loving spirit stayed with her until the end of her life, as she helped create events and activities to keep her community in good spirits during the long days of quarantine.
Sr. Elaine is survived by two sisters Janet Fontaine of Sedona, Arizona, and Felice Cottle of Denver, Colorado.
Sr. Elaine was interred in a private graveside service on December 22, 2020, at the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery. A memorial mass will be held at a later date at the Magdalen Chapel at the St. Catharine Motherhouse, St. Catharine, KY.
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