Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Corinne (Veronica) Smollar, OP, died on February 6, 2022, at the Lourdes Care Center in Oxford, MI. She was 81 years of age.
Sister Corinne was one of seven children born in Ironwood, MI, to Anne Pogodzinski and Louis Smollar.
She became familiar with the Dominican Sisters and our charism while attending catechism classes at Holy Trinity Parish. She entered the community in 1955, made first profession in 1957, and took her final vows in 1961. She was a vowed Dominican Sister for 65 years.
Sister Corinne earned a Bachelor of Science from Siena Heights College, majoring in history and earning minors in both English and home economics.
For more than thirty years Sister Corinne taught first and second graders in Michigan and Wisconsin for more than 30 years. Among her favorite duties was preparing the children to receive their First Communion, which she considered a “great honor and a privilege.” She also ministered as the Director of Religious Education for Holy Childhood Parish in Harbor Springs, MI, offering instruction to both children and adults.
Sr. Corinne earned a certificate in Child Day Care Management, and ministered at Nazareth Home in Indiana, a shelter for children in foster care, and at St. Luke Hospital, Little Saints Child Care, and Serendipity /Bright Horizon in Racine, WI.
Sr. Corinne was always involved in outreach programs in the parishes that she served. After returning the Motherhouse in 2013, she continued to serve her Congregation and the Oxford community. She assisted with retreats at the St. Mary Retreat Center, volunteered at a local food pantry, and made crafts to sell in the gift shop. She served as a kitchen aid, delighting Sisters with her specially baked treats, before entering a ministry of prayer and service at the Lourdes Convent in Michigan. She began her final ministry of prayer and presence at the Lourdes Health Care Center in 2022.
She was preceded in death by her parents Louis Smollar and Anna Pogodzinski, her brothers Lee Millette and Louis Smollar. She is survived by her sisters Kathy Doyle, Laurie Zeh, Marcella Kazmarek, and Marie Radusin and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation was held at St Benedict’s Parish in Waterford, MI, on February 14, 2022, followed by the Mass of Christian burial. Burial will be in Oxford Motherhouse Cemetery at a later date.o
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Memorial gifts in Sr. Corinne Smollar’s memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.