Dominican Sister of Peace Ancilla (Nora Augusta) Schawe, OP (100), died on March 25, 2022, at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse in Great Bend, KS. She had recently celebrated her 100^th birthday with friends and family at the Motherhouse.

Sr. Ancilla was born to Herman and Catherine Heeke Schawe on March 3, 1922, in Windthorst, KS. She entered the Congregation in 1943, making Final Profession in 1945. She earned a diploma in Nursing from the St. Rose School of Nursing in Great Bend,  a founded ministry of the Congregation.

Sr. Ancilla’s ministry was dedicated to health care. She served as a nurse, a supervisor, and an administrator at a number of Kansas hospitals, caring for the bodies and spirits of her Kansas neighbors.

She returned to study in the early 1980’s, participating in the Pastoral Care Program at Via Christi Medical Center. She cared for the souls of St. Francis Hospital patients in a pastoral ministry that spanned more than two decades.

Although she left St. Francis for the Great Bend Motherhouse in 2002, she remained busy, helping to transport Sisters, volunteering at the Central Kansas Medical Center, and serving her Congregation in any way she could. She enjoyed visits with her friends and family, and was active in study groups and other community activities. She entered her final ministry of prayer and presence in 2014.

Sister Ancilla was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Albert Schawe, and five sisters, Elizabeth Ackerman, Magdalen Ackerman, Virginia Gillogly, Gertrude Rueb, and Pauline Durler.  She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, as well as the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

A Vigil Service was held on April 1 and the Mass of Christian Burial was held on April 2, both at the Sisters’ Convent. Sr. Ancilla is interred at the Sisters’ Resurrection Cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Ancilla Schawe’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorials in honor of Sr. Ancilla may also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr., Columbus, OH  43219.

Dominican Sister of Peace Dorothy Marie (Antonius) Lemon, OP, (100), a native of Pittsburgh, PA, died on March 14, 2022, at the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH.

One of three children born to Clarence and Mary Haney Lemon,  Sister Dorothy entered the Congregation in 1942 after several years working as a telephone operator. She made Final Profession in 1944 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from St. Mary of the Springs College, now Ohio Dominican University. She also earned a number of Continuing Education Certificates in subjects ranging from Intercultural Communication to Pastoral Catechesis.

Sr. Dorothy spent the early years of her long and devoted ministry to God’s people as an educator and school administrator in Ohio, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico.  She believed that all of her ministry was a form of teaching.

In 1965, Sr. Dorothy joined three other sisters as part of the Congregation’s missionary foundation in Chimbote, Peru. She would minister in Peru for twenty years and developed a deep love for the Peruvian people. She supervised teachers of religion, moderated teenage boys and girls in the Legion of Mary, taught First Communion classes, and even worked with families to teach good nutrition.

After Sister Dorothy returned to Columbus, she served in pastoral ministry at Saint Pius X parish and then became active in Congregational service as Director of Hospitality and Facilities at the Columbus Motherhouse. She was a faithful companion to many of her sisters at the  Mohun Health Care Center until she began her own ministry of prayer and presence at Mohun in 2006.

Speaking of Sr. Dorothy, Sister Barbara Lolli described her as “The picture of what a woman religious should be.”

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Mary Haney Lemon, her brother Clarence, and her sister, Anna Margaret Evangelista.  She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

A Vigil of Remembrance Service was held on Tuesday, March 22 at the Columbus Motherhouse Chapel.  The funeral liturgy was held on March 23 at the  Columbus Motherhouse, followed by burial at St. Joseph Cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Dorothy Lemon’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Dorothy’s memory may also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr., Columbus, OH  43219.

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Roderic (Sally) Schaub, OP (85), a native of Santa Monica, CA, died on February 7, 2022, at the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH.

Sr. Roderic, or Sr. Rod to her Dominican Community, was born in 1936 to Virginia Walker and Alvin Schaub. When her military family settled in Columbus, OH, she attended Saint Mary of the Springs Academy and was introduced not only to our Sisters but also to Catholicism.

At the age of twenty, she was baptized, and three years later answered the call to religious life. She entered in 1959, made first profession in 1962, and took her final vows in 1967. She served God’s people as a vowed Dominican Sister for 62 years.

Sr. Rod was a 1955 graduate of the St. Mary of the Springs Academy. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Saint Mary of the Springs College and ministered as a primary grade teacher and principal in New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She took great joy in teaching children from the various cultures that she encountered, especially in New York and New Mexico.

Her many personal and administrative gifts were called upon when she was asked to serve as Director of Maintenance at the Columbus Motherhouse. This challenging position was complicated since the neighboring Mohun Health Care Center was undergoing a major renovation at that time.

After her work at the Motherhouse, Sr. Rod took a sabbatical in Kentucky before returning to Columbus and serving as a tutor at the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of Columbus. A severe stroke ended her active ministry in 2002, but she continued to serve through her prayer and presence at the Mohun Health Care Center.

Sr. Roderic Schaub was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin and Virginia Walker Schaub, and her sister, Betty Wade. She is survived by a niece and nephew.

A Vigil of Remembrance Service was held at the Columbus Motherhouse on February 15, 2022. The funeral liturgy, also at the Motherhouse, was held on February 16, 2022. Sr. Roderic was buried at  St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.

To donate in Sr. Mary Roderic’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Mary Roderic’s memory may also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219.

Dominican Sister of Peace Rose Anthony (Rose Marie) Heitzman, OP (96), a native of Louisville, KY, died on February 7, 2022, at the Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, KY.

Born in 1925, Sister Rose Anthony was one of the nine children of Rose Elizabeth Heimbrock and Joseph Charles Heitzman. She entered the Congregation in 1948, made first profession in 1949, and took her final vows in 1952. She served her community, her Congregation, and the people of God as a religious Sister for 73 years.

Sister Rose Anthony ministered as a teacher in Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New York, and West Virginia before earning her Bachelor of Arts in English and Education from Siena College in 1967. She went on to earn a Certification for Christian Education from the Roncalli Center in Louisville.

A true Dominican, Sr. Rose loved to study, attending various workshops and institutes, many of which focused on Theology and Liturgy. She put her knowledge to use for the good of God’s people, serving on Liturgy and Religious Education committees in the parishes where she taught.

Sister Rose Anthony continued her work as an educator until 1974, when she moved to a new ministry at the Emmaus House in Louisville, KY. She then served as a receptionist, bookkeeper, secretary, and coordinator of volunteers at several charitable organizations and schools in Louisville.

From 1980 to 2009, she dedicated her time, gifts, and talents to her Sisters at our Saint Catharine Motherhouse.

Sister Rose Anthony’s final mission began in 2009 when she moved to Sansbury where she gave witness through her prayer and presence.

Sr. Rose is survived by one brother, Anthony (Tony) Heitzman of Louisville, KY, along with a host of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service for Sr. Rose was held on February 15 at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel. A Mass of Christian burial was held on February 16, also at Sansbury Care Center Chapel, followed by burial at the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Rose Anthony’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Rose Anthony Heitzman’s memory may also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.

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

To donate in Sr. Corinne Smollar’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

.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.