 Sister Marie Lemert,
ss.cc.,
is a member of
the Pacific Province and was born in New
York City, with family
roots in New Hampshire (Polish) and Massachusetts (English-Irish).
Marie was raised and educated in Northern California and is a
registered nurse with graduate degrees in Psychology and Nutrition.
She was an instructor in Psychology at University of California-
Davis, and a nutritionist for a mental-health halfway house. She has
a married daughter and three grandchildren living in Nevada. Called
by God to a total surrender of her life, Marie made first profession
as an SS.CC. sister in 1987. Sister Marie was missioned to the
Philippines for four years. She also helped to establish a free
clinic for the homeless in Honolulu. Here are Marie’s words
regarding her assignment in Artesia.
Artesia, New Mexico has stretched me in many
ways among our parishioners. Several have family members in jail or
prison. I have been involved (with Sr. Damien) in ministry to them.
I teach various courses in our Diocesan Pastoral Ministry Formation
Program (for lay leaders), and occasionally for RCIA and other
parish groups. I am continuing in the ministry of spiritual
direction, and giving retreats/recollection days. On behalf of the
Pacific Province, I am continuing with vocation and initial
formation ministries (with Fr. Richard). The most exciting thing in
this last year is that I’ve gone through specialized training and I
am now a CASA – no, not a house! CASA stands for Court Appointed
Special Advocate, and is a volunteer position advocating for the
best interests of abused and/or neglected children who are in the
custody of Children’s Protective Services. Child abuse and domestic
violence are big social problems in this area; eight babies died in
the last year in our Diocese because of abuse. I currently have four
“CASA kids”, and it seems that our efforts really do make a
difference in their lives. This work was in my heart before leaving
Hawai’i, and I thank our Good Mother for her inspiration. |
