- A Sister of Mercy since 1953 -   

Sister Mary Dorothy LaVigne was born June 26, 1933, to George and Edna Rigleter LaVigne in Saxon, Wis.  As a child her family moved to Kalispell, Mont., where she attended St. Matthew's School and Troy High School. Dorothy entered the Sisters of Mercy in Cedar Rapids on Aug. 1, 1953, and made her final profession of vows on Feb. 2, 1959.  She received a bachelor's degree from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, majoring in history with minors in home economics and education. 

In ministry, Dorothy taught second grade at Sacred Heart, Waterloo; St. Nicholas, Evansdale; Sacred Heart, Oelwein; and St. Matthew's in Cedar Rapids.  In 1985, she left the classroom to assist with duties on the Sacred Heart Convent and Mount Mercy College campus as a teacher's aide, phone operator and food service worker.   

Sister Mary Jean Meier, RSM  (5/25/1925-8/8/2010)

Sister Mary Jean Meier, RSM, who died August 8 at age 85, will be remembered as a dynamo who integrated financial acumen, a remarkable memory and a compassionate heart.  Her Mercy sisters marveled at her. Sister Judy Cannon, a member of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community Leadership Team and Sister Mary Jean’s former student in typing, said, “From teaching high school to supporting church ministry and leading pilgrimages, Sister Mary Jean demonstrated irrepressible energy.” 

Until diagnosed with cancer this spring Sister Mary Jean worked full time.  “Her energy and enthusiasm just seems to increase yearly,” said Sister Josie Gonzales on Sister Mary Jean’s 60th jubilee.After entering the Mercy community in 1943, Sister Mary Jean taught business at Catholic Girls High School, now Conaty/Loretto High School, and at Mercy High San Francisco. She was principal of Mercy High School in Burlingame and a few years later foreshadowed her future work when she became  Coordinator of School Finance for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and then Director of Development at Mercy Retirement and Care Center (MRCC) in Oakland, Calif.

Sister Mary Joan Francis Kaminski

(5/2/1917-7/23/2010)  

Sister Mary Joan Francis entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1938. Sister Mary Joan Francis Kaminski was born in Ludington, Mich., on May 2, 1917, to Francis and Johanna (Jastrzebski) Kaminiski, both originally of Poland. She attended St. Stanislaus Elementary and St. Simon High School, in Ludington, Mich. She graduated from high school in 1935, and entered the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 8, 1938, in Dubuque, Iowa. She was temporary professed in 1941, and she made final vows on Aug. 16, 1944. 

Sister Mary Joan Francis Kaminski

(5/2/1917-7/23/2010)  

Sister Mary Joan Francis entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1938. Sister Mary Joan Francis Kaminski was born in Ludington, Mich., on May 2, 1917, to Francis and Johanna (Jastrzebski) Kaminiski, both originally of Poland. She attended St. Stanislaus Elementary and St. Simon High School, in Ludington, Mich. She graduated from high school in 1935, and entered the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 8, 1938, in Dubuque, Iowa. She was temporary professed in 1941, and she made final vows on Aug. 16, 1944.