Sister Irene Morence
1914-2009

Sister Irene Morence gave nineteen years of her life in service to Siena Heights College (University) where the faculty and some of the students remember her as the dedicated and caring sister in charge of the Financial Aid Office from 1970 to 1989. She was assisted by her sister, Sister Margretta, who died in 2001.

Owosso, Michigan, was the birthplace of Sister Irene. She was born on August 9, 1914, to John and Mary (Gieski) Morence, and was the seventh of eight children, three boys and five girls. It is possible that she had little remembrance of her two older brothers. She wrote that they died “two years apart at the age of eighteen” when she was very young. A third brother died when he was in his sixties, as did her sister Clara, and later her sister Virginia.

Her father, John Morence, was from Buffalo, New York, and her mother, Mary Gieski, was from Saginaw, Michigan. Irene does not tell us how the two met, but after their marriage they settled in Saginaw where their older children were born. Shortly before Irene’s birth, the family moved to Owosso.

She began her education at Bryant Public School in Owosso, but soon transferred to St. Paul School where she finished both elementary and high school, including a year of business courses. In her autobiography she wrote that the idea of entering religious life had never entered her mind, but that from seventh grade her older sister Martha (the future Sister Margretta) had planned to enter upon graduation. Sister Irene wrote:

Some three weeks before Martha was scheduled to come to Adrian, my call came. . . . I was called to the office of the principal (Sister Laetitia Bath). When I entered her office, scared to death, and looked at her stoic demeanor, I winced. She merely greeted me, invited me to be seated, and asked, “Are you going to Adrian with your sister Martha?” My answer was, “If there’s room in the car for me!” Then things got serious.

When she informed Martha that she also planned on going to Adrian, she learned that Martha had not yet told their parents of her plans. They went together to break the news. After Martha’s disclosure, Irene, slightly fearful, informed her parents that she also would be leaving. To her surprise they made no objections. Her father merely said, “That’s good. Martha won’t be lonesome.” When they departed, the parents were left with only the youngest daughter Margaret at home.

The two entered the postulate on June 18, 1932. Sister Irene wrote:

We entered the day of summer retreat opening, and during that week we debated whether or not we could stick it out—the silence was so threatening—but stick it out we did. Soon we were registered for classes and started summer school at Siena Heights University (then St. Joseph College).

Because of a need for teachers, when summer school closed in August Irene was sent to St. Mary School in Royal Oak, Michigan, where she taught sixty students in fourth grade. She returned to Adrian for the Christmas holidays, and received the habit and her religious name (Sister John Marie) on December 27. She then returned and finished the year at St. Mary School.

The novitiate year followed, and she professed her first vows on August 9, 1934. Almost immediately she was bound for Detroit, where she taught sixth grade at Holy Name School for four years. During the summers, she studied at De Sales College in Toledo, Ohio. She spent the 1938-39 year as a full-time student at St. Joseph College (which became Siena Heights College, in April) and in June 1939 received a bachelor’s degree with a major in French and minors in English, education, and history. For the following summer, she was sent to Quebec, Canada, where she studied at Laval University.

The next year she was assigned to Visitation in Detroit for five years, where for the first year she taught on the junior high level, then progressed to high school. During the summers she attended The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in French until 1943. At that time, she did not continue at The Catholic University. It seems that there were many French teachers, so she was assigned to study Spanish in Adrian during the summer. She wrote:

God bless Sister Laurine Neville. Whenever I wasn’t in class, anyone could find me in one of two places—either outside in the fresh air or under a tree with three different Spanish texts and a dictionary, or I was being given special tutoring by Sister Laurine. She was so wonderful to me. The following summer I was told to return to The Catholic University and change my major from French to Spanish. I begged off, and was allowed another summer in Adrian to study more Spanish.

In 1944, she was sent to Aquinas High School in Chicago to teach English, history, and Spanish. After two years she returned to Michigan and taught for a year at Resurrection in Lansing.

Her assignment for 1947 sent her to West Palm Beach, Florida, to teach Spanish and business courses at St. Ann High School. She continued her studies at The Catholic University during the summers, and in June 1949 the University awarded her a master’s degree with a major in Spanish and minors in French and history.

Both Sisters Irene and Margretta were brought back to the Midwest in October 1952 when their father died of a sudden heart attack. To be near their mother, who was suffering from cancer, Sister Irene was assigned to St. Ambrose in Detroit and Sister Margretta was assigned to her home parish in Owosso. In June 1953 their mother died. Within less than a year the Morence siblings had lost both parents.

Bishop Muldoon High School in Rockford, Illinois, was the site of Sister Irene’s next assignment, where she taught French, business, religion, and Spanish. After eight years, she was one of the ten sisters sent to open St. Dominic College in St. Charles, Illinois, and to teach Spanish and French.

Sister Irene spent the 1964-65 school year in the Dominican Republic at Colegio Santo Domingo, teaching French, business, history, and English. This was a time of great peril and violence. The dictator Trujillo had been assassinated, and the army was searching for those who were responsible. The sisters were also in danger, and were forced to leave. Sister Irene wrote:

This was the year of the outbreak of war there. I happened to be at Las Matas at the time of the outbreak, so could not get back to the Colegio when the sisters from there boarded the ship for home. We attempted to get through, but missed the boat by fifteen minutes. I was one of the six left behind for several days. It was a frightening time!

When we did, finally, find ourselves on our way home, instead of returning immediately to St. Dominic College I went on to Detroit and stayed with Sister Margretta who was superior at St. Suzanne at the time. I came with nothing but the clothes on my back, so I spent the rest of the year with her making habits, veils, etc.

She then returned to St. Dominic College in St. Charles as a teacher of French, Spanish, and accounting. She also served as treasurer and Financial Aid Director. She remained there until the College closed in 1970.

At that time Mother Genevieve Weber asked her to return to Adrian and set up a student Financial Aid Office at Siena Heights College. She served the College as director of this office for nineteen years. After a few years, Sister Margretta also returned to Adrian, and became her assistant.

In 1989 Sister Irene retired, and left the College. She wrote: “After a few months, I sought out my two friends at INAI (Sisters Barbara Chenicek and Rita Schiltz) and offered my services.” She served INAI for five years as secretary. She lived in Regina Residence until 1997, when it was necessary for her to move into the Maria Building. On February 1, 2009, she followed Sister Margretta into eternity.

The closing paragraph of her autobiography is:

My vocabulary is inadequate at this time to truly express my gratitude for my vocation and for the wonderful, happy years I have spent with my Dominican family. Now I beg you to remember me in your prayers.

Sister Irene’s wake-remembrance service was held in St. Catherine Chapel on February 4. Sister Joan Sustersic, Prioress of Holy Rosary Mission Chapter, opened the service and welcomed those who had come to bid Sister Irene farewell. Present were Sister Irene’s sister Margaret Conley, several nieces and nephews, and many Dominican friends. Sister Joan summarized Sister Irene’s life and ministry, and spoke of her last years.

At first, she was quite spry, and even had an exercise bicycle in her room. As time progressed, she suffered both a physical and mental decline. She suffered a broken hip and her memory loss increased. . . . She was very organized and enjoyed cutting out coupons. She also was a daily player of Hand and Foot [a card game]. . . . She attended daily Mass, prayed the rosary and the office. She was a deeply spiritual woman.

Her condition declined further, and it was decided that she would have more assistance on 2 South, so she moved up from the Garden Community. She continued spasmodic eating and finally prepared for her last journey. She passed away peacefully . . . at the age of ninety-four, in the seventy-fifth year of her religious profession.

Sister Sharon Weber spoke for the Siena Heights community.

Hers was a position that allowed her to make contact with nearly every student in an area in which they felt quite vulnerable—how to pay their bills. Hers was not an easy job—dealing with federal and state laws, tight budgets, and mountains of need. She did it in a way that allows her to be remembered fondly by many.

Yesterday I circulated her obituary to the Siena community. Sister Pat McDonald responded, “I worked for her in the ‘70s when I was there at Siena. She was delightful and professional in her role and I highly valued all that I learned from her.” Amy Sturtevant, who was assistant to the President and in the office across from Financial Aid said, “I remember Sister Irene and Sister Margretta very well. They were a great pair, and handled our Financial Aid Office like a well-played concert.”

I also sent a message to Patrick Irwin because I have heard him tell stories of Sister Irene. Patrick is the Vice President for Human Resources of Henry Ford Health System. He is a man who has done well and does good. He came to Siena from Holy Redeemer Parish from a family without many financial resources. He credits Sister Irene with helping him find the money he needed to stay at Siena and finish. Today he spends his time away from work coaching youngsters from his old neighborhood in cross country and track. He has sent some of these boys to Siena. He replied to my email, “Sister Irene had a heart of gold—a giant. I was very, very lucky to have known her.”

From Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, Sister Madeline Dervin sent a message that was read at the wake.

It is with deep gratitude that I acknowledge the influence which Sister Irene Morence had in my life. In the late ‘40s she was my Spanish teacher at St. Ann High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. We memorized verb forms constantly because she took time to let us know that they provided the sure road for understanding and communicating in another language. She was a terrific teacher and very patient with us.

In later years I would tease her and say, “You were my favorite Spanish teacher!” With a twinkle in her eyes, her reply always was, “I was your only Spanish teacher!” This wonderful sister was responsible for introducing me to another culture and gifting me with skills that have been invaluable in my ministry of service to our Spanish-speaking people.

On February 5 Father Roland Calvert, OSFS, celebrated Sister Irene’s funeral Mass and praised her service to God’s people.

Sister Irene gave generously of the talents she had received from God, especially in language and numbers, and those talents bore much fruit. In the words of Sister Madeline we say, “Muchas gracias, Irene, y hasta la vista!”