Sister John Baptist Dowd
1914-2008

In his homily at Sister John Baptist Dowd’s funeral, Father Richard Trout shared memories of Sister from the time of his youth.

Every day she watched the children coming to school. Erect she stood, with her hands under her scapular. I used to wonder what she was thinking, for whom she was praying. I hoped that at least once she was praying for me.

She was truly dedicated to the liturgy. She was really focused on us children who were participating in the Mass. She was devoted to the Trinity, and had a beautiful, holy relationship with God. She loved all the Marian songs. When we were at Mass, we were part of something bigger than ourselves… From the beginning to the end, she was there—with tremendous dignity.

On November 23, 1914, in Emmett, Michigan, Mary Madeline, the future Sister John Baptist, was born into the Dowd family. Her parents were Mary Agnes (Kennedy) and John Maurice Dowd.

Both parents were Michigan natives. Mary Agnes Kennedy was from Emmett, a small town near Port Huron, and from a small family of three children. Her brother Henry did not marry, but cared for his mother. Her sister Grace, however, became the mother of eleven children. John Dowd of Avoca, also near Port Huron, was from a family that included four boys and a girl. One of his brothers was ordained a priest, Father Maurice Dowd; and his sister became a member of the Adrian Dominican Congregation known as Sister Maurice.

In her interview, Sister John Baptist did not say how Mary Agnes Kennedy and John Dowd met. After their marriage they made their home in Emmett; but John Dowd worked in Port Huron as a sergeant in the police department and provided a good life for his wife and nine children. Mary Agnes Dowd saw to it that their home was filled with comfort and happiness.

Mary Madeline attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, operated by the IHM (Immaculate Heart of Mary) Sisters, for grade school and two years of high school. Since the Dowd family was large and they had many relatives, they did not look for entertainment elsewhere. Family parties, family picnics, and other celebrations were held at their homes. “We were not extremely outgoing or very social.”

She was very fond of her aunt, Sister Maurice. In her interview, she said:

Sister Maurice was a lot of fun. She was a great pianist, and when she would come home every three years she would have everybody singing and dancing. She was very lively, very gifted.

Through Sister Maurice’s influence, Mary Madeline entered the Adrian Congregation at the end of her sophomore year (on July 1, 1931, at the age of sixteen) and finished her education at St. Joseph Academy in Adrian. After her entrance, a tenth child, a daughter named Margaret, was born to her parents. Margaret in later life entered the IHM Congregation, as did one of her nieces.

Within a short time of her entrance, Mary Madeline was sent to Chicago as a second grade teacher at St. Carthage School for the 1931-32 year. She returned to Adrian for the Christmas season, received the habit and her religious name, then returned to St. Carthage for the balance of the school year. The required, canonical novitiate year followed during 1932-33, and she, with her group, professed her first vows on August 8, 1933.

The twelve years after profession were again in Chicago—six years as a first grade teacher at St. Philip Neri School, four years with middle grade and junior high youngsters at Queen of Angels, and two years with junior high at St. Rita. During this time, as a result of summer study, she earned a Bachelor’s degree, with a major in Latin and minors in English and history, from Siena Heights College (now University) in Adrian.

After five years at St. Patrick in St. Charles, Illinois, she was sent to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to St. Patrick School in Escanaba. There she taught an elementary class for three years, besides directing the choir and doing catechetical work. She also served at the new St. Thomas Catechetical Center, which was just beginning. At the wake Sister Lorraine Pepin said:

I am Sister John Baptist’s postulant. In my junior and senior year of high school—1950 to 1952—I came in contact with her at the new parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Escanaba, Michigan, my home town. I became very involved with the parish CYO group and the choir she directed. She loved music, played the organ, and had a beautiful singing voice. She had a special gift of working with teenagers, and she taught us how to sing in two-part harmony, and participated in all of our CYO activities… She was an inspiration to me and sparked my interest in religious life… She, along with the other nuns from the convent, sewed my black postulant outfits and helped me get ready for my entrance into the Congregation.

Sister John Baptist’s last years in the Midwest were as a teacher at St. Lawrence School in Cleveland.

The year 1957 began her forty-two years of service in the Southern part of the country. These years began in Rome, Georgia, with six years at St. Mary School as teacher, superior, and principal. Sister Rose Celeste O’Connell, present Secretary of the Congregation, was also there, and shared some memories at the wake.

I was sent to Rome, Georgia, to replace a sister who was leaving… Sister John Baptist was the superior and principal of St. Mary School. There were only four of us tucked away in the northern mountains of Georgia. Sister John was wonderful to live with. She was kind and considerate, prayerful, and lots of fun. There is no one who worked harder than she—as principal, seventh and eighth grade teacher, and piano and choir teacher. She never asked us to do anything that she was not willing to do herself… The sixties were difficult times, and it was not uncommon to have crosses burned on our lawn by the Klan. Sister John was a reassuring presence for those of us who had never experienced this.

During the summers Sister John Baptist studied at the University of Detroit, and in 1962 the university awarded her a Master’s Degree in education.

When she left Rome, she taught for a year at St. Mary Help of Christians in Aiken, South Carolina. In 1964she was in Melbourne, Florida, where she spent nine years at Our Lady of Lourdes School, two years as a teacher and seven years as superior and principal.

Beginning with 1973 she served for three years as teacher and religious education coordinator at two parishes in Fort Pierce, Florida—St. Mark and St. Anastasia. Sister Rose Celeste was also there, and remembered playing the guitar with Sister John Baptist’s choir.

For the next twenty-three years Sister John Baptist remained in Fort Pierce as religious education coordinator at St. Mark Parish. There she, Sister Jane Irene Hutton, and Sister Clare Daniel Watson worked together and became fast friends. In her interview, Sister John Baptist said:

It was a small parish. Our classes were never big—possibly twelve to fifteen students. So you got to know well the families and the children you were working with. It was a nice parish to work in.

There were just three of us. We went down to Barry for parties. For Christmas there was always a big party; and, then, West Palm had different shows and programs that we were invited to attend.

A humble woman, she once made the statement that she was not gifted, as was her aunt, Sister Maurice. Her friends strongly disagreed. It was evident that she was a talented teacher and musician, and had used these talents well.

She spoke of the happiness and enjoyment she knew in Florida. “When you first go there, it seems very hot but you can learn to like it.” The sisters were, however, able to return to the North for the periods of Remembering, Transformations ’89, and Hearts Afire, all held in Adrian over the years.

She listed her travels as being to the various parts of the United States: Hawaii, California, Colorado, New York, Washington, DC. Europe had not been on her itinerary.

Sisters John Baptist and Jane Irene returned to Adrian for good in 1999, and lived in the Dominican Life Center/Regina until 2004. During these years, Sister John Baptist belonged to the choir and helped in the Office Support Services department. Sister Jane Irene drove her several times to Port Huron to see her family, especially her sisters in nursing homes. Two of her brothers had already died.

In her interview, Sister John Baptist said that one fall her family came to Adrian to see her apartment. She and Sister Jane Irene served them dinner in two shifts, since there were so many of them.

Death came peacefully to Sister John Baptist on June 21, 2008. She was ninety-three years of age and in the seventy-fifth year of her religious profession.

By a happy coincidence, her wake was held on the feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24. Sister Joan Sustersic, Prioress of Holy Rosary Mission Chapter, opened the service and welcomed those who had come to bid Sister John Baptist farewell: her sisters, Sister Margaret Dowd, IHM, and Ellen Bates and her husband George; many nieces and nephews; her good friend, Sister Jane Irene Hutton; and many other Dominican friends. Sister Joan summarized Sister John Baptist’s life and ministry, and spoke of the two falls she had taken, making surgery necessary. She added:

Sister John suffered some memory loss, but always was most gracious. She was in the choir at first, and had a beautiful alto voice. She attended daily Mass in chapel and prayed daily. She was a prayerful woman. On Sunday evening, June 15, she had an “episode” and had little desire to eat. We suspect it may have been a stroke. She was kept comfortable by the loving nurses and nursing assistants.

Sister Lorraine Pepin said:

She was quite a contrast between the very strict Franciscan Sisters I had in grade school and the Notre Dame Sisters I had in high school. She was fun-loving, joyful, patient, hard working, and had a contagious enthusiasm for life and ministry as an Adrian Dominican Sister. I am so grateful to God for giving me the gift of Sister John Baptist for a role model and for her love and support throughout my life.

Christine Stead, Sister John Baptist’s great-niece, also spoke.

We knew my aunt differently from what I’ve heard here. It’s amazing to hear how professional she was. We remember her as fun-loving, with a laugh that shook her whole body… She was involved in our lives. We had no idea how much she was doing professionally.

Lynn Dunn, Sister’s niece, shared:

We lived with my grandmother and grandfather, and she came to see them in the summers. She loved to cook steak… Her life was contagious, and she encouraged us. We became teachers. I work with kids who have trouble in learning; my sister works with kids who have trouble in reading. She kept pushing us to be the best that we could be.

Thank you for sharing memories with us, because we didn’t know those things. We did go to Florida and hear her choirs. We thank you for having us here, and for being so good to her.

Sister John Baptist’s funeral was held on June 25. A former pupil, Father Richard Trout, was the presider and homilist. At present, Father is stationed at All Souls Parish in Sanford, Florida. In his homily, Father said in part:

I’m so grateful to her for what she was to us and what she taught us. I represent the children and their parents, who are all very grateful to her. When she was there with us, it was a wonderful time for us. She was a woman of St. Dominic, a woman of prayer. She had no idea of the influence that she had on us.

Following the beautiful funeral liturgy, Sister John Baptist was laid to rest in the congregational cemetery.