(1936-2024)

In her March 2017 “A Sister’s Story” video, Sister Annette Sinagra said that spending many years of her life ministering in the Dominican Republic had instilled advocacy for social justice “in my bones.” That commitment led her, over those years, to do everything from ensuring latrines were built for marginalized women in the Dominican Republic to taking on some of the world’s biggest corporations.

Annette Marie Sinagra was born June 9, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Nate and Grace (Zangra) Sinagra. Grace was a native of Washington, D.C., while Nate emigrated to the U.S. from Sicily. His given name was originally Natale, but he was teased for it at school because “Natale” is Italian for “Christmas,” and so when he grew up he went to court to have it legally changed.

The couple had three children: Theresann, the oldest; Annette; and Anthony. Annette’s first job was working in the independent grocery store that her father owned for fifty years; she recalled in her “Sister’s Story” video that as a child during World War II her task was to cut one-pound packages of butter into quarters because butter was rationed and people could only buy the smaller portions.

She attended public schools throughout her elementary and secondary years, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in January 1955. She then enrolled at Siena Heights College (University) right away, for the spring semester. When she went home for the summer, she took classes at John Carroll University and then spent the 1955-1956 school year back at Siena Heights.
Read more about Sister Annette (PDF)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. 

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF) - Note Sister Annette requested not to have her photo on the card.

 

Memorial and Remembrance Recordings

Recording of Sister Annette's Memorial Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

Recording of Sister Annette's Ritual of Remembrance - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

 

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(1932-2024)

When I went to see Jodie a few weeks ago, I said, “Jodie, I know you asked me to preach at your funeral. Well, what do you want me to say?” She replied, “Read the Scriptures, in the ‘Message’ translation, and just say, ‘LOVE.’ Yeah, Love. Love. Love. That’s all.”

These words come near the end of Sister Nancy Murray’s funeral homily for Sister Joanne Screes, who spoke in her life story about her belief that goodness and love make up the “golden umbilical cord” that connects all of creation.

Joanne Elizabeth Screes, known to all as Jodie, was born on January 25, 1932, in Painesville, Ohio, to E. Russell and Margaret Valerie (Murphy) Screes. Jodie was the younger of two children, after a brother, William.

Read more about Sister Jodie (PDF)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. 

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

 

Enjoy these videos with Sister Jodie

 

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

Recording of Sister Jodie's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

Recording of Sister Jodie's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

 

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(1935-2024)

If someone in Miami in the late 1980s ever had a reason to interact with Chaplain Beth Butler of the Miami Police Department, he or she would likely have been surprised to discover that the trim woman in the blue police uniform was a nun.

But police work ran in the Butler family. Sister Beth’s father, Vincent, was in the Detroit Police Department for 25 years, and a cousin was a police officer as well. In a 2019 interview for a publication produced by Dominican Hospital, from which she had just retired, she said, “My father was a police officer. My mother was a saint. As I always say, when you put the two together, you get a Sister in criminal justice!”

Beth Ellen Butler, born on February 28, 1935, was the middle child of five born to Vincent and his wife, Margaret Cowhy Butler. She followed Robert and a sister, Donalda, and preceded two more brothers, Michael and Terry.

The family lived on Detroit’s west side, where Beth attended Coolidge Elementary School for her first six years of education and then went to Our Lady Gate of Heaven School for seventh and eighth grades. It was there that she met the Adrian Dominican Sisters and found herself drawn to “their spirit of joy, their excellent teaching,” and the fact that “they were always happy.”

Read more about Sister Beth Ellen

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. 

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

Enjoy this inspiring interview with Sister Beth Ellen

 

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

Recording of Sister Beth's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

Recording of Sister Beth's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

 

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(1945-2024)

Our faith assures us that God is anxiously awaiting each of us, just as he awaited Dianne, as with outstretched arms she walked into God’s Holy Presence forever on May 29. As we heard … in the reading from Isaiah , she walked into the arms of the Holy One who had held her in the palm of his hand, even before she was born. God was always there. Holy Mystery had her back, in a way we don’t even pretend to understand, yet believe.

This paragraph was part of the funeral homily preached by Sister Susan Van Baalen for Sister Dianne Koszycki, echoing the image of a hand cradling a human figure that was used on the cover of the worship aid for the funeral.

Dianne Marie Koszycki was born on April 4, 1945, in Toledo, Ohio, to Francis and Helen (Wozniak) Koszycki. She was the youngest of the couple’s two children, coming into the family six years after her brother, Robert.

While she did not have a sister with whom to make childhood memories, she and her cousin Judy were especially close to each other. They were almost the same age, and although they lived in different states they spent almost every summer and many holidays together. “Needless to say, in our own way we created a lot of ‘good trouble’ for those charged with our care each summer,” Sister Dianne said in her life story.

Read more about Sister Dianne

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. 

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

Recording of Sister Dianne's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

Recording of Sister Dianne's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

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