
S. Mary Catherine Nilles
(January 29, 1927 - March 20, 2014)
Read her obituary by S. Suzanne Noffke
Mary Catherine (Kate) Nilles was “drawn to the sisters like a magnet!” They taught her at St. Bernard School in Madison, WI, but that wasn’t her only exposure to the Racine Dominicans. “My parents were very active in the parish,” she recalled, “so I also met the sisters outside the classroom and found them to be fun-loving, relaxed and interested in all parishioners.” When Kate visited the motherhouse in Racine, she knew it was the place for her.
She joined the community at age 19, and the following year received the name Sister Terence, which she kept until the 1960s. For 45 years she served as teacher and principal in schools around Wisconsin and at Nativity in Detroit, MI. She was also the assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Joliet, IL. Of all her ministerial experiences, “the opportunity to assist beginning teachers was a singular one for me. That was always a wonderful day!” she noted. After tutoring in the Adult Learning Program for six years, S. Kate has spent the past nine years assisting with research for the community history.
For S. Kate, “Being a Dominican Sister is a life-changing gift.” She appreciates walking side-by-side with other women who have purpose and like-mined goals, and who are gifted in so many ways. “We are really never alone; we are community.”
In this era when many people do not understand the role of women religious, S. Kate wants them to know that “Racine Dominicans are women in our time and of our time.” When the community takes on a new ministry, from running schools to developing outreach, such as the new HOPES Center, “we are very, very prepared for it, and this adds strength to the ministry,” she reflected.
To anyone considering religious life, she beckons, “Come forward!” She encourages them to bring “questions, doubts, and your own hopes” and to pray daily as they sort through their life decisions.