Sister Mary Helen Mack, OP 1930-2016 Mary Helen Mack, known also as Sister Mary Angus, was born in Port Huron, Michigan, on July 20, 1930. She was the second of two children born to Daniel and Edith (Allen) Mack. Her father worked for the Detroit Edison Company and her mother worked from home as a seamstress. In her autobiography she wrote the following about her family: I came from a small family and I always felt that I was an only child because my brother [Donald] was five years older and as a result his interests were not mine. Another fact of life was World War II. Don was in service as soon as he graduated from high school. I was in 8th grade at that time. My religious training began at home because my parents were deeply religious. I learned in my early years that prayer was important. Many times I could see my mother kneeling by her bed praying. My father was a quiet, gentle man who would tell jokes with a straight face. The love and respect my mother and father had for each other made for a happy, healthy home with a quiet and strong religious atmosphere. Sister Helen attended St. Stephen School from grades 1 through 12 with the Monroe IHM Sisters. She loved the Sisters but, when she was discerning her vocation, her relatives in the Congregation had the biggest influence. Sister Mary Sabina Mack and Sister Marie Estelle Mack were first cousins and Sister Edith Marie Allen was her second cousin. Sister Helen said their home visits every three years must have impressed me more than I realized. During her senior year she told her parents she was going to be a religious and that she was thinking about the IHM Congregation. This set off a stunning reaction from her mother, who thought her daughter would never be able to come home for a visit. Sister Helen wrote, I could see the great pain and loss [my mother] was experiencing, and so I decided on Adrian. My darling aunts were thrilled of course and I was happy, too. After graduation, Sister Helen entered the postulate on June 27, 1948. Her brother Don returned home from military service a within a short time after she left. Following reception in December, Sister Helen began her novitiate year and a year later she made first profession on December 31, 1949. Sister Helen s teaching ministry began on January 1950 and ended twenty-one years later in June 1973. During those years, she was assigned to teach in eight parish schools located in Michigan and one school in Florida. Summers during her first six years after profession were spent studying at Siena Heights College, where she received her Bachelor of Philosophy Degree in 1956. In her autobiography, Sister Helen gave a few glimpses of her teaching years. For example:, I have spent most of my religious life in and around Detroit. I tried and succeeded to adjust with each new mission. My one year [1957-58] in Belding [Michigan,] was very happy, but then I was off to Florida. The nuns were super; the weather from August to January was horrible. I was so lonesome. I wasn t sure that I was going to make it. My parent were getting old and unable to travel that long distance so I made up my mind that when Mother Gerald came for Visitation I would ask to be changed back to Michigan. 1
My parents didn t even know that I had asked to come closer to them so the complete change was a surprise to them. I went to Port Huron August of 64 and little did I ever dream that both of my parents would be dead by the following September. After two years at St. Joseph in Port Huron, Sister Helen was assigned to teach first grade at St. Philomena in Detroit. During her fifth year at St. Philomena and her last year of classroom teaching, a priest asked Sister Helen if she would be interested in taking a twelve-week course in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). At that time the Archdiocese of Detroit had two priests serving in pastoral care positions at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the priests was returning to parish ministry and he asked the Bishop to employ one or more Sisters to work with the one remaining priest in clinical pastoral ministry. And so from June to August 1971 Sister Helen was enrolled in the University Hospital s CPE program. In her autobiography, she described how it evolved. Sister Mildred Huber and I were hired. We started September 1, 1971, after the first quarter of training. The following year I took three more quarters of CPE and then worked with Mildred for the next five years. I was able to give the Eucharist as part of my ministry but in the years that followed I ve see little or no change in Church policy regarding women being able to anoint. I ve had the deep desire to be able to administer the Sacrament of the Sick so that I could share more completely in my ministry. I can function, however, in all other ways in my ministry and I leave the Anointing to God. In January 1977, Sister Helen began ministering at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit and eight months later accepted a position at St. Joseph Hospital in Mount Clemens. In August 1978 she moved to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Clinton Township, Michigan, where she continued to minister until May 2000. In her Annals, Sister Helen described her chaplain role and daily schedule. As a hospital chaplain I work with people who are experiencing loss of health and or death their own life or their loved ones. I work Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. along with sharing on-call from 5:00 a.m. to Midnight two or three times each week. And I m on call Saturdays as well and I work twice monthly from 8:00 to midnight. In January 1996, Sister Helen s schedule at the hospital was reduced to three days a week so she could minister on two days at Fraser Villa s Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. By July 1998 she reduced her total working hours to three days a week. In her Annals for that year she wrote: I am looking forward to July 1, 1998, when I hope to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I ll use my time for catching up and moving slower on Tuesdays and Fridays. This will be a big change A welcomed change! Sister Helen retired in 2000 and continued to live in Clinton Township until she returned to Adrian in 2011. She died on October 26, 2016, at the age of 86, and in the 67th year of her religious profession. At the remembrance service Sister Pat Dulka, Co-Chapter Prioress of the Holy Rosary Chapter, shared the story about Sister Mary Helen s move to the Dominican Life Center (DLC). 2
Because Mary Helen was a cheerful person, full of energy and enthusiasm who loved involving people in fun and enjoyable activities, she decided to offer some activities in the DLC. So once a month she led a piano sing-a-long. She also helped to create and offered activities twice a month related to God s Creatures, which included a monthly animal movie and a gathering to enjoy [the presence] of someone s pet animal. She understood that for some people, being able to enjoy animals was relaxing and enjoyable. Sister Helen s family shared stories confirming Mary Helen s creative activities and her love of animals. They shared memories of many years of celebrating with her. Christmas Season for Sister Mary Helen was expanded to two months so she had time to share the holidays with her many friends and family. They remembered her joy in sharing stories, taking trips, and even sending messages from her current pet kitten. Her niece mentioned in particular: Buttercup, Sara, and Luke. Sister Mary Helen selected the readings 1 for her funeral liturgy. Sister Mary Keefe, who gave the homily, wove these scripture passages and Sister Mary Helen s journey into the following message: Just before today s gospel reading Jesus had fed a large crowd by blessing five loaves of bread and two fish. When the crowd saw that Jesus had left them, they followed him, looking for another free meal. Jesus wants people to understand that the meal he provided is symbolic of the bread of God. But they must be willing to accept this bread which is Jesus himself. Jesus offers himself to us as spiritual food which produces the life of God within us.he promises us unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken, and he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. For Mary Helen, Jesus was the bread of life, her sustenance and her center. Our lives are made up of many kinds of journeys: planned or unplanned, neat or messy, chosen or not chosen, welcomed or unwelcomed. And I would guess that frequently we are on more than one journey at the same time. Mary Helen made many journeys throughout her life: as teacher, chaplain, companion to many and as a member of her beloved family. Some of her journeys were planned, some unplanned, some were neat and some were messy, some were chosen and some were not chosen. We too have made many journeys and we continue to make them each and every day. Let us ask Mary Helen to help us on our way that we may not lose heart, that we may be open to our many journeys, and that we may be companions to one another as we strive to follow Jesus, who is our way, our truth and our bread of life. 1 Corinthians 5:1, 4-7; John 6: 35-40 3
Sisters Mary Helen Mack, OP, left, and Mildred Huber, OP, in the chapel of University Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they ministered together as chaplains. Sisters Mary Helen Mack, OP, left, and Mildred Huber, OP, pose with Mickey Mouse. 4
Left: Graduation from St. Stephen High School, Port Huron, Michigan, 1948. Right: With her parents, Edith and Daniel Mack, in Adrian, 1951. From left, Sisters Mary Connelly, Jean Kathleen Chomsky, and Mary Helen Mack 5
Members of the 2008 Diamond Jubilee class are, back row, from left: Sisters Nora Brady, Marie Geraldine Brownell, Celestine Dunne, Alice Riegel, Patricia Wiley, John Norton Barrett, Mary Schmagner, and Therese DeCanio; and front row, from left: Sisters Mary Helen Mack, Joan Sopha, Mary E. Quinn, Dorothy Thielk, Margaret Urban, Patricia Ann Hurley, Marion O Connor, and Judith Mary Singer. 6