Sister Myra Dionne

(Sister Joseph Marie) (Deceased)

“Who am I? Actually, for a time, I wasn’t so sure. As a child, I thought I was Myra, named after my maternal grandmother, Elmira, but I later discovered that I had been baptized Josephine Elmira. By then, I was a religious with the name Sister Joseph Marie. When I wrote to the courthouse for my birth certificate, I stated both possibilities. He wrote back and said it was neither. The doctor had recorded me as Josephine Amelia. That was it! I went to court and had my name legally changed. Now I know who I am! I’m Myra Josephine Dionne!”

This was the delightful way Sister Myra chose to introduce herself at a retreat. If her parents were the cause of all this confusion, one could hardly blame them. Myra was the 17th child born to them, with one more to follow.

Faith was an important part of Myra’s childhood in Beaverville, Illiniois. Her mother always had her children baptized the first Sunday after their birth. Myra was born on a Saturday and was carried to the church across the street the following day. She attended high school at Holy Family Academy, first as a day student, later as a boarder.

While on a retreat her senior year, Myra spoke with the priest about joining a contemplative order. The priest, however, suggested that she join the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary, where her sister was already a novice. Myra was happy to do so. She already loved the Sisters and admired their devoted care of the children. She entered the novitiate following graduation.

Mother Rose Mary Dufault was a strong influence during Sister Joseph Marie’s years as a novice. She taught her novices a variety of prayer forms and then guided each of them in the way that God seemed to be drawing them. She taught them to maintain a balance in their lives. She urged them to accept the good things that happened with joy and gratitude and to accept the difficult moments with equal grace. She urged the novices to be aware of God’s presence within both themselves and others.

Sister Myra was an educator for 43 years and through many challenges. She was sent to open a new school in Joliet, Illinois. There were only four classrooms at first, but the Pastor decided to welcome students from grades 1-8. That year, Sister Myra had a combined class of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. From there, she was sent to St. Gall School in Chicago, where she taught a class of 52 second graders. After that, she helped open yet another school, this time in Minnesota.

Sister Myra always had compassion for the children who had difficulty reading, so off she went to the University of Minnesota to earn a Master’s degree in Special Education with a major in Remedial Reading. She remembers working with these children as a challenge and a real joy.

Self-giving has been a constant theme in Sister Myra’s life. She draws joy from being and doing for others. After leaving education, she devoted her time to Nazareth Spirituality Center, serving as its coordinator and making sure that things were always perfect for its guests. As the leader of the Affiliate group in Batavia, she made sure that there were always snacks for the monthly meetings and that every member’s needs were met. For several years, she was the Sister who answered the phones and was the smiling woman who greeted visitors.

In January of 2022, Sister celebrated her 75th anniversary of vows. On April 2, 2022, Sister Myra Dionne gently entered eternal life.

Contact Sister Back