The last two Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame who were living in Illinois visited our Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church late last month before moving away, bringing an era of over 165 years of service in Illinois to a close. As a parting gift, they gave MBVM a statue of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, their foundress.
Statue of St. Marguerite
The Viatorians in the US have a rich history of partnering with women religious, especially in parishes and schools around the province. This all began with the CNDs, who, like the Viatorians, established their first permanent US mission in Bourbonnais, IL, at MBVM. The sisters arrived in 1860 – five years before the Viatorians. During a time of upheaval and controversy in the region, their steady ministry helped stabilize local faith life, including their school for girls and their ministry in the parish.
The first Viatorians then benefitted from this partnership when they took on MBVM parish leadership in 1865. Viatorians have been pastors ever since, and the CNDs served the community alongside our members until 2022, when Sr. Kathleen Murphy, CND, concluded ministry at MBVM.
Sr. Darlene, Fr. Jason, and Sr. Regina walked the grounds of MBVM, and Sr. Darleen (bottom photo) visited a 2nd-grade classroom at Bishop Mac that she used to teach 2nd grade.
Last month, Sr. Regina Devitto, CND, and Sr. Darleen Mayo, CND, visited the parish one last time before moving away. “For Sister Darleen, the visit was a homecoming,” MBVM Pastor Fr. Jason Nesbit, CSV, said. “She once taught at Maternity BVM School and later served at St. Patrick School while living in the convent next door. While Sr. Regina never served in Kankakee County, she taught at St. Jude School in South Holland, Illinois, where one of her music students was a young Ronald Hicks – today, Archbishop Hicks.”
With Fr. Jason, the sisters toured the church, the Bishop McNamara Catholic School site on MBVM’s campus, and enjoyed a picnic lunch beside resting places of CND sisters and Viatorians in the MBVM cemetery. Sr. Darleen enjoyed a special moment, visiting the same 2nd-grade classroom she once taught in many years ago.
The Viatorian Community will always honor and value our religious sisters and their partnership, and this departure of the CNDs is a bittersweet moment. “Although the Sisters’ presence in Illinois has come to an end, their legacy lives on in our parish, our schools, and in the countless lives they touched,” Fr. Jason said. “We thank God for their faithful witness and for the enduring gift of the Congregation of Notre Dame.”
Thank you to Mary Ann Lambert for her photos of this special visit.