Sister M. Helen Hemmer, IHM
Sister M. Helen Hemmer, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Friday, May 18, 2018, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on October 6, 1927 in Syracuse, NY, and given the name Elizabeth. She was the daughter of the late Nicholas and Helen O’Connor Hemmer. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1946, and made temporary profession of her vows on May 8, 1949, and final profession of her vows on August 2, 1952.
Sister Helen served as a teacher at the following schools: Mt. Holly Regional Catholic School in Mt. Holly, NJ, from 1949 to 1950 and 1965 to 1966; St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY, from 1950 to 1961; Holy Trinity Elementary School in Poughkeepsie, NY, from 1961 to 1965; Most Holy Rosary Elementary School in Syracuse, NY, from 1973 to 1974; and Bishop Hannon High School in Scranton, PA, from 1980 to 1982.
Sister served as principal in the following schools: St. Matthew Elementary School in Wilmington, DE, from 1966 to 1970; and Hollidaysburg Catholic School in Hollidaysburg, PA, from 1978 to 1980.
Sister Helen also served as a staff member in the Diocesan Office for Religious Education in Scranton, PA, from 1970 to 1973; IHM religious education consultant from 1974 to 1978; certified nursing assistant at Marian Convent in Scranton, PA, from 1982 to 1984; assistant to the curator of the art gallery at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, from 1984 to 1986; coordinator of religious education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore from 1986 to 1989; and consultant for spiritual formation from 2008 to 2009.
Sister Helen was a consultant with William H. Sadlier, Inc. from 1989 to 2007.
From 2009 until the time of her death, Sister Helen was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in education, and a Master of Science degree in religious studies from Marywood College. She also received a certified nursing assistant certificate from Saint Joseph’s Hospital.
She is preceded in death by two brothers, Francis J. and Paul M., and a sister, Helen Rita Clover.
She is survived by a brother, Nicholas of Poughkeepsie, NY, a sister, Sister M. Rosarii, IHM of Scranton, PA, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation.
The funeral will be Wednesday, May 23, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Tuesday, May 22, between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Interment will follow Mass on Wednesday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.
Funeral: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/115131959
Vespers: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/115116423
https://video.ibm.com/recorded/115115616
Reprinted from "In Memoriam" section of Journey, Fall 2018 issue
Reflection given by Sister Ellen Maroney, IHM Congregation President
Sister M. Helen Hemmer, Funeral May 23, 2018
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; My spirit rejoices in God my savior.
This excerpt from the Magnificat is on the back of Helen’s prayer card and sums up so beautifully her focus throughout her life. During her sixty-nine years as an IHM, she fashioned an amazing life grounded in an unwavering faith and trust in the God she loved.
A woman of many gifts, Helen was an excellent teacher and administrator for twenty-six years in schools in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Her students and faculty appreciated her care for each individual person and her joy and thoughtfulness. Helen’s planning and organizational skills were called upon even further when she became religious education consultant, and later consultant for spiritual formation, for our IHM congregation. She also served as coordinator of religious education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore for three years and consultant for the Sadlier Publishing Company for eighteen years. In between, she was a C.N.A. at the Marian Convent for two years and an assistant to the curator of the Marywood art gallery for another two years. For the past nine years, Helen was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace.
Though her gifts were many, Helen especially treasured her roots as an educator. She was very proud of her role in training students and teachers who would inspire others to become leaders in the field and she was meticulous in planning the many workshops, seminars, and presentations for them. In all of Helen’s endeavors, her professionalism, dedication, and genuine humility were the guideposts that paved the way for success. She wanted the best for others and expected the best from them. A real ‘people’ person, she valued the presence and good conversation of others and was inclusive of all wherever she went. Her presence exuded energy and, as was noted yesterday, life was never dull around her.
Helen’s life was certainly “other centered” – on God first, then family and those with and to whom she lived and ministered. She was especially caring and faithful to her loving sister, Rosarii, with whom she shared a life full of many wonderful adventures. We rejoice today in the gift of Helen’s life with all of us. She brought God’s love and joy into the lives of countless people through her generous and grateful spirit. Her love of beauty and poetry brightened our lives. Her dedication and untiring belief in the value of learning drew others to her, and they were also blessed to share the depth of her unwavering trust in God.
We rejoice today that Helen is now at home with her God and enjoying eternal life with her parents, Helen and Nicholas, her sister, Helen Rita, and her brothers, Francis and Paul, who are now reunited with her as she is welcomed into the joy of eternal life by the God she loved and served so faithfully.
Today very specially we gather our Sister Rosarii into the heart of our prayers as well as her brother, Nicholas, and her nephews and their families as we share their loss. We pray for all of us whose lives have been touched by Helen, especially her band members, her IHM sisters, her countless friends, and the administrators and staff here at Our Lady of Peace. We ask the God of all consolation to comfort us.
Through the sharing of her dedication, fidelity, and giftedness, Helen was a blessing to family, friends, our IHM community, her students, and those she served in her ministries. We thank God for her. I suspect she has already gathered a group in heaven and is reviewing their resumes in religious education – and I’m betting she asked Jesus to sit in on her class.
Maggie will now place the scriptures on Helen’s casket, for she heard the Word of God, she staked her life upon it and received life to the full . . . the Word now beckons Helen home.
