Sister Mary Elizabeth Clements

Mary Beth grew up in Kankakee, where she attended St. Teresa School and Church. The grade school was staffed by Franciscan Sisters, but our Sister Johanna Murphy was the principal for the middle school. Sister Mary Beth recalls how Sister Johanna, who Sister Mary Beth refers to as “a major cheerleader” in her life, would call her out of class for special projects.

Mary Beth’s relationship with the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary deepened while she was working with the sisters at St. Mary Hospital. She was then in her 20s and says that she was drawn to the life of prayer and ministry as if by a magnetic force.

At the time of her entry, there was a vocation team, not a single vocation director. Mary Beth worked with and was mentored by Sister Alma, who was in Hopkins Park, Illinois. Sister Alma had a great devotion to Divine Providence, which was evident in her strong trust in God’s care. Sister Mary Beth sees this same trust in her good friend Albertine, who does mission work on behalf of her native Cameroon, and in Mother Marie Moisan, our foundress, whose story is told in the book “Bread and Candlelight.”

As is true of many of the Sisters, Sister Mary Beth speaks fondly of all of her ministry work, but was most fulfilled by her ministry with families in Hopkins Park. As the on-site minister for a small parish, she was aware of both the blessings and the crises in the parishioners’ lives. When someone was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she knew about it and was there to pray with them and help where she could. Many of the households in that town are multi-generational, and ministry meant being present to all of the family members. It also meant being there not just at the time of diagnosis, but for the entire journey: through the progression of the illness, through the death, through the burial, and through the grieving process. Sister Mary Beth no longer lives in the parish, but, since her new home in Kankakee is not far away, hopes to continue ministering to these families, whom she loves, in a meaningful way.

While family spirit is certainly evident as a theme in her ministry, Sister Mary Beth notes that the elements of faith, self-giving and family love are so intertwined that it’s hard to separate them and name just one of those elements of the congregation’s charism as that to which she is most drawn.

The congregation owns a small bus, which Sister Mary Beth uses in her ministry. The name of our congregation is painted on the side of the bus, along with our tagline: Women In Mission. Sister’s friend Albertine can’t help but add, “driven by love” to that phrase. “Women In Mission, Driven by Love.” That certainly sums up Sister’s life of ministry.