A Time for Jubilee

Three Sisters of Bon Secours Celebrate Their Jubilees

Sr. Mary Cabrini Bonnett- 60 Year Jubilee

Sister Mary Cabrini entered the Community in 1948. A Native of Baltimore and a 1953 graduate of the Bon Secours Hospital School of Nursing, Sister Cabrini ministered to the sick in the Baltimore hospital for many years. She was especially known for her work in the emergency department of the hospital.

Her leadership qualities led her to be appointed Superior and Administrator of the Angelus Convalescent Home, Wildwood, New Jersey, where she served with distinction, being loved by the patients for whom she was responsible and by the civic community in which she became actively involved.

For many years Sister Cabrini served as receptionist for the Bon Secours Health System where she uniquely exercised her public relations skills. She also served on the board of trustees of Washington Village Community Medical Center.

“Being a Sister of Bon Secours all these years has been a great joy, privilege, and blessing in loving Our Lord and Lady daily by rendering service to all with whom we have come in contact through our values of respect, compassion, justice, innovation, stewardship, growth, quality, and integrity,” says Sr. Cabrini.

In 2007, the new Information Technology Department building of the Bon Secours Health System in Richmond was named the Sister Cabrini Building in honor of Sr. Mary Cabrini Bonnett’s years of service and dedication to the health system.

Sr. Marie Lucille Summers – 60 Year Jubilee

Sister Marie Lucille grew up on a tobacco farm in Southern Maryland. As a young girl, she worked as a volunteer in the X-ray department of Bon Secours Hospital. She entered the Community in 1948 and graduated in 1954 from the Bon Secours Hospital School of Nursing.

Sr. Marie Lucille has ministered to the sick in her own unique style in many of the Bon Secours facilities. Sister spent 21 years caring for the elderly at Villa Maria Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Miami. After the Community withdrew from the Villa, Sr. Marie Lucille transferred to Sr. Joseph Hospital in Port Charlotte where she held the position of Information Coordinator. She was a member of the board of directors of the Sr. Joseph Foundation, Hospice and CHAPS (A community AIDS organization).

Today Sr. Marie Lucille lives in Greenville, South Carolina, and volunteers three days a week in patient relations at St. Francis Eastside. She also prepares the spiritual thought for the day, which is e-mailed to all employees in the system. “It’s all about customer satisfaction. We want people to tell us how they feel, and sometimes they just have to vent, which often makes them feel better. Being a Sister of Bon Secours has made me a good listener, and every minute of my volunteer time at St. Francis is a joy,” says Sister Marie Lucille. “Bon Secours is a special religious order with a rich history. It is the human and fun loving aspect of the Sisters of Bon Secours that I enjoy most and of course our strong commitment to our mission.”

Sr. Jean Aulenback – 50 Year Jubilee

Born in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, in 1930, Sr. Jean graduated from high school in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, in 1947. She went on to attend nursing school with the Sisters of Charity in Halifax. After graduating in 1951 she worked in the delivery room for one year. She immigrated to the United States via Michigan in 1952 and worked at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe, where she met the Sisters of Bon Secours and entered the Community in 1958.

After making first vows, she was assigned to the hospital in Methuen, Massachusetts, as a Head Nurse and Night Supervisor. Sr. Jean came to Baltimore in 1962 and ministered in the Baltimore hospital as an ICU and Head Nurse as well as a Night Superviosr. In 1980 she was transferred to Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where she served for one year.

Sr. Jean left Grosse Pointe for six months to study Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in Methuen and then returned to Grosse Pointe where she served as Chaplain for six years. During that time she graduated from the University of Detroit with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

In 1988, Sr. Jean was transferred to Richmond, Virginia, where she worked with hospice patients and their families. After four years in that ministry, Sr. Jean moved to Marriottsville. Her ministries have included managing the Bon Secours Spiritual Center Bookstore for 10 years as well as serving as sacristan. She continues to serve as sacristan as well as assisting the Sisters of Marian Hall with transportation to various appointments and shopping.

Sr. Jeans enjoys bird watching and star watching as well as showing movies to the Sisters on Marian Hall.

“It never occurred to me when I was baptized at the age of 17 that I would have so many adventures with the Sisters of Bon Secours,” says Sr. Jean.