Mother of God Monastery
110  28th Ave. SE ~  Watertown,  SD  57201
Phone: 605-882-6600  Fax: 605-882-6658
monastery@dailypost.com

OBITUARY

Sister Maureen Blais

Sister Maureen (Anna Marie) Blais, 83, died Tuesday, July 12, 2005, in Watertown, SD.

Anna Marie was born October 20, 1921 on a farm near Henry, SD.  Of the eight children born to Henry L. and Amelia (Krier) Blais, she was the third child and oldest daughter.

Anna Marie received her elementary education in the country school.  Her parents could not afford to send her to high school, so she worked for a neighbor for the next two years.  In 1936, the School Board paid her tuition and Anna Marie enrolled in high school in Kranzburg.  Due to a variety of circumstances, she was unable to complete high school.  One of her proudest achievements was earning her high school diploma in 1971, while she was missioned in Stephan, SD.

Sister Maureen felt called to religious life at an early age.  When she finally reached a decision to enter Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, SD, her mother asked her to wait a year.  Just prior to her entry date, her mother was severely burned, so Anna Marie again set aside her plans so that she could care for her.  One day her mother called her to her bedside and said; "I don't want to be the cause of you losing your vocation.  You better go to the convent."  On May 14, 1940, S. Maureen entered Sacred Heart Monastery.  She pronounced her monastic promises on December 5, 1943.  In June of 1961, Sister Maureen became one of the founding members of Mother of God Monastery.

During her years of ministry, she served as prefect at the boarding schools in Tabor, Stephan and Chamberlain, where she was also in charge of the laundry.  She served as nurse aide at Maryhouse in Pierre, and was laundress at the hospitals in Parkston and Pierre.  From 1978-1986, S. Maureen worked in Home Health, caring for several elderly people in Aberdeen.  Upon returning to the monastery, she assisted in the infirmary caring for our elderly sisters.  During the construction of the new monastery, Sister Maureen moved with a group of Sisters to Gettysburg, where she continued to be actively involved.  Upon returning to the monastery in 1997, she was appointed seamstress for the community.  She had a deep love for learning and was self-taught in many respects.  Whenever help was needed, Sister Maureen was the first to respond.  She made candles, jams and jellies and prepared rhubarb and apples for freezing.  She took pride in decorating the dining room for holidays, feast days and special events.  Her favorite past-time was playing card games, Cribbage or Upwords.  During her most recent years, she would become impatient because she could no longer do all the things that she wanted to do.  In spite of all, she had a heart of gold and will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her. 

S. Maureen's greatest wish was to die while she was still active.  That wish was granted when she suffered a massive heart attack while making altar breads for our Eucharistic Celebrations.

She is survived by her Sisters of Mother of God Monastery, her brothers; Jerry Blais of Watertown, SD and Laurence (Bernie) Blais of Seattle, WA, a sister; Theresa (Dale) Barck of Rapid City, SD and her nieces and nephews.