Sister Regina Pacis Meservey

I have had the privilege of working with Sister Regina for over 20 years in various capacities. I first got to know her when she gave myself and my coworker an orientation to the School Sisters of St. Francis. She was a wealth of information on the mission and values, the history of the organization, the story of St. Joseph Chapel, and just about anything else you would need to know. She gave a thorough tour and welcomed us and was excited to have two new young employees to work with on the mission. Over the years she gave this same tour to many employees and board members, and she always did so with the same enthusiasm and welcoming manner that made you feel special. I remember that from the get-go I realized I do not want to ever disappoint this woman.

I really got to know Sister Regina well when I served on the Three Oaks Circle Board of Directors. It was a challenging time for the new organization as it was during the construction, start up, and first 5 years of the opening of the apartments. Many difficult decisions needed to be made, and since the organization had 3 partnering organizations that were all represented on the board there was a unique operation at the board meetings. I remember many meetings with Sister Regina, while I served as President of the Board, trying to figure out how to work around all the challenges and serve out the mission to its fullest. We did not always agree on what should be done but we respected each other and learned from each other’s strengths, and I know I grew a lot during this experience. Years later she and I would joke about all that we went through and relish in the fact that it all turned out so well.

I remember feeling very honored when Sister Regina invited me to attend her Jubilee, and I was again honored when she attended my wedding. She always encouraged me to strive harder and go further. This April I was able to be part of a group visit with Sister Regina, at Sacred Heart Center. We spent the whole time reminiscing as a group on all the crazy things we had dealt with together over the years. We laughed, and even though we knew this might be our last time with her, we enjoyed every minute. Sister Regina was a dedicated, mission driven, powerhouse. She served the SSSF her whole life and gave it her all. She deeply impacted many lives throughout many organizations. She trained and developed thoughtful dedicated board members for all the SSSF sponsored ministries. She always was available as a sounding board, problem solver, and mission forward thinker to all the leaders of the SSSF sponsored ministries. She will be missed by all, but especially by me.
Jennifer Gorecki, Service Coordinator at St. Clare Management, Inc.