Sr. Daniel Marie Meade, SFP

January 15, 1924 – November 1, 2017

Always attentive to the voice of God and the call to move whenever God called, Sr. Daniel Marie let go of her life in Cincinnati to be embraced by the God she loved for a new Life in Eternity, on the morning of Tuesday, November 1, 2017, the Feast of All Saints. 

Sr. Daniel Marie began life on January 15, 1924 in the province of Newfoundland, Canada.  Born to Lucy and Anthony Meade and baptized Monica, she loved to tell us that when she was born, she was only 3 ½ pounds and was not expected to live.  If she had died, her parents had planned to bury her in a shoe box!  Monica had 5 other siblings – 2 brothers and 3 sisters.

Though life in Newfoundland in the 1920’s was very simple, Monica must have been very precocious, for she started school at 6 years old in a one room schoolhouse, and by age 16, she had completed high school. It was during this last year of her education that Monica felt a call by God to Religious life, a surprising desire, since there were no Religious in her home town.

After teaching school for 3 years, she realized that this was not for her, and she went on work in a Catholic hospital, assisting the dietician; and later worked with the American Armed Forces, Navy Division, present in her locality.  During this time, she attended an Ordination and met our Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. Finally, she could embrace her desire for Religious Life!

At 27 years old, on June 29, 1951, Monica was received into the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis (as the Congregation was formerly called) in Warwick, New York.  

Sr. Daniel Marie made her First Profession of Vows on May 11, 1954 and her Perpetual Profession on September 8, 1959, the same year the Holy See in Rome changed the name of the Congregation to the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. During this time, she interned at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, NY, received a B.S. in Medical Technology from Marywood College, Scranton, PA, and her Master’s Degree in Biology at St. John’s University in Brooklyn NY. She trained for two years at St. Francis Hospital, Bronx, NY, where she was a supervisor in Medical Technology, before coming to work at the School of Medical Technology at St. Michael Medical Center in Newark, NJ as the Teaching Supervisor and Vice-Director. 

In 1970, the Congregational Leadership asked for volunteers for the Brazilian mission and Sr. Daniel Marie offered to go. Arriving on January 5, 1971, Sister worked for 3 years with the Ministry of Labour, preparing and qualifying laboratory assistants in cancer diagnosis, tuberculosis testing, simple first aid and industrial and medical parasitology. During this same period, she helped in the pre-natal clinic, and with the diagnosis and control of medical parasites.

Sr. Daniela, as she was fondly called in Brazil, continued working in the pre-natal clinic for a total of 11 years, and later helped to set up a laboratory for Padre Tiago (Fr. James) Hospital, which at the time was a hospital for patients with Hansen’s disease (leprosy). In 1983, she responded to an invitation to work as Director of Paroquial Public Health Clinic in Parana, southern Brazil, and received a nursing diploma from Catherine Laboure School of Nursing in Curitiba. After spending some vacation time at home, Sr. Daniela worked at St. Anthony Hospital learning automation, and returned to Brazil in 1990, working in the Diocesan Project Children’s Pastoral.

Ever responsive to God’s call to serve the poor where she was needed, in 1992, she responded to yet another Congregational request to help our then Mission in Senegal, West Africa, temporarily on loan from Brazil. In Senegal, she established a small laboratory and trained three people to diagnose intestinal parasites and pre-natal blood exams.

Returning to Jatai, Brazil, she set up a small laboratory for the Father James Medical Clinic (now a hospital), and worked there as a volunteer until February, before moving to a new laboratory, named (without her knowledge) the Sister Daniela Research and Clinical Analysis Laboratory.  

By early 1993, she returned to Senegal with a modified microscope and taught the malarial program, which could not be done earlier due to lack of electric light. The Brazilian Department of Health allowed her to take 40 blood slides that were positive for malaria to use for this endeavor.

Sr. Daniela has credited the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor with placing many gifts at the service of the poor and sick in Brazil for 40 years, and the Brazilian people and our Sisters are grateful for her ministry there.

In 2011, due to poor health and advanced age, Sister Daniel Marie left Brazil for the last time, returning home for a visit to Newfoundland before getting established in yet another location – St. Clare Convent, Cincinnati, OH.  Here she enjoyed all the activities offered by the Magnificat Unit, including Yoga, painting class, musical programs, shopping sprees, and visits to Parky’s Farm.

Sr. Daniel Marie summarized her life in this way: “I am thankful to all who have helped me along the way; and I am very happy in my Religious Life, thankful to God for all He has done for me.”  (written by Sister Daniel on July 27, 2016.)

After her last birthday, Sr. Daniel Marie occasionally felt the call by God that she was going soon on another journey, to another country – this one built by the hands of God. She waited until November, and then, God called, and she went, yet again, running joyfully to meet God.

Sr. Jo-Ann Jackowski, SFP

The following are some testimonials from our Sisters and Associates who remember with affection Sr. Daniel Marie Meade:

I had the grace to meet Sr. Daniel Marie during my journey to Cincinnati, last years and this one, in April. I appreciated and rejoiced for the fact that Sr. Daniel Marie was very smart. I had the fortune to pray with her in her room, she asked me to bless her and so I did it. To meet her was really a grace and a great joy. I am sure of her lasting prayer for the Congregation and I imagine her in Paradise knitting for everybody who comes there.

Sr. Paola Zaccaria

I am thankful to God for I had lived for 10 years in the same community with Sr. Daniel in Jataí. She was a witness of goodness, faith, love and willingness to the will of God and of love for the Sisters of the Congregation. Now we have one more saint in heaven. We lost Sr. Virginia but we have a new saint in heaven.

Sr. Julia Batista Rocha

Sr. Daniela was an example so as her life of witness. She was a hero for the service with the poor and for her fighting against hunger, especially that suffered by poor children, and for her help in favor to pregnant women. Her life was an authentic prayer.

Sr. Maria Goretti Pereira

I had the opportunity to live in the same community with Sr. Daniel in Jataí. She was a model for the tenacity of her service and she never got tired although health problems or big efforts. She never was discouraged. She made every effort to help people in need. She accomplished her mission on the earth and I am sure that she now are enjoying the reward obtained with her life in our world and that she will intercede for us who continue to make the pilgrimage on this earth.

Sr. Maria Lucia Barbosa de Oliveira

Sister Daniel is an example of dedication to the mission that God entrusted to her. Thank you for the affection of you. She loved working here in Jatai.

Sr. Marta Gomes Pedrosa

Sr. Daniel Marie was a witness of faith and care for the Congregation. During my days in Us, she told me her story through the pictures she had in her room, many of them were memories of her family, of the Sisters, many of them were related to the many years she spent in Brazil and some of them to Senegal. I will carry in my heart her questions during the Us assembly, questions related especially to the Philippines. Like a small plant of the Congregation she wanted to be constantly update, and to know what’s new. She liked to play bingo with the Sisters, so to buy toys for children in need… She continued to spend her life loving the poor with her energy she had and with the great creativity God gave to her.

Sr. Francesca Vitulano

During my Formation period, Sr. Daniel Marie filled in for the professed Sister who directed us, who had left the Congregation. I found her to be kind and respectful. She was very faithful to the Congregation in this service. I admired how well she used her intelligence and her talents in Brazil and Senegal. She taught people who had very little previous education or none, how to do laboratory service. This knowledge enabled them to have employment and dignity. I enjoyed living with her here. She gave a good example to the staff and to all of us. She enjoyed telling little stories and jokes and she followed instructions regarding her own recovery from injuries and enjoyed telling us about the success she achieved. Sne appreciated all that was done for her.

Sr. Bernadette Sullivan

Sr. Daniel Marie Meade, SFP – a woman with many stories that brought joy and chuckles to the community. She was proud of her ministry in Brazil and all of the individuals that she worked with. She kept contact with them through the help of our Sisters in Brazil. She was always delighted to hear of them and their families. Sr. Daniel Marie treasured those relationships.

Sr. Karen Hartman

My memories of Sister Daniel Marie besides many but the one that we celebrated our golden jubilees together in Jatai, Brazil. During that time she received the recognition on having the laboratory that she developed with the official title Irma Daniel as the official name of the laboratory. It was thirty five years later since I was there in the 60″s. So much had change, that I could not even recognized the places and the church that we celebrated the first mission Mass back in the sixties when I was station there.
Sister Daniel Marie the angels place you among the saints With much love, look on us with your Peace and blessing.

Sr. Adelaide Link

With Sister Daniel Marie Brazil comes to mind as her love for Poor brought her there to serve those in need of decent medical care. Her alert mind found ways of improving on the Medical Laboratory Services where ever she found herself. In later years she was filled with tales of her time there and I could see the needy in Brazil had taken part of her heart into theirs. Now she is set free to again roam among them.

Sr. Betty Igo

I would like in this moment to express my solidarity to everybody and to share with you how wonderful were the moments I spent with Sr. Daniel Marie. I remember that one day, while she are walking in front of my mother’s house, I told her that I had a baby carriage that I would like to donate. The day after, I took this baby carriage to the convent. Some days later, I met her and informed her that I was pregnant and so I would probably need again the carriage. She smiled at me and told me that this was the thing I missed to have a baby. Thank you Sr. Daniel Marie for all you did for us and for staying and serving so much time in our city. Don’t forget about us now that you are with God.

Ana-Beatriz Araújo (SFP Associate) and family

Sr. Daniela (Monica Meade) dedicated a big part of her life to help people in need in our community. She gave her giftes in the service of the sufferers (she was a doctor) and she was responsibile for the Lab in the Padre Tiago Hospital, which carried on her name. She was rembered as an example of love for the other!. She was born in Canada, lived in Brazil (in Jatai) for 35 years and died in Cincinnati at the age of 94. Rest in peace, my dear friend! May God embrace you in the eternal life!

Rita de Cassia da Silva Gomes

Many others messagges were sent by those who knew her in Brazil.