Sister Therese Chaperone, CSJ
January 19, 1932 - September 28, 2022
| (S. Anne Letitia)
Caring, Generous, Humble Edward and Letitia (Aird) Chaperone of Big Bay, Michigan, were parents to three sons. WhenLetitia became ill, not even expected to live, the parents prayed to the Little Flower for healing, promising that if they ever had a daughter, they would name her Therese. She recovered and, to their delight, a daughter arrived on January 19, 1932. Eventually, two more daughters blessed the family. Their home was modest yet filled with a happy, loving family. Therese met the Sisters of St. Joseph when she was a student at Baraga High School in Marquette, Michigan. She entered Carondelet in 1949 and received the habit and the name Sister Anne Letitia in 1950. She earned a bachelor's degree in speech education from Fontbonne College in St. Louis in 1959. Though she hoped to be a nurse, Sister Therese was assigned to teach elementary students—and loved it! She taught primary at Saint Rita’s, Vinita Park, Missouri (1952); St. Luke, Richmond Heights, Missouri (1956); Sacred Heart, Atlanta, Georgia (1961); St. Joseph, Marietta, Georgia (1963); and Sacred Heart, L’Anse, Michigan (1963). To her great delight, S. Therese was sent to St. Theresa in Honolulu, Hawaii (1966). She taught intermediate grades and Junior High at St. Joseph, Waipahu, Oahu (1967); and intermediate at St. Anthony, Kailua, Oahu (1972). Sister Nancy Corcoran remembers: As a lay apostle, I taught with [Therese] at St. Joseph’s Waipahu. … When I returned to St. Louis and began ministering with transgender humans and their families, Therese called me to ask … actually demand … that I read Father James Martin’s, Building a Bridge. She went on to encourage … [others] … to open their hearts and minds to these marginalized communities. And I did read the book. S. Therese returned to the mainland and welcomed primary students at St. Peter in Marquette (1973). After teaching in early childhood education at St. Viator, Chicago (1974), she continued primary at Holy Redeemer, Marshall, Minnesota (1978), followed by St. Joseph, Muskogee, Oklahoma (1979); St. Viator (1980); kindergarten at Valle, Sainte Genevieve, Missouri (1981); and primary at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Kansas City, Missouri (1983). S. Theresa’s final years of full-time teaching were spent at St. Viator with intermediate students Sister Maryellen Tierney shares how S. Therese took care of her every need when she stayed at Nazareth following her shoulder surgery: Everything she did to help me was done with a quiet gentleness, and for that I was always grateful. Her last words to me were, ‘I am praying for those who are praying for me.’ By Sister Helen Oates Sister Therese Chaperone’s recordings are available |