Atlas Twp.-A mentor to some, nun to others and a teacher to many’for two decades Sister Joan May piloted St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.
May, 67, died Jan. 16.
On Monday, more than 600 people packed St. Mark’s Catholic Church to celebrate the life of Sister Joan. The Mass was officiated by Bishop Earl Boyea.
‘She was pushing a dust mop around the convent when she had a heart attack,? said Sister Heidi King of St. Mark’s.
‘Joan was a shining star’it was never about her, rather about others and God.?
The youngest of 13 children, May was born in Portland Mich., and entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth convent in Kalamazoo three months after graduation from high school. She became a nun in 1959. She earned a B.A. from Nazareth College and a MA in religious studies from Wayne State University. She taught 16 years in Catholic elementary schools across the state and in 1978 she was named principal at St. Joesph School in St. John, Mich.
‘This year would have been her 50th year as a sister,? said King.
Sister May helped convert Sister King to Catholicism when she was 16 and to later become a nun.
In 1989, May was appointed by Bishop Kenneth Povish of the Diocese of Lansing to be the Pastoral Coordinator of St. Mark the Evangelist parish in the township. In 2003, the parish center was named after Sister Joan May.
‘She loved to joke around,? said King. ‘When she would bless people? the holy water would fly. She’d soak people with water.?
May served on the Board of Directors of Outreach East in Davison, the Goodrich Ministerial Association and was a longtime Churchline columnist for The Citizen newspaper.
‘She was like a mom, sister and a best friend,? King said. ‘She loved the people and they loved her.?
Sister King said the church is unsure of how it will replace Sister May.
‘It’s a tragic loss,? she said. ‘The void will be difficult to fill.?
Mourning her loss and celebrating her life are best friends, Sister Heidi King and Sister Rita Schafer; all the Sisters of St. Joseph; all the people of St. Mark’s. Sister Joan was proceeded in death by her parents; sisters, Elizabeth, Ruth, Mary ann, Katherine and Dorothy; brothers, Bill, Harold, Robert, Carl and Fred; dear friends and loved ones.
Masses were celebrated at St. Mark Catholic Church and in Nazareth, Mich.
Burial was in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Nazareth, Mich. Contributions may be made to Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph or St. Mark Catholic Church.