Sister Mary Dolores
(Formerly Sister Mary Padraic) ND 4688 PDF Download
Dolores Ann Giblin
Immaculate Conception Province, USA
Date and Place of Birth June 4, 1937 Cincinnati, OH
Date and Place of Profession August 17, 1957 Covington, KY
Date and Place of Death April 23, 2022 Covington, KY
Date and Place of Burial April 28, 2022 Covington, KY
Dolores was born to George and Lucy (Brigger) Giblin, their third and youngest child. Dolores had an older brother, Paul, and an older sister, Rita, along with a half-brother, Richard. Most of her childhood was spent in Carthage, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Here she first met the Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Charles School and experienced an early attraction to religious life.
After two years at Our Lady of Angels High School, Dolores entered the Notre Dame Aspirant School and transferred to Notre Dame Academy, Covington, Kentucky. She entered the community on February 2, 1955. She received her Bachelor of Arts at Edgecliff College in Cincinnati, and her Master of Education at Northern Kentucky University.
Sister Padraic, as she was called then, spent ten years teaching elementary grades and four years at Bishop Brossart High School in Alexandria, Kentucky; however, most of her professional life was at Notre Dame Academy, thirty years as instructor of art, history, and social studies, and a decade as archivist. In pursuit of academic and spiritual growth, she traveled to Russia, India, and El Salvador.
In 1990, she returned to her baptismal name, Dolores. Outside the classroom she was engaged in significant outreach activities. She co-chaired the Ladies’ Retreat Team at St. Joseph Heights. She also participated in the jail ministry called Exodus, a listening ministry focused on preventing depression and suicide. She was known for starting support groups for families of the incarcerated. Furthermore, she worked in the NDA alumnae office, and wrote an interesting blog for the alumnae newsletter.
Sister Mary Dolores described herself as grateful, earnest, and humorous. Her sisters would affirm those traits, emphasizing the humor and adding a flare for dramatics. Her quips and recitations would have the sisters in stitches. In addition, companions knew her to be deeply prayerful and very devoted to God. Expressing her sentiments about religious community, she quoted John Foley’s song: “You give wonderful comrades to me. . . .”
As her health deteriorated, Sister Mary Dolores moved to St. Joseph Heights in 2018, soon transferring to the health care unit. As time went on Sister became less vocal, but she communicated with her eyes and smile. Both conveyed acceptance and peace. She went home to God on April 23, 2022, surrounded by loved ones.
May Sister Mary Dolores now be embraced by the limitless love and peace of our good and gracious God.
by Dreamhost