Sister Mary Louise

Sister Mary Louise                     ND 4358          ⇒PDF Download
Mary Louise TRIVISON

Christ the King Province, Chardon, Ohio, USA

Date and Place of Birth:      April 11, 1928   Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Profession: August 16, 1948  Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:      July 15, 2015    Health Care Center, Chardon
Date and Place of Funeral:    July 20, 2015    Chardon, Ohio
Date and Place of Burial:     July 20, 2015    Resurrection Cemetery, Chardon, Ohio

Mary Louise was the third of the four children born to Amilio and Louise (Zaccagnini) Trivison where family bonds were strong and the source of her great sense of community. Through the years gatherings of the whole family, along with many “cousins’ lunches,” were anticipated and treasured.

After graduation from Notre Dame Academy, Cleveland, Ohio, Mary Louise entered the Sisters of Notre Dame from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Wickliffe, Ohio. She was given the name Sister Mary St. Louis after her brother Louis who had become a priest of the Cleveland Diocese. Later, she returned to her baptismal name, Mary Louise.

Sister Mary Louise was a true scholar and educator. She received a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College, South Euclid, Ohio, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Sister earned a Diploma in Sacred Science from Regina Mundi Institute, Rome, Italy. There she wrote and defended her thesis in Italian, and was third in her class! In 1994 Sister studied at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem for certification as a teacher of Holocaust Studies. Her ministry in education spanned almost sixty years, forty-nine at Notre Dame College where she impacted her students by fostering an environment of peace and understanding in the classroom. She enabled students to develop an appreciation of other faiths, cultures and races while serving as a professor of theology and Spanish. Devoted to Our Lady, Sister planned and obtained funding for Marian Center at the College to house a beautiful collection of Marian art from around the world.

Sister’s great gift was taking everything she learned to benefit others, drawing forth individual gifts and providing opportunities, especially for women and those overlooked or under-served. Sister Mary Louise used her prolific ties to people to bring focus and attention to important causes. She was a true peacemaker, serving on inter-faith councils and co-founding the Tolerance Resource Center (now the Abrahamic Center) at Notre Dame College—“fostering mutual respect among all peoples, and celebrating religious, racial and cultural diversity.”

Sister suffered much physically, yet never complained and had an incredibly strong will to survive many health crises. During the past three years, Sister served as Scripture consultant and unfailing support for Notre Dame Prays, the new community prayer book. Sister Mary Louise stated, “My life is enclosed in God’s goodness and love. My religious community, my sisters, supported, nurtured, cared for, encouraged, and made service to Christ a joyful way of life.” May Sister rejoice in the arms of her Beloved.

“I to my Beloved, my Beloved to me.”