Sister Mary Vernard Chapman, MM
Born: December 26, 1896
Entered: November 21, 1920
Died: April 11, 1975
On Friday afternoon, April 11, close to 3:30 p.m., Sister Mary Venard Chapman passed into eternal life.
Lily Jane Chapman was born on December 26, 1896 in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England, of an English father and an Irish mother. She came to the USA in July of 1903 at the age of seven with her mother to join her father who had emigrated from England a few months previous. The family lived in Lynn and later on in Saugus, Massachusetts in Blessed Sacrament Parish, where Lily attended the Parish grammar school. After graduating from grammar school in 1911, she went to work for the General Electric Company in Lynn where for 8 years she worked hard and efficiently as a parts-maker of electric meters and time switches. On her application form for entrance into Maryknoll to the question: “How did you happen to get interested in Maryknoll?”, she wrote in brief but revealing words: “Through Sister Mary Peter and the Field Afar”. When she filled in that statement little did she realize that she would spend 31 years of her mission life at the various desks of the Field Afar (Maryknoll) magazine. Her application was accepted and she entered Maryknoll on November 21, 1920.
Sister Mary Venard made her First Profession of Vows on August 4, 1922 and was assigned to the Venard that same year where she worked in the laundry, rectory and kitchen. She made her final vows at the Venard on August 4, 1925 and returned to the Motherhouse in 1926, at which time she took up her work at the Field Afar magazine office, where she was to spend 31 years of her life in an unsung but nevertheless needed role, donating the gift of herself to the mission education of the U.S. Church and enhancing the Community’s response to mission around the world through the Maryknoll magazine.
In 1957, she was assigned to the Motherhouse Promotion Office, and in 1961 to the Motherhouse Mission Education Secretariat where she worked for ten years. In 1971, she took charge of the audio-visual equipment in Rogers College at which post she faithfully served until ill health necessitated her retirement to Bethany.
What can we say of a life poured out here at the heart of Maryknoll? – a generous missionary heart that remained faithful to the end, responsibly, willingly, and graciously carrying out the duties given to her with love and dedication and the certainty that for those who love God all things work together unto good. This is the kind of self-gift to God on which Maryknoll is built and on which its future depends: a single-hearted, joyous, steadfast, humble, self-forgetting and loyal YES to the call of the Lord Jesus to mission. In Sister Mary Venard’s file are several notes which she wrote to Mother Mary Joseph. In reading these notes I am struck by her docility, unpretentiousness, confident and loving manner with Mother. I would like to quote here a paragraph from a letter written to Mother Mary Joseph in the early 40’s:
“Be assured, Mother dear, of many a fervent
prayer during this time of grace. May I
ask a wee prayer, Mother, that I may be
generous with our Lord and be what He wants
me to be!”
As we look at her life, and celebrate her gentle and peaceful passage into eternity, we can affirm that her favor has been granted… “she has been generous with God and has been what He wanted her to be.”