Sister Martin dePorres Smukowski
July 17, 1931 to Aug. 4, 2012
Born in Milwaukee, WI, Sister Martin de Porres Smukowski entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1949 after graduation from Milwaukee's Mercy High School. Already an accomplished pianist, "Marty" as she was later affectionately called, first taught in schools in Milwaukee and the Chicago area from 1952 until 1974.
In 1974 she moved into parish music ministry, first at Holy Apostles in Milwaukee. Music posts at St. Patrick in Racine, WI; St. Mary in Hales Corner, WI; St. Albert the Great in Burbank, Il, Chicago; Elm Grove, WI, and St. Clotilde in Chicago, followed. In 1986, Sister Regine Fanning, then pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Parish in Palo Hills, IL, knew the parish needed a music director and contacted Sister Martin. The fit was perfect.