Please Pray for the Peaceful
Repose of the Soul of
Mary Venarda Lance, RSM
7/1/1921 to 4/19/2013
Nurse, Hospital Administrator, Chaplain, Beloved Sister of Mercy!
Sister Mary Venarda was the second daughter born to Ormie and Josephine (nee Parent) Lance in Minneapolis, MN, on July 1, 1921. At her baptism, she was named Mary Jean. Mary Jean and her older sister, Josephine, were soon joined by Betty Anne and Yvonne.
Mary Jean attended Annunciation elementary school and the Academy of Holy Angels in Minneapolis, MN. During those years, she knew she wanted to be a nurse and also had a leaning toward religious life. Since she was a frequent reader of the Sacred Heart Magazine, she found out about several religious orders. The only one who had hospitals was the Sisters of Mercy, and they had some connection with Florence Nightingale.
She went ahead with her intentions and entered the Sisters of Mercy Novitiate in Des Plaines, IL, on Sept. 8, 1938. She knew no one, but soon felt at home in the Novitiate because the group of women who came with her became good friends. She was received on March 12, 1939, and given the name of Sister Mary Venarda. Having completed the Novitiate, she professed temporary vows on March 12, 1941.