Teresita Poulin, BVM

Sister Teresita Poulin, BVM died Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at Caritas Center, Dubuque, Iowa.

Visitation, the Sharing of Memories and Mass of Christian Burial were on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Burial was in the Mount Carmel cemetery.

Sister Teresita was born on June 28, 1931, in Heath, Mass., to Wilfred and Amy Lively Poulin. She entered the BVM congregation Sept. 8, 1949, from St. Leo the Great Parish in San José, Calif.

She was the founder and first director of the Roberta Kuhn Center at Mount Carmel in Dubuque, Iowa, and served the congregation as the elementary education commissioner and a regional representative. She directed the Bishop Helmsing Early Childhood Center in Kansas City, Mo., and worked for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa as the director of the Family Support Center and the Children’s Center, both in Santa Rosa, Calif. Also in Santa Rosa, she managed the Vigil Lights Apartments, an elderly housing project, and created and managed the Housing for Homeless mobile home project. In addition, she was an elementary teacher at St. Thomas in Memphis, Tenn.; St. Philip in Pasadena, Calif.; and Our Lady of Lourdes in Tujunga, Calif.; and superior and principal at Holy Redeemer in Montrose, Calif.

“At the core of Teresita’s being was a desire for justice. To enable her work, she was blessed with many talents – a talent for making things happen, a talent for creativeness in frugality, a talent for helping others discover their talents. Yet, she had one solitary goal. ‘My goal as a woman and as a religious,’ she wrote, ‘is to be a catalyst for “miracles” to happen. Making a difference in the lives of those in need is a great motivating force in my life. As a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I have had the opportunity to minister in many different parts of the country and in a variety of works. I feel very blessed to have had these experiences and to be able to share the gift of myself with others.’” (Eulogy).

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Levi and Ronald, and sister Claudia Hanney. She is survived by sisters Davina Gaumont, Susanville, Calif.; and Mabel (Phillip) Trifilo, Gilroy, Calif.; nieces; nephews; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 69 years.

Memorials may be given to Sisters of Charity, BVM Support Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, IA 52003 or make an online gift.