Sister Elizabeth Marie Reis

A live-streamed Memorial Mass will be celebrated by

Msgr. Michael Hazard (St. Joseph Parish, Kalamazoo) on Friday,

April 24 at 8:30am and by Fr. Paul Redmond

(St. Thomas More Parish, Kalamazoo) on Friday, April 24 at 10:30am.

To view live-steam go to http://www.sttomskazoo.org/

A Memorial Mass at Holy Family Chapel,

Nazareth Center, Kalamazoo will be arranged for a later date.

Constance Reis was born in Pontiac, Michigan on April 29, 1934 the daughter of Gustave and Elizabeth (Miles) Reis. She was a member of St. James Parish in Ferndale, MI at the time of her entrance into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth on July 1, 1950. She received the name Sister Elizabeth Marie at her reception on January 3, 1951. She pronounced first vows on January 3, 1953 and final vows on December 3, 1956.

Sister Elizabeth graduated from Nazareth College with a major in English and a minor in Philosophy/Social Sciences. She received a Master’s Degree from the University of Detroit in Religious Education, an Interfaith Ministry in Spiritual Counseling Degree from the New Seminary in New York, and a Doctorate of Ministry Degree in Pastoral Counseling from Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. She also did post-graduate study in Scripture, Theology and Spiritual Direction, including study at the Ecumenical Center for Advanced Studies, Tantur, Israel.

Sister Elizabeth served in a variety of ministries. She taught in the schools and parishes of the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Diocese of Lansing including St. Elizabeth in Wyandotte; St. Joan of Arc, St. Clare Shores; St. Anthony, Hillsdale; St. Mary, Flint; Gabriel Richard High School; St. Mary, Royal Oak; St. Mary Magdalen, Hazel Park. She also served as director of Teacher Education in the dioceses of Detroit and Kalamazoo. Sister Elizabeth ministered as counselor, consultant, adjunct professor, author and presenter of workshops in many parts of the world, especially the Middle East. At the Congregation’s request, she began SSJ Consulting Services at Nazareth in 1979 and later served as Adjunct Staff to Transformations Spirituality Center. Her enthusiasm for life and her outgoing personality created friendships everywhere she traveled and ministered, often with her good friend Fr. Michael Howell. Sr. Elizabeth inspired every age group and gave as much energy to one on one ministry as to a room of several hundred people. Like the title of one of her books, she kept us all searching for “A Deeper Kind of Truth”.

During recent years, as Sr. Elizabeth’s health began to diminish, she returned to live with her Sisters at Nazareth and continued to make the “Serenity Prayer” a focus of each day. “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

May She Rest in Peace!