On July 2, 2023, Sr. M. Bernadette Niehaus, Carmel DCJ, commemorated her 75th jubilee of religious profession as a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus. COURTESY OF CARMEL HOME
Carmel Home pioneer celebrates 75 years of religious life
BY SR. MARIA CARMELITA NAVARRO CARMEL, DCJ, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
On July 2, 2023, Sr. M. Bernadette Niehaus, Carmel DCJ, commemorated her 75th jubilee of religious profession as a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus at the Carmel Home Chapel.
Sr. M. Bernadette entered the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on Sept. 7, 1946, and made her first profession of vows in 1948. She was sent to Owensboro, Kentucky in 1952 with three other Carmelite Sisters to help open Carmel Home.
She served the residents at Carmel Home until 1964 when she was sent to Wisconsin to study nursing. After graduating, she worked with the children and elderly, serving in the congregation in various other capacities (resident care, procurator, organist, local superior, and sacristan) in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan. In March 2005, she was transferred back to her Old Kentucky Home where she enjoyed playing the organ for Mass, being sacristan, gardening, and visiting Residents. Sister moved to the Carmel Home Infirmary in 2022 where she continues to serve as resident advocate and leads the prayers in the dining room.
Sr. M. Bernadette Niehaus, Carmel DCJ, with Carmel Home resident Mary Faulkner. COURTESY OF CARMEL HOME
Sr. Maria Carmelita Navarro Carmel, DCJ, is the local superior for the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus, who operate the Carmel Home in Owensboro.
Originally printed in theAugust 2023 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
