1930 – 2014

SABATTUS — Sister Lucille Fournier, 84, was born Therese, daughter of Walter and Yvonne (Lambert) Fournier on Feb. 21, 1930, in Lewiston. She passed away on Saturday, June 28.

She received her education at St. Peter’s School and graduated from the first four-year class of St. Dominic High School. She entered the Dominican Sisters in Valleyfield, Canada, in 1948 where she made her temporary commitment as a Dominican in 1950 and her final commitment in 1955 in Mortefontaine, France.

Her first teaching assignment was the boys’ fourth-grade class at St. Peter’s. Over the next several years, she went from studying at Regina Mundi in Rome, Italy, to overseeing the building of a boarding school in Casablanca, Morocco. She then returned to the United States and resumed her teaching ministry in Brookline, Mass., Staten Island, N.Y and Davenport, Iowa.

After graduating from Boston College, she was hired to be the director of parish education programs and established a certification program for catechists at the diocesan level in Davenport, Iowa.

Sister Lucille served the congregation and her province in various functions and responsibilities. She was provincial treasurer for several years. She was elected provincial prioress for the United States and held that position from 1976 to 1988.

Sister Lucille was a dynamic, forward-thinking person with strong leadership abilities, not fearful of new ventures. She went to Marycrest College in Iowa where she obtained a paralegal associate certificate.

When she moved back to Lewiston in 1990, she worked in the Lewiston District Court for three years and then took the leadership of the Sabattus local community.

Peace and justice were issues important to her, and she was very much aware of the needs of the poor and sought ways to be of assistance to them. Loaves and Fishes and the food pantry sponsored by the Dominican Sisters was the concept formulated by Sister Lucille in 1997. She was the director of the board, and the moving force behind the program. Loaves and Fishes was the passion of her life, and she trained and formed many volunteers to continue its mission.

When asked about her interests, her response can be summed up as follows: “People: the ones who are unpopular, the hungry (physically and spiritually), the unemployed, the lonely, the sick, the ones who need to be searched out. Actually, this one interest, enveloped by a strong sense of truth and justice, directs everything I do in my profession and in my life in general, being consistently and constantly available for whatever is sent my way. So, whether I pray, study, read, watch TV, knit, am at play or work, people are always at the center of my decisions.” Lucille leaves a legacy of dedication and service and love of people.

She is survived by her brothers, Leo and Armand and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents; her sisters, Rita Desjardin and Lucille Gosselin; and a nephew, Richard Desjardin.

In her memory, in lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a donation to Loaves and Fishes, care of Mr. Maurice Fournier, 61 Lisbon Rd, Sabattus, ME 04280.