A Mass of Christian Burial was held on July 27 at Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J., for Sister Lise Parent, a Salesian Sister for 47 years. She died on July 17 at Valley Memorial Hospital in Paramus, N.J. She was 71.
Sister Parent was born in 1954, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her father, Lucien, provided for the family by cleaning schools. Her mother, Denise, worked in a cafeteria and was devoted to her four children, of whom Lise was the second.
Sister Parent participated in the Girls’ Club offered by the Salesian Sisters in Quebec. Endowed with a gift for singing, she assisted Salesian Sister Candide Asselin in leading the liturgical animation of Sunday Mass in Riviere des Prairies, a mission parish. She was also participated in the Oratory at St. Claire Parish.
Soon, Sister Parent was drawn to the life of the Salesian Sisters, also known as the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. She entered the community in 1974 in North Haledon and made her first vows in 1978.
Throughout her years of Salesian life, Sister Parent served young people in various ways. She was a catechist, a teacher, and in some instances, the principal of the school and the superior of the community.
St. Mary in Paterson, St. Michael in Atlantic City, and St. Theresa in Kenilworth, all in New Jersey; Corpus Christi in Port Chester, N.Y., Immaculate Conception in New Orleans; Villa Madonna in Tampa, Fla.; and finally, Mary Help of Christians in North Haledon, were all graced by her sense of mission.
In a reflection, Sister Colleen Clair, provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco for Canada and the eastern United States, said Sister Parent “was well-known and beloved for her warm hospitality and cheerful interactions with sisters, collaborators, and the young.”
“Her gift for uniting people, creating community, and animating the family spirit was undergirded by her serenity. Her heart embraced everyone so that each one felt personally known and loved. Her thoughtful, foreseeing, welcoming presence made each one feel immediately at home,” Sister Clair writes about Sister Parent. “She had a gift for weaving strong networks of collaboration for the mission, empowering and involving sisters, staff, parents, young people, and benefactors. In her role as animator of one of the province’s largest and most complex communities, she was able to unite sisters, celebrating everyday life and special moments enthusiastically.”
Sister Parent faced her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with “faith and calm fortitude.” She entrusted herself to Venerable Salesian Sister Teresa Valsé-Pantellini, to whom she had great devotion. In her final weeks, she was sent on pilgrimage to pray at the holy sites in Rome and Nizza-Monferrato, Sister Clair writes.
“The miracle Sister Lise received was a profound peace and surrender to God up to her final breath,” writes Sister Clair. She said, despite the relentless pain during her nine-month illness, Sister Parent continued to brighten the lives of the sisters, visitors, and medical staff. They “were all deeply affected by Sister Lise’s gratitude, kindness, courage, humor, and the peacefulness that radiated through her word and presence.”
Throughout her religious life, Sister Parent integrated the demands of community and ministry, rooted in prayer. She would visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, sitting near the chapel and viewing the tabernacle.
Sister Parent is survived by her brothers, Pierre and Guy Parent; her sister, Lucie Parent; her niece Julie Noiet; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Memorial donations can be sent to: A Life for Others, Sister Lise Parent, FMA Formation Fund for Future Salesian Sisters. Att: Sister Mary Rinaldi 659 Belmont Ave., North Haledon, N.J. 07508.
