Sister Mary Mark Dede: God’s Grace for Today

It was 1962. Just before her fifth-grade year, Marijo Rigsby’s mother died. Her teacher at Holy Family School in New Albany, Indiana, Sister Mary Mark Dede, SP, was there for her.

“She basically took me under her wing. She became like a mom to me. She and my dad discussed how to raise me. Sister Mary Mark and I have been very close since,” Marijo said.

Marijo’s class ended up having Sister Mary Mark as a teacher for fifth, sixth and seventh grades! “They got promoted and I got promoted,” Sister Mary Mark said.

“She taught me how to be a Catholic. She taught me a lot about how to think on my own,” Marijo said.

A Family of Religious Life

Today, Sister Mary Mark, at 96, is the fourth oldest living Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She is also the oldest living sibling in her family. Of eight siblings, all eight became either Catholic priests or Catholic sisters. Sisters Eileen and Kathleen Dede, also Sisters of Providence, live at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Sister Patricia Dede, a Sister of St. Benedict, resides in Beech Grove, Indiana.

Raised in Terre Haute, Indiana, Sister Mary Mark said the Sisters of Providence were always part of her life. They taught her family at St. Ann’s School. And, since sisters didn’t drive at the time, her dad was basically their chauffeur. Like her older sister before her, Sister Mary Mark attended high school at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and entered the Congregation right after.

“There’s a feeling inside of you that you can’t express but you know it’s there,” she said of God’s nudge.

“And, our parents did not encourage us. They just said yes. And that was part of their faith,” she said. In fact, her mother, an educator, did not understand why her children would choose religious life, “but her faith in God’s will was strong.”

“The Sisters of Providence seemed so human. We felt close to them,” Sister Mary Mark explains.

A Family of Devotion

Sister Mary Mark taught elementary grades from the 1950s until the early 1970s when her father suffered a severe stroke and was bedridden.

Someone needed to care for him, and Sister Mary Mark was nearby teaching. Community rules had relaxed to the point that sisters could visit their parents’ home, but they could not yet spend the night.

Since all her parents’ children had become either priests or sisters, there was no one to care for her father. Sister Mary Mark was prepared to take a leave of absence.

But the General Council allowed her to live with her parents and care for her father.

Sister Mary Mark is proud of this, as it opened the door for many other sisters to be able to care for their aging parents.

Sister Mary Mark’s father needed constant care, as he was expected to live for six months. He lived for five years. “I think it was because he was home,” she said. Difficult as it was, she is grateful for that time.

 “You receive the graces that you need at the time. I think God gives us the grace we need that day. Not tomorrow but that day,” she said.

A Family Embraced by Grace

And that experience led Sister Mary Mark to her next and favorite ministry, that of hospital chaplain.

In this role, Sister Mary Mark journeyed with people, being present and listening.

Being with so many people as they died, “I just felt privileged,” she said.

Marijo said Sister Mary Mark really found her niche as a chaplain. “She was very empathetic to people. She saw through your outer layers to the real person,” she said.

These days Sister Mary Mark is enjoying retirement.

“You have more time for prayer. This is the best prayerful time in my life,” she says.

Sister Mary Mark said she is happy with the way religious life changed throughout her lifetime. She thinks life as a woman religious is still important.

“Sometimes we’re the last hope for people,” she said.

Marijo is also thankful for the role of Catholic sisters in her life. She and four of her classmates come to the Woods often to visit Sister Mary Mark.

“I have no words that can actually express how much Sister Mary Mark means in my life and how much I love her,” said Marijo, choking up with emotion.