Remembered for her indelible impact on the congregation of St. Catherine-St. Lucy Church during a 12-year tenure — not only for the quality of her preaching and singing, but also representing congregants who were not typically seen in the pulpit — Sister Teresita Weind died on April 28. She was 81.
Weind, the first African-American woman to lead a global religious order, according to Black Catholic Messenger, was the epitome of grace, even in the midst of great challenges, people who knew her said.
“She deeply moved people’s hearts, minds and souls with her gentle yet powerful spirit. She was gifted and a gem of a spiritual leader,” said Gina Orlando, who attended Weind’s lectures and workshops, although her home parish was Ascension Church.
Born Helen Louise Weind in 1942, Sr. Teresita grew up in a large family in Columbus, Ohio. Her father died when she was young and her mother struggled to provide for her children, but insisted on sending them to a predominantly Italian Catholic school. She felt they would receive a better education there than at the segregated public school.
Weind was one of the first African-American students at the school. She often acted out, but curbed her behavior because of her interest in the school choir, which was led by a nun known to brook no nonsense. While she attended St. Joseph Academy in Ohio for her secondary education, she encountered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who became such role models that she was determined to join their ranks.
However, she was devastated to learn from the superior at Notre Dame that they had already filled their “quota of Negro girls” and were not accepting any more. It proved to be a temporary setback; Weind was accepted by the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation in Spring Valley, Illinois. After professing her vows in 1963, she was assigned to St. Andrew School of Nursing in Bottineau, North Dakota, where she completed her nursing training in 1966. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Mary College in Bismarck.
In the tumultuous summer of 1968, rocked by the assassinations of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy amid the backdrop of widespread protests against the Vietnam War, Weind joined 150 Black Catholic women in founding the National Black Sisters’ Conference in Pittsburgh. It was the beginning of a life-long advocacy for Black women religious and racial equality.
“It was important to see Teresita’s presence as a powerful and influential Black Catholic at St. Kate’s, an integrated church at the edge of Austin and Oak Park. Wisdom emanated from her, and her faith was palpable. She was modest but a living example of how meekness should never be mistaken for weakness,” said Elliot Wimbush, retired pastor of First Congregational Church in Maywood.
Feeling increasingly isolated in North Dakota, Weind jumped at the opportunity to join a team ministering in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects. While serving at St. Joseph Parish there, she earned a master’s degree in religious studies at Mundelein College, with a thesis titled, “Black Theology Begins in Preaching.”
The Archdiocese of Chicago recognized the valuable work Weind was doing and appointed her director of Liturgical Formation for Black Parishes. Her work also included overseeing adult religious education in the parishes in which she served.
While in Chicago, Weind became reacquainted with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and realized she was still called to the order. A decade after they had denied her entrance, the order was ready to embrace her. She transferred her vows and life to the order in 1973.
In 1979, Rev. John Carolan invited Weind to join the recently merged St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parish (SCSL) as a pastoral associate. He encouraged her to give the homily once a month, in addition to visiting the sick, giving retreats, singing in the church choir, and chairing the worship committee. She was a dynamic, invigorating catalyst for the church’s racially diverse congregation.
Weind’s Good Friday services were memorable for Shelby Boblick, who served as president of SCSL’s pastoral council during the latter part of Weind’s tenure.
“She prostrated herself at the foot of the altar to begin the service, as is traditional for the presider. For many in attendance, seeing a holy woman of Sr. Teresita’s revered stature prostrate before the sacrifice of the cross was an embodiment and powerful witness that women are, indeed, public spiritual leaders,” Boblick said.
Her leadership and preaching were ahead of their time amid the complexities of the role played by women religious in the Catholic Church.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, however, didn’t appreciate Weind’s growing involvement and influence in the church. When Rev. Edward Braxton, whom many considered a stickler for propriety, took over as pastor in 1991, many of the ministries that Weind loved were taken away from her. She no longer was permitted to deliver the homily. She left the church soon after his arrival.
In a 2014 Wednesday Journal article, Weind reflected on this difficult period. “I still love this [Catholic] church. I love it beyond the canonical restrictions that are placed on women. My faith keeps growing and deepening because my faith is my relationship with God, and Fr. Braxton did not take that away from me,” she said.
After leaving SCSL, Weind assumed increasingly substantial roles within the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, including serving as provincial of the Ohio Unit and, between 2009 and 2022, as congregational leader, based in Rome, a position that took her all over the world.
In early September 2014, Weind was welcomed back to SCSL as part of the church’s 125th anniversary celebration. During the weekend, she led a well-attended retreat and gave the homily — aptly, about reconciliation — during Mass.
“During her homecoming … she preached, humbly and eloquently, about the long road to reconciliation. She encourages patience and perseverance because, as she puts it, reconciliation takes as long as it takes. But, in the end, it’s worth it because God’s gift to us is a deeper peace, which she sang about beautifully,” Wednesday Journal columnist Ken Trainor wrote in his book, Our Town Oak Park.
Weind’s last assignment was providing pastoral care at Mount Notre Dame Health Center in Reading, Ohio, a ministry that was halted by a recurrence of her cancer diagnosis in March 2023.
“We all benefitted from Teresita’s talents and warmth and generosity,” said Pat Koko, who served as a staff member at SCSL during Weind’s tenure and remained a good friend. “She is already missed in my life but remains in our prayers.”
A Memorial Mass is being planned for July 6, Weind’s birthday, at St. Catherine-St. Lucy. Details will be available through the church.
