“Be diligent in serving the poor. Love the poor, honor them, my children, as you would honor Christ Himself.”
St. Louise de Marillac
Remembering Sister Vincent Marie Willman
Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Vincent Marie Willman died on Feb. 1, 2026, at the age of 93 in Mother Margaret Hall, the nursing facility for the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. She was a Sister of Charity for 75 years.
Sister Vincent Marie was born on Sept. 29, 1932, to Vincent L. and Bertha (Werle) Willman in Cincinnati, Ohio. The oldest of 11 children, she had one brother and 10 sisters.
Sister Vincent Marie grew up in Cincinnati, attending St. Dominic School, and graduated from Seton High School in 1950. She entered the Sisters of Charity on Sept. 8, 1950, believing her vocation was nurtured through daily Mass, her religion classes at Seton, and the influence of her Sisters of Charity teachers. She once shared, “It was their prayerfulness, generosity and hospitality that drew me to choose religious life.”
Sister Vincent Marie earned a Bachelor of Science in education from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 1962. She later earned a master’s degree in religious education from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1970. She completed post-graduate studies at St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earning a master’s degree in dogma and Scripture in 1986.
Sister’s active ministries spanned more than 55 years. She began her classroom ministry in the primary grades, teaching first grade at St. Sebastian in Chicago, Illinois, in 1952. She went on to serve in six Catholic dioceses: Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo in Ohio, and Saginaw and Detroit in Michigan.
Her teaching ministry included Holy Name, Cleveland (1954-’56); St. James, Bay City, Michigan (1956-’59); St. William, Cincinnati (1959-’62); St. Leo, Detroit, Michigan (1963-’66); St. Albert, Kettering, Ohio (1966-’67); and St. Michael, Findlay, Ohio (1967-’70).
While serving at St. Michael, the pastor invited Sister Vincent Marie to serve as the parish’s director of religious education, the first DRE in the Diocese of Toledo. At the time, she was completing her master’s degree in religious education. She shared, “Never did I dream where this would take me! This was like turning my whole life around. At this juncture, I had believed parochial schooling was the only way to educate children in the faith. This became one of the biggest conversions of my life, as I learned to appreciate the dedication, preparation and work of volunteer teachers in the field of religious education. I was blessed to experience their love for the children and youth entrusted to them.”
In 1977, Sister Vincent Marie returned to the classroom at St. Gabriel in Glendale, Ohio, and later in pastoral ministry and liturgy planning at the parish until 1995. Following a renewal program in Dover, Massachusetts, she ministered as the DRE at St. Patrick in Bellefontaine, Ohio (1996-’97). She then devoted 10 years to directing youth religious formation and family sacramental preparation in St. Veronica parish in Cincinnati, choosing to retire from active ministry in 2007.
Sister Vincent Marie moved to the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, where she served as a volunteer in the chapel sacristy. Her early responsibilities included computer work for posting Mass intentions and preparing weekly music programs for liturgies. She continued her service in the Motherhouse sacristy until 2015.
Sister also joyfully provided transportation for Sisters who were no longer able to drive. She devoted time and presence to her Sisters in Mother Margaret Hall, feeling called to more deeply appreciate their lives and to witness how they embraced both the joys and sorrows of growing older. With more time for prayer, she came to recognize and appreciate God’s grace in ever-deepening and diverse ways.
Reflecting on her years in ministry, Sister Vincent Marie often spoke with gratitude about the opportunity to teach children from many cultures and backgrounds – from immigrant families in Chicago; to children from long-established families at Holy Name in Cleveland and St. William in Cincinnati; to predominantly Black families at St. Leo in Detroit; and to the rich diversity of cultures represented at St. Gabriel in Cincinnati. “I was blessed, indeed!” she once shared.
Sister Vincent Marie is survived by her sisters Betty Stoeckel, Loretta Pahls, Ruth Lehmkuhl, Margaret Berting and Judith Holmquist, as well as nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters Jean Soaper, Rita Fisher, Carol Holden, Mary Geckle and brother Vincent J. Willman.
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