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 Sr.
Jacqueline Baum, OP
(Sr. Mary Joris)
Golden Jubilarian
50 years (July 9, 1954)
Sr. Jacqueline Baum, OP, is celebrating 50 years as a Dominican Sister
of St. Mary of the Springs this year. She is currently serving on the
Leadership Team of the congregation she joined a half century ago, as
well as on the Board of Trustees for Ohio Dominican University. Over the
years, Sr. “Jacqueline” has found a multitude of venues for
her administrative talents.
As a Catholic educator, she took her role very seriously. “To meet
the obligation of uniqueness that a non-public school professes to have,
it must be value-oriented and attentive to the moral education which will
be a part of the very atmosphere that pervades the school,” she
once wrote. “The principal and teachers,” as she saw it, “must
enlighten and strengthen the students reasoning powers so they will be
free to make moral choices in their journey through life.”
After ten years in the classroom, Sr. Jacqueline practiced what she preached
as a principal in schools from Harlem to Columbus. She served as principal
at Christ the King, St. Cecilia, St. Timothy, St. Mary (Delaware), in
the Columbus Diocese and at Annunciation School in New York City.
“A Christian educator must be convinced that a human being is not
merely the sum total of his or her past experiences, but is a decision-making
creature, capable of making a commitment which will determine who he or
she is and will become,” she was quoted as saying during her years
in educational ministry. She transferred that philosophy when, in her
second career, she trained as a licensed nursing home administrator. After
taking classes at OSU and participating in an internship at Westminster
Thurber, a local extended care facility, Sr. Jacqueline passed the Ohio
State Boards for a Nursing Home Administrator’s license. She then
served as administrator of Mohun Health Care Center, for eight years.
This facility provides skilled care to vowed religious women and men as
well as Diocesan priests.
In 2002, Sr. Jacqueline accepted the challenge of serving on the Leadership
Team for the Springs Dominicans. She still tries to find time for her
hobbies of cooking, knitting, and reading, but it is a struggle. Perfecting
her skills in multi-tasking, she often listens to book tapes while doing
her daily exercises. Originally a Cincinnati native, Sr. Jacqueline looks
forward to combining a family reunion with the celebration of her Jubilee
in July. She formally celebrated with her Dominican Sisters on Memorial
Day weekend.
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