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 Sr.
Dorothy Lemon, OP
(Sr. Antonius)
Diamond Jubilarian
60 years (August 14, 1944)
A native of Pittsburgh, Sr. Dorothy Lemon never dreamed that entering
the Dominicans would be such an adventure. The Dominican Order has a long
history of itinerant preaching and Sr. Dorothy certainly lived it. After
initial teaching assignments in Steubenville and Columbus, Ohio, she set
out for the southwestern United States and became infused with a missioner’s
heart. After serving from 1956 to 1965, in Dixon and Abiquiu, New Mexico,
she set sail with three other sisters for Chimbote, Peru, to establish
a new mission. Sr. Dorothy labored in this commercial fishing port where
the dichotomy of ocean and desert affect life. She was present in 1969
when a devastating earthquake demolished the town, including the convent
and school, and killed 50,000 people in three minutes.
Sr. Dorothy Lemon speaks with great fondness for the Peruvian people.
“I was always impressed by the generosity of the people. When there
was a sickness or a death in the family, all the neighbors and relatives
would pitch in to help, even if it were only a few cents or bit of food.
Once when there was a terrible earthquake in Mexico, the people of the
parish took up a collection to send to the victims of the earthquake.”
Sr. Dorothy spent 20 years in the missions in Peru and returned home
to Columbus in 1987. For the next ten years, she served in pastoral ministry
at St. Pius X parish in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She has continued to be active
in congregational service since 1997.
Sr. Dorothy Lemon stresses that she has been sustained through more than
60 years in religious life by prayer, both communal and private. “I
like to remember that the Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid for I am
with you’ – it gives me comfort.”
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