In late 2017, the Institute of Religious Life lost a very dear friend when  Mother Rosemary Thérèse of the Trinity (Rosemary Therese Quinn) went home to God after a long illness endured with great fortitude. Mother was the foundress of the Hermits of St. Mary of Carmel in the Diocese of Winona.

At her birth in New Jersey 1946, her mother described her as “A Rose for Mary.” Rosemary embarked upon a very successful career being named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 5% of Working Women in America. One day after Mass, a priest said: “If your name is Rosemary, I have a message for you from God!  You haven’t been to confession in 6 years.” The priest said that God wanted an unconditional “yes,” and nothing less, then He would do the rest. It was the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Mother’s unseen companion on her vocational journey. That momentous day, Mother experienced “being loved in the depths of her being.”

She eventually joined a small Carmelite Hermit community in Amery, Wisconsin, which, seeking a quieter location, moved to Minnesota in 1987.  Mother oversaw the building of the hermitage complex where members follow the Primitive Carmelite Rule. The chapel was built on a hill, and the Blessed Sacrament can be seen in the window by the hermitages down below, a beautiful sight.

On December 16th, 2017, Mother renewed her vows and the sisters prayed the Oblation to Merciful Love of St. Thérèse around her bedside, which is offered at their Solemn Profession. That evening, Mother died peacefully and quietly and entered the ocean of God’s love.

We love you, Mother. May you rest in peace.