SINSINAWA — Sister Marie Raphael Morell, OP, died July 4, 2013, at Lovelace Medical Center, Albuquerque, N.M. The funeral Mass was held in Queen of the Rosary Chapel at Sinsinawa July 12, 2013, followed by burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery.
Sister Marie Raphael made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican Aug. 5, 1947, and her final profession Aug. 5, 1950. She ministered in education for 26 years as a teacher and consultant; served as director of religious education for five years; ministered as a pastoral associate, chaplain, and director of spiritual care in hospitals for 15 years; and held leadership positions for the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, Sinsinawa, Wis., for seven years. She served in Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin and New Mexico.
In the Diocese of Madison, Sister Marie Raphael ministered as prioress provincial of the Southwest Province for the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, Sinsinawa, 1984-1988.
Sister Marie Raphael was born Jan. 15, 1928, in Grand Rapids, Mich., the daughter of William and Marie (Lapinski) Morell. The family moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., where she attended St. Mary Grade and High Schools, graduating in 1945. Her parents; a sister, Mary Ellen Baxter; and a brother, William Morell, preceded her in death. She is survived by two sisters, Genevieve Andrews and Margaret Davis; three brothers, Ted Morell, James Morell, and Dennis Morell; and her Dominican Sisters with whom she shared life for 65 years.
Memorials may be made to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI, 53824-9701 or online at www.sinsinawa.org by clicking on “Donate Now,” then “Honor and Memorial Gift.”
Repeat broadcasts of the wake and funeral for Sister Marie Raphael are available online at www.Sinsinawa.org/live. Click on the “on demand” tab.