Sr. Mary Victorine Hammerschmith

Obituary Sister Mary Victorine Hammerschmith, OP (Tacoma) died peacefully at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle on August 15, 2010. She was born December 14, 1909, the eldest of six children, and lived in Roy and Yelm Washington. To enable each of their children to enjoy the benefits of at least some Catholic education her parents sent each of the children to a Catholic boarding school for their last two years of high school. Sister Victorine graduated from Aquinas Academy, Tacoma in June of 1925 and entered the Tacoma Dominican novitiate the following September 8. She received the habit in 1926 and made her profession in 1927. After entering the novitiate she completed undergraduate and graduate college work, earning teaching and administrative certification at elementary and secondary levels, a BA in Music Education and an MS in Mathematics. She studied piano from the age of eight and held a Washington State Piano Teacher's certificate for many years. She also studied violin and organ. Her ministry has been primarily in education and included 46 years of teaching and administration at elementary and secondary levels, as well as music education (piano, violin, choral). She served as community archivist, and also as registrar of the Seattle Archdiocesan Seminary and has been a member of the Seattle Archdiocesan Planning and Research Department of the Chancery. She was active and involved in congregation ministry until her move to St. Joseph Residence in 2004. While at St. Joseph Residence she continued to minister in any way she could which included playing the piano for special celebrations. Sister Victorine's educational ministry included the following schools: St. Edward, Seattle (1927-1929); Holy Rosary, Seattle (1929-1931); Assumption, Bellingham (1931-1933); St. Paul, Yakima (1933-1941); St. Patrick, Tacoma (1941-1943); St. Francis High School, Bakersfield, CA (1943-1947); Aquinas Academy, Tacoma (1947-1957); Yakima Central Catholic High School (1957-1962); Blanchet High School, Seattle (1962-1973); St. Thomas Seminary, Kirkland (1974-1976); St. Edward Hall, high school seminary formation, Seattle (1976-1978). She also served as the administrative assistant for the Planning and Research Department, Archdiocese of Seattle (1978-1983). Beginning in 1983, she served the Congregation as archivist, a position she held until her move to St. Joseph Residence. A highlight in Sister Victorine's rich life included an invitation in 1995 from Sister Nona McGreal, OP to spend two months in Chicago assisting in the OPUS project (Order of Preachers in the United States, a Dominican sponsored program) In 2007, Sister Victorine celebrated eighty years of religious profession. In her Jubilee article for Tacoma Dominican, she said, "I always felt drawn to a 'spirit' that I felt was uniquely Dominican - a spirit of simplicity, joy, integrity, in-depth study of Scripture and theology." She continued, "Prayer is the touchstone of my life; however, I do not always find myself drawn to the contemplative model we were taught in the novitiate. I find inspiration in music, poetry, and nature. While I don't have the same opportunities for ministry today, I try to be gracious and generous in whatever way I can. My 'motto' is that of Meister Eckhart: "If the only prayer you said in your entire life is Thank You that would suffice." In 2000 she preached at the funeral of one of our sisters. Her closing remarks were "...[W]e will miss you but we rejoice that you are at peace with the God whom you served so faithfully and so well all of your life. We wait with joyful hope for the great day of Resurrection - of reunion - when we shall not only joyfully greet our loved ones who have gone before us, but shall see face-to-face our God whose only Now is FOREVER." Sister Victorine was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Elizabeth Hammerschmith, brothers George, Clarence and Raymond, and sister Evelyn Hale. In addition to members of the Tacoma Dominican Community, she is survived by her sister Kathryn Bailey. Over the years, Sister Victorine enjoyed family gatherings with her siblings and their families. She is also survived by 16 nieces and nephews, 36 great nieces and nephews, and numerous great-great nieces and nephews. Services for Sister Victorine will be the Vigil on Saturday, August 21, at 7:00 PM at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle (4800 37th Ave. SW); the Mass of Resurrection will be on Sunday, August 22, at 3:00 PM at Mt. St. Vincent Chapel (adjacent to St. Joseph Residence, 4831 35th Ave. SW); the Burial will be on Monday, August 23, at 11:00 AM at Calvary Cemetery, Tacoma, (5212 70th St. West). Memorial donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund, 935 Fawcett Ave. S, Tacoma, WA 98402. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home.