Sr. Dolores Katherine Kirk, (Sr. Mary Thomas) Op

Obituary Sister Dolores Kirk, OP (Sister Mary Thomas) Sister Dolores Kirk, OP (M.Thomas) completed her life journey peacefully November 19, 2015, at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle. A native of Seattle, Sister Dolores was born November 22, 1924, to Erin and Genevieve (Provo) Kirk. Sister Dolores served for many decades in varied Northwest ministries, including positions on the Tacoma Dominican Sisters General Council and as Director of the Self-Study Program in the days of Vatican Council II. She entered the Tacoma Dominican Community in 1943, and professed vows in 1945. For twenty years, she ministered as teacher/supervisor/administrator in the parochial school system of the Pacific Northwest, including many years at Holy Rosary and Our Lady of the Lake Seattle. She then accepted the challenges of parish ministry and was the first Sister to serve on a Pastoral Team in the Archdiocese of Seattle at St. John Vianney Parish Kenmore, Washington. Sister Dolores shared her talents in numerous ways. She began the Tacoma Dominican Sisters Development Office and served as Director for three years. She worked at St. Michael Institute of Gonzaga University, as manager of the Franciscan Apartments in Burien, and as staff member at the Environmental Protection Agency in its Seattle Office. In her later years she became involved as volunteer and Eucharistic Minister at St. Francis, Burien. Her retirement time at St. Joseph Residence in West Seattle was marked by prayer and contemplation. Despite failing health, she enjoyed visits and celebrations, including the 125th Anniversary of the Tacoma Dominicans in 2013 and her own 70th Anniversary of Profession in June, 2015. She was a woman of deep faith, dedicated to the Dominican emphasis on truth and committed to study and contemplation. Her competent organizational skills, as well as her music background, enabled her to serve in a variety of positions. Whatever she did was wholehearted, thorough and professional. Her life has had a lasting effect on many. One former student describes Sister Dolores as being "in the first wave "of those changed by Vatican Council II; she and many others felt they have been "empowered by this small woman with huge fervor." Sister Dolores was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by a half-brother, Michael (Deborah) Kirk and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Services will be at St. Joseph Residence (4800 -37th Ave SW, Seattle). The Vigil will be November 29, 2015 at 6:30 PM; the Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated November 30, 2015 at 11:00AM. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Tacoma, on December 7, 2015, at 1:00 PM. Memorial Donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund at 935 Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma WA 98402. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home (253) 572-6003.