Sister Barbara Korem, CSC
(December 29, 1941 - May 23, 2010)
Please, join in prayer of thanksgiving for this Sister of the Holy Cross who died on May 23, 2010 in Saint Mary's Convent.
Sister Barbara was a nurse practitioner whose life of ministry was dedicated to the service of the desperately poor. Long before “option for the poor” became part of the congregation’s Mission Statement; Sister Barbara was living it out in the impoverished areas of south Texas and Mexico that cried out to her generous heart for help.
Her undaunting courage, perseverance and charismatic ability to gather others into the magnetic circle of her compassionate dedication made it possible for her to establish numerous clinics and outreach programs for the poor. As a young sister in her early thirties she had a vision of a health care program for the poor in Texas. Through determination and hard work in 1973 she established the Valley Home Health Agency that eventually extended health care to the poor of four counties in Texas. “Good news travels fast,” and this was true of her work among the poor of Texas and soon people were crossing the border from Mexico to receive her valuable services. She never refused anyone and often accepted eggs or corn or some handmade item as payment. The need for health services to the poor of Mexico pulled at her heartstrings and in 1987 she became the first Holy Cross sister to minister in Mexico and this was just the beginning.
Matamoros, Mexico became the center for her outreach ministry to the poor with a clinic at Cinco de Mayo and then another at Colonia Ampliation Solidaridad. The saying, “beginning from scratch,” is the perfect description of how these clinics got started and it was all due to the pioneer spirit and dedication of Sister Barbara. She would be the first to turn aside any praise for herself and direct it all to the wonderful, loyal support she received. Her family was first and foremost; they supported her with love, physical presence and financial aid. But the multitude of loyal friends and admirers from near and far constantly astounded her with their generosity. The priests and congregations of St. Matthews in Houston, Texas, St. Francis Xavier in Birmingham, Alabama, St. Anthony’s in Raymondville, Texas and St. Pius X in North Carolina provided funds, food, and clothing and a wonderful philanthropist whose help was never more than a phone call away assisted her every step of the way. The Sisters of the Holy Cross Funds for the Poor gave her a constant support as did the personal services of Holy Cross sisters: Sisters Agnes Solari and Theresa Jane Bellner who over the years worked side-by-side with Sister Barbara and of course Sister Eleanor Synder who worked with her and has been her everpresent support in her last illness.
A key to the success of Sister Barbara’s work was her organization and careful planning. Her first priority was to train the volunteers who wanted to help. Each one was given a small specific task and the accomplishment of it gave the person pride and confidence resulting in success for the whole operation.
This compassionate religious was concerned with the health of the souls of her patients as much as with their bodily health so she designed religious education programs along with the clinics and as a master teacher she trained the catechist. She took delight in preparing and entering into the joyous church celebrations that are so much a part of the Mexican culture.
God blessed Sister Barbara’s dedication and hard work with an abundance of success and now she will reap the reward of her labors. May she rest in peace.