After completing elementary school, her parents planned that she would attend Providence High School but instead she asked her mother if she could go to Milwaukee. At the age of 13, she entered our Congregation on September 1, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She became a novice on August 12, 1943, receiving the religious name, Maureen. She pronounced her first vows on August 13, 1944 and final vows on August 13, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sister Maureen received her BA from Marquette University and in 1969 a Masters in Theology from St. Louis University. This education prepared her for the varied ministries and the community positions she held throughout her life. Sister Maureen taught at Mother of Good Counsel School and Divine Savior High School both in Milwaukee. She held various positions in formation, first as Directress of the Prep School, followed by Prefect of Candidates, Directress of Novices and Vocation Directress. Sister Maureen held some of these positions during changing times both in the community and in the church following Vatican II.

Sister had a great interest in a house of prayer which stemmed from an inner call to a deeper interior contemplative life. Over a period of 3 years, she helped establish houses of prayer in the Milwaukee area. During that time, she both lived in a house of prayer and co-directed one in Oak Creek, WI where priests, religious and laity were welcomed to come for recollection and prayer.

In 1972, Sister Maureen was elected to serve as the Provincial of the North American Province and served in this role for 6 years. She considered it a privilege to meet with sisters more personally about their lives and their ministries. During this time she also cared for her elderly mother who lived at Our Lady of Good Hope convent with her.

In 1978, Sister was invited to assume the position of Director of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Office in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee under the direction of Archbishop Rembert Weakland. She considered this ministry a great privilege and exhibited outstanding leadership working to build relationships among leaders of various denominations. During her time as Director, annual interfaith meetings were begun, a Covenant was established between the Episcopal and Roman Catholic communities, and a celebration of unity between the Catholic and Lutheran communities took place on the 500^th Anniversary of the Augsburg Confession. A highlight of these years of ministry was an interfaith trip to Israel with members of the Protestant, Jewish and Roman Catholic communities. In recognition of all she had done in this area, Sister Maureen was awarded the 1991 Vatican II Award in Ecumenism from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Following her interfaith work, Sister Maureen was asked to be one of the sponsorship coordinators of our Salvatorian institutions. This ministry was vital to keep the mission of the Sisters alive in the hearts of the CEOs, boards and the staff of these apostolates of the province. Following this ministry she also spent some time as a pastoral minister at St. Mary’s Nursing Home, Milwaukee.

In 1995, Sister Maureen volunteered to serve in another country. She was asked by the Generalate to go to Taiwan to assess the aging Sisters’ needs and their ministries in order to recommend a plan for the future. She often spoke of the richness of this year of service to the Congregation.

Throughout her years in ministry, Sister Maureen served on many commissions, organizations and boards related to her interfaith work and other ministries. Some of these were: the Secretary for the National Association for Ecumenical Officers, Cabinet Member of the Greater Milwaukee Conference on Religion and Urban Affairs, Member of the Milwaukee Association for Interfaith Relations, Member of the Sponsorship Committee of the Catholic Hospital Association of Wisconsin, and Member of the Justice and Human Dignity Commission of the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Synod.

When she retired in 2004, Sister Maureen often shared that she loved the extra time she now had for quiet prayer and reflection. She also continued some ecumenical work, held book discussions for groups of parents from Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, and did pastoral visiting at St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus.

In the spring of 2010, Sister Maureen was transferred to the nursing home on St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus in order to receive the extra care she needed. Sisters, friends and family were frequent visitors even as her ability to respond diminished. In the evening of Thursday, September 9, a few hours after three Sisters sang her favorite hymn, Salve Regina, Sister Maureen peacefully breathed her last in the presence of Sister Elaine Czarnezki and a vigil keeper from St. Anne’s.

Sister Maureen will be remembered for her honesty, faithfulness, and especially for her caring and prayerful heart. She had a deep love for the Congregation and the Church.

Sister Maureen was 83 years old and professed for 66 years. May she now experience the fullness of our Savior’s love for her.

Sister Maureen will be deeply missed by her community, the Sisters of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) as well as by her loving family. She is survived by her sister, Sr. Mary of the Rosary Hopkins, OP, brothers-in-law Robert Cekay and Walter Thompson; sister-in-law, Katie Hopkins; many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Patrick and Elizabeth (Egan) Hopkins, her sisters Rita Cekay, Mary Theresa Thompson, Agnes Connolly, and a brother Thomas Hopkins.

Visitation and Mass of Christian Burial will be held on: Friday, September 17, 2010 at Saint Anne’s Salvatorian Campus, 3800 N 92nd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53222. Reception of the Body: 4:00 PM -- Wake: 4:30PM -- Mass of Christian Burial: 7:00PM. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Monday, September 20 at 9:30AM

Memorials in Sister Maureen's name, may be sent to the Sisters of the Divine Savior Development Office, 4311 N 100th Street Milwaukee, WI 53222.