Sister Therese Fields

December 14, 2023

On Thursday, December 14^th at 5:41 a.m. Sister Therese Fields died peacefully at Sacred Heart Convent in Wilmette.

Nelwyn Elizabeth Fields was born on December 17, 1924, in Plaquemine, Louisiana. When she was six years old her family moved to New Orleans; during the next years the family moved to Westwego and back to New Orleans several times. Nelwyn attended four different schools during her elementary grades. She was taught by the Sisters of Mount Carmel and the Sisters of Christian Charity. When Nelwyn was eight years old her mother died. A year later their father remarried “and gave us children a good mother again” wrote Nelwyn. She had three sisters and two brothers.

Nelwyn entered our Congregation on August 11, 1938. “She is very intelligent, unassuming, pious and devout and determined to offer her life to the service of God…” wrote Rev. G. Frohn, pastor of St. Henry Church, of the 13-year-old Nelwyn. These characteristics described the woman all of us came to know and love in our convent communities.

On August 21, 1941, Nelwyn was received into the Novitiate and given the name Sister Therese. Two years later, on August 21, 1943, she pronounced her first vows. August 20, 1949 was the date of her perpetual profession.

Sister Therese’s first mission was as kindergarten teacher at St. Aloysius School in Chicago.
She remained there for eight years. In 1951 Sister was sent to teach at St. Martha School in Morton Grove, Illinois. In 1953 Sister Therese returned to New Orleans, assigned to teach in the elementary grades at St. Francis School.

From 1961-1964 Sister taught Junior High School classes at St. Henry School, also in New Orleans. Sister’s next mission was as Junior High School teacher at St. Mary Magdalen School in Metairie, Louisiana.

Returning to the Chicago area in 1967, Sister Therese taught at St. Theresa School in Palatine, Illinois for one year. Then it was to Holy Trinity School in Westmont, Illinois for three years, this time serving as superior and principal.

There was another ministry close to Sister’s heart. In 1971 she served in prayer ministry in House of Prayer in Steger (then in Calumet City in 1973). In 1975 she was at St. Margaret Mary Convent in Chicago, serving as retreat director. From 1979-1992 Sister Therese was in New Orleans, first at St. Francis Convent then at St. Raphael convent. She was superior, did prayer ministry and added ministry to the poor.

In 1992, recognizing Sister Therese’s spiritual talents, leadership assigned her to the position of local superior of the motherhouse in Wilmette, as well as Directress of the Junior Sisters. A year later the ministry of Novice Directress was given her. In 1995 Sister Therese moved to St. Joseph Convent. For four years she served at the Parish Prayer Center and taught in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program.

Returning again to New Orleans in 2000, Sister Therese embarked on a ministry of hospitality at Bethany Convent. Five years later she was back in the Chicago area, doing prayer ministry at St. Mary of Celle Convent in Berwyn. As the young community was deciding the directions their ministry would take, Sister Therese advised that they “hang loose”. She became local leader there in 2009, and local treasurer, too, in 2011.

In 2015 Sister Therese came to Sacred Heart Convent in Wilmette as a patient. She had a ready smile for everyone she would meet. Several nurses spoke about Sister. They were unanimous in stating that Sister’s concern was always for them, not herself. “She would ask ‘are you okay?’” said one nurse. “We loved her” another nurse added.