“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“To be simple is to be like a sunflower which follows all the movements of the sun and turns ever toward it.”
– St. Julie Billiart
Cynthia Lowell, SNDdeN was born and brought up in East Providence, Rhode Island. She lived with her parents, her brother Bobby and her sisters, Linda and Beverly. She attended the parish school taught by the Sisters of Mercy and then went to East Providence High School. After graduating from Rhode Island College with a degree in elementary education, she taught in Catholic schools in Rhode Island for several years.
She had thought about religious life for a while, and through her pastor she met a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. She was attracted by St. Julie’s story because Julie was not able to walk; at the time, Sister Cynthia’s mother was also unable to walk.
When she entered the congregation in 1996, she lived at Ocean Street in Dorchester, Mass., for her novitiate. After making first vows, she taught at St. Margaret School in Lowell, Mass., and then at St. Patrick School, also in Lowell, Mass. Later she served as receptionist at Notre Dame Long Term Care Center and then at Notre Dame Du Lac in Worcester, Mass.
Her favorite ministry was St. Patrick’s, where she taught junior high. She loved teaching and managing the classroom. She also loved the students, many of whom were Asian. When she left for another ministry, what she missed most was the students. She remembers going with the students to New York City and Washington, D.C. and being as excited as they were to visit both cities.
She attended the final vow program in Namur, Belgium, and then visited our sisters in Nigeria. Loving travel, she was glad to experience our internationality firsthand.
Following her retirement, she moved to the Notre Dame Long Term Care Center and served as the president of the Residents’ Council.
Sister Cynthia went home to her good God on August 24th, 2023. Funeral Services will be at Notre Dame DuLac on Thursday, August 31st. Prayer Service starts at 1:30 PM, with the Funeral Mass at 2:00 PM, followed by the burial and light reception.