Sister Marcella LeBlanc
In Memoriam
1915 – 2010
Sister Marcella was born Lita LeBlanc on September 20, 1915 in Lake Arthur, Louisiana, daughter of Eva Nunez and Dupre LeBlanc. Lita entered the Marianites of Holy Cross on October 25, 1938, and at her reception of the habit, she received the name Marcella. She made temporary vows on August 11, 1940 and pronounced her perpetual vows on August 11, 1943.
Sister served in various capacities during her religious life including seamstress and dietician for the community, Activities Director at St. Martin Manor in New Orleans from 1979 to 1990, and in community service at Our Lady of Holy Cross and at St. Joseph’s.
In 2005, Marcella became a resident of Prompt Succor Nursing Home where she is fondly remembered for her enduring kindness, warm smile and genuine gratitude to each person who cared for her. Sister Marcella went home to God on March 30, 2010 at the age of 94. Her wake and funeral were celebrated on Monday, April 5 at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nursing Home. Sister’s body was interred at St. Landry Cemetery in Opelousas. No better memoriam could be written than the testimony of Sr. Suellen Tennyson at Sister’s funeral:
“During Holy Week, I’ve reflected on the words of a song that keeps coming back to me:
‘We’re pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road,
And those who’ve gone before us line the way;
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary,
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace.’
“As I think of Sr. Marcella, she’s been a pilgrim with us on the journey of life . . . she’s gone before us to lead the way. She’ll cheer us on and encourage us when we get weary, and I know her life is ‘a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace.’
“Lita grew up in the country, close to the earth; learning from her parents how to depend on God for what was needed. When she entered the convent, she learned from the charism of the Marianites to stand with Mary at the foot of the cross and to keep hope alive in the midst of suffering. Standing at the foot of the cross, Sr. Marcella did not lose hope, but out of her suffering she learned compassion for others who suffer.
“Sr. Marcella taught at St. Cecilia from 1938 to 1950, but I think most of us remember her as the infirmarian at Holy Angels and Our Lady of Holy Cross. I can’t imagine the number of our sisters that Marcella cared for in their illnesses and in their dying. If it weren’t for Sr. Marcella, I would not have vision in my left eye today. It was she who insisted I go to the eye doctor following a very bad case of the flu that left an infection in my eye. She insisted . . . and then took care of me for months following. Each time we visited, I would thank her for what she did for me and for so many others. She would always say, ‘I did that? Thanks for telling me.’
“Sister became an example for the young sisters and novices. In one of their English classes, the young sisters were asked to write an essay about one of the sisters who impressed them. They ALL wrote about Sr. Marcella.
“All through her life, Marcella used the creative talents that God gave her. Remember the Nativity scenes made of corn husks and the works of art she made from note cards, sea shells, and pieces of wood?
“Other memories of Sr. Marcella . . . I can still see her at the fluting machine and measuring the sisters for a new habit. How many of us did she dress? And we all know she became well-known for dressing dozens of dolls in the original Marianite habit; we still get calls requesting them.
“Sister gave us the witness of strong faith, based on a simple trust in God and expressed in a long life of faithfulness to prayer, to devotion to Mary (especially Our Lady of Sorrows), to love of family, friends, her sisters, her congregation.
“Another verse of the song reads:
‘After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind;
May the clues that they discover and the mem’ries they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road that each must find.’
“So, Sr. Marcella, now your hopes and dreams are fulfilled; you are with God who knows your faithfulness. And we now sift through all you’ve left behind. We are discovering wonderful clues and memories from your life that throw light on the road we each must find, a light of faithfulness, compassion and love.
“Thank you, Sr. Marcella, for the witness of your life.”
May Sister Marcella’s soul rest in peace!