January 6, 1935 – April 30, 2014
Patricia “Pat” Sammons was born into a faith-filled family that believed in serving others. Family was everything to Pat. She once wrote, “My parents made me happy and grateful for all we shared. My family was also service-oriented, and my siblings have chosen professions that allow them to express the call to serve.” Pat described her call to serve as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur in these words: “The Sisters of Notre Dame who taught me…made an impression on me. They were happy, they were gracious with one another, and they were good with kids. I wanted to share that. When I graduated from Julienne, I just felt like there was a calling there. But at the same time I thought, “this isn’t for me” because I was such a devil.” After high school she worked in an office and as a telephone operator, but at the end of a year she felt something was lacking. She said, “There was a Spirit movement there that I just had to answer.” She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame taking the name Daniel Dolores: Daniel for her father and Dolores in honor of Our Mother of Sorrows.
Pat took St. Julie’s call to “Teach them what they need to know for life” seriously as she taught 1st grade and 3rd through 8th grade in Notre Dame schools in Ohio and Illinois, teaching adults skills they needed to obtain their GED, teaching little children the value of reading and high school boys the value of service to others. She frankly stated she was “not a fan of paperwork”, but she answered the call to serve as Principal at St. Augustine’s School during its final four years. After 25 years in formal education Pat turned her love of cooking into service to others by becoming the Director of Food Service at Mount Notre Dame. There she took pride in working with her staff to provide “home cooked” meals for a community of over 100.
Pat loved being part of a parish community. She reached out to parishioners by serving as a Eucharistic minister, visiting patients, the elderly and shut-ins, chauffeuring people to hospitals, and tutoring children with learning difficulties. She believed her service to others was a witness to the church and a reminder to people of the human need to give of themselves to others. She saw each of her ministries as an opportunity to bring the goodness of God to people. She saw it as a mutual experience: they gave her as much as she gave them. “There was so much I learned from them that I just wanted to give them more.”
Pat loved being part of Notre Dame Community: Sisters who lived with Pat describe her as joyful, positive, generous, loving, supportive, grateful and fun loving. When asked to describe her interests she listed fishing and talking with others. These two activities reflect two aspects of her life that nourished each other: her love for quiet contemplation and her love for people. Pat said: “I try to see Jesus in every person I meet, so I’ve always tried to give the people I’m dealing with at the moment my full attention, whether it was the elementary students, the teachers or adults with whom I work. For me, Jesus is in the people, in the community.” She took a genuine interest in the people around her. She knew the struggles of their lives and took opportunities to find out how things were going, to assure them of her daily prayers, and to journey with them through the struggles to the joys of new life. Pat lived life fully and valued opportunities to share life with others: Sisters in her band, family, friends, the Bread Community, and coworkers. She affirmed the gifts she saw in others and expressed great gratitude for how they shared those gifts with her.
At the time of her Golden Jubilee Pat said, “I am where God has called me to be. I am doing what God has called me to do. That gives me joy.” This morning, in the year of her Diamond Jubilee, God called her again—through the words of Psalm 34 in today’s liturgy “Look to me that you may be radiant with joy…” –and Pat answered that call.
Bio Data
Born January 6, 1935 in Dayton, Ohio
Parents: Daniel Thomas Sammons (born in Dayton, Ohio) and Inez Lillian Brown (born in Circleville, Ohio)
Siblings: James (Ned) Sammons, Thomas Sammons, Michael Sammons,
Mary (Sr. Marie Karen, SC) Sammons, Karen Sammons, Dolores (Dee Dee) Sammons
Baptized January 20, 1935, Saint Joseph Parish, Dayton, Ohio.
Educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at Holy Angels School & Julienne High School, Dayton, Ohio
Entered Notre Dame September 8, 1954 at Mount Notre Dame
First Profession: March 9, 1957
Final Vows: August 13, 1962
Bachelor of Science in Education, Our lady of Cincinnati College, 1967
Assignments Include:
1957-1958: Saint Michael School, Sharonville, Ohio
1958-1960: Saint Victor School, Calumet City, Illinois
1960-1964: Saint Peter Canisius School, Chicago, Illinois
1964-1968: St. Agnes School, Dayton, Ohio
1968-1972: Cardinal Pacelli School, Cincinnati, Ohio
1972-1978: Saint Augustine School, Cincinnati, Ohio
1978-1982: Corryville Catholic School, Cincinnati, Ohio
1982-1998: Director of Food Services, Mount Notre Dame, Reading, Ohio
1999-2003: Alliance for Work Based Education, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
2004-2010: Library Partner & Liaison for the Moeller Little Buddies Program at Corryville Catholic School, Cincinnati, Ohio
2011-2014: Mount Notre Dame Health Center, Reading, Ohio
Died at Mount Notre Dame April 30, 2014
Sr. Kim Dalgarn SNDdeN
April 30, 2014