Sister Dora Nuetzi

Location-Maryknoll Center, NY

Dora Nuetzi was born March 18, 1935 to Olga (Pauli) and Julius N. Nuetzi in Olten, Switzerland and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She had 3 brothers: Anthony, Edward and Julius, and 1 sister, Gertrude. Dora graduated from Holy Angels Academy, Milwaukee, WI in 1953.

Dora entered the Maryknoll Sisters at their novitiate in Valley Park, MO February 1, 1954. She professed First Vows September 8, 1956 at Valley Park and Final Vows September 8, 1962 at the Center in NY.  After earning a Bachelor of Education degree from Mary Rogers College, at the Center in 1962, she taught in Chinatown, NY for three years.

Dora’s first mission assignment was to Hawaii in 1965, spending seventeen years there as a teacher and Religious Education Coordinator.

In 1985, she responded to a need for someone for religious education in the Marshall Islands, 32 coral atolls on 70 square miles of land amidst 772,000 square miles of ocean. After two years language study in the outer islands, she became Religious Education Coordinator in Majuro, the capitol. She lived and taught in Assumption School, going to the island of Likiep several times each year for weeks at a time, training teachers. With her musical talent she animated Marshallese musicians for Marshallese songs for liturgy. In her last seven years there, she divided her time between Majuro and the Outer Islands, developing Curriculum; producing lesson plan booklets in Marshallese and English for Majuro and the Outer Islands; offering workshops for the teachers; and Emmaus retreats for the youth. In her last months, Sister Dora was like St. Paul re-visiting teachers and prayer leaders on the outer islands. She had the joy of training the Marshallese woman who took her place in the Religious Education office. “It is fulfilling my dream that the Marshallese take over the program and make it their own.”

Then she returned to Majuro from 1995 – ’99. In 1999, she was assigned to the Center in NY to serve as a member of the Maryknoll Sisters Admissions Team. In 2007, Sister Dora became a member of the Eastern U.S. Region and she and another Maryknoll Sister lived in an African American community in Chicago. Sister Dora was a Faith Formation Facilitator in a neighboring parish, and member of the Archdiocesan Vocation Association.

In September 2011, Sister Dora moved to the Sister’s Center at Maryknoll, NY where she continues to contribute her skills, services, interests and talents to the community at large.