By Calley Duffey, IHM Communications Director
I recently had the privilege of interviewing my former high school Spanish teacher, Sister Remi Pauwels, IHM, as she celebrates living 100 years of life. We quickly slipped back into the familiar teacher–student rhythm. Even now, Sister Remi remains ever the teacher. Many of her responses began with the thoughtful refrain generations of students may recall: “Let me think on that a bit.” With a twinkle in her eye and a spirit the nurses affectionately describe as “spunky,” she is unmistakably the Hermana Remi her students have always known.
My earliest memories of Sister Remi are vivid: pencil skirts, kitten heels and the confident click-click of her shoes echoing through the halls of St. Mary Catholic Central High School in the early 1990s. Her petite presence conveyed both elegance and authority. I had her for four years of Spanish and while her classes were demanding, they were also filled with laughter, joy and deep learning.
Years later, when I joined the IHM Communications Office, I felt intimidated by my new responsibilities. Yet seeing Sister Remi in the Motherhouse halls—still vibrant at 95—was a source of encouragement. She would greet me in Spanish and gently remind me, “I know you are doing a good job, because you were one of my students!” Her words never failed to make me smile, and the confidence she offered then is something I still carry with me today.
Sister Remi smiled as she acknowledged that celebrating a birthday during the Christmas season carries its own unique weight. “You feel it,” she said with gentle humor. When asked what she is most proud of in her 100 years, her response was immediate and heartfelt: “A lot of things! Proud of my vocation and teaching young people.” When asked what people might be surprised to know about her, she answered with characteristic practicality and openness: “If someone has a question about me, all they have to do is ask and I will answer!”
Reflecting on her call to religious life, Sister Remi spoke with honesty and gratitude. While not easy, it was deeply life-giving. Over the years, her relationship with God has continued to deepen, sustained by a life of prayer—including the rosary, which she describes as a steady and nourishing practice. Teaching young people remains her greatest source of pride, a theme that surfaced again and again during our conversation.
Today, Hermana Remi delights in visits from former students—a testament to the relationships she nurtured over decades—as well as visits from her family, who travel from her hometown of Jackson, Michigan. They lovingly call her “Lolly,” a childhood name likely rooted in her baptismal name, Lillian.
Asked how it feels to turn 100, Sister Remi laughed warmly. “I don’t feel that old, but I am not sure how it should feel. But it’s a celebration for everyone!” Those closest to her know her favorite comforts well: the corner chair, a pink blanket and—without question—any dessert. She participates in Mass, enjoys community activities and still relishes carrying on conversations in Spanish.
Looking back on a full century of life, faith and service, Sister Remi speaks with deep gratitude: “My life—the whole bundle of it. I’ve been blessed, very, very blessed. God is always working behind the scenes. I’m not always conscious of it, but I feel it, especially in the unplanned, unexpected time to reflect.”
The wisdom she offers the younger generation is the same guidance she faithfully gave her students: “Patience. Patience! It is a beautiful virtue. You need to have patience with yourself also.”
While I wish I could write and deliver this tribute to Remi in Spanish, I readily admit my grasp of the language has not advanced much since I left her classroom thirty years ago. Instead, I offer this blessing—with the help of Google Translate, should the moment require it.
On behalf of countless grateful students, we thank Sister Remi for teaching us language and love, discipline and delight, faith and courage. May the God who called her so faithfully continue to surround her with peace, and may the joy she planted in classrooms, hallways and hearts return to her a hundredfold. Hermana Remi, know—today and always—how deeply you are loved.
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Hermana Remi!
Remi’s early life:
Sister Remi’s journey began at St. John’s School in Jackson, Michigan, where IHM Sisters taught her and her four siblings. Their joy, kindness and strong sense of community deeply inspired her. Though she enjoyed high school life and considered college, marriage and family, the call to religious life quietly persisted. Through prayer and discernment, she came to a peaceful conviction: “This is what God wanted me to do.”
During her postulate, Sister Remi delighted in learning about IHM spirit and spirituality. The sisters’ prayerfulness and dedication to ministry profoundly shaped her. Her first mission was teaching first and second grade at St. Charles School in Coldwater, Michigan. There, the sisters lived in a century-old farmhouse filled with warmth and simplicity. She vividly recalls standing at the kitchen window, gazing out at the yard and old barn and thinking, “I’m me again.”
Her ministry unfolded as a series of rich and varied chapters. She served as director of teachers at St. John’s in Monroe, helped open St. Michael’s School in Miami, and embraced the adventure of teaching in the mountains of Puerto Rico in a former coffee-drying barn. After six years there, she returned to the mainland, serving at Queen of Hope in Detroit and later as principal of her childhood school, St. John’s in Jackson.
While completing her master’s degree in Spanish at the University of Michigan during summers, Sister Remi continued to lead and teach, serving as principal at St. Phillip’s in Battle Creek and later at Lumen Christi in Jackson. She was elected co-provincial of the Northwest Province, a role she remembers with gratitude. “One of the graces of those years,” she said, “was that I got to know the sisters personally.”
Ever faithful to her call as an educator, Sister Remi returned once more to the classroom, teaching at Aquinas High School during the years of racial integration and later at the newly merged St. Mary Catholic Central High School. She taught Spanish there for eight years before retiring to the Motherhouse.