Sister Nathalie Meyer, OP
Jubilarian 2025 – 70 Years a Sister
Prayer Ministry
Pray for ethical leaders.
70th Jubilee Reflection
“Be Still and Know That I Am God” was a choral piece sung by a Madrigal Group I taught at Sts. Peter & Paul High School in Saginaw many years ago. It was an a cappella group and the arrangement had a slow tempo with rich harmonies and it was as if the world stood still when they performed it. When life seems to be disjointed, it is at times of prayer and in quiet moments, the peacefulness of those deep rich harmonies washes over me.
Even though I was hoping to be a math teacher, I am grateful the superiors decided it would be music instead. Music feeds our spirits since the goal is to find a blend of different voices into rich harmonious sounds which enlivens and uplifts others. Music was the perfect launch for the administrative positions I have held over the years working to create teams who support one another and appreciate the gifts of others to make a difference.
Living in community for seventy years has been an experience of joining with others to use the gifts we have been given to make a difference in the world. In the 70 years, religious life has changed in many ways but I am grateful for the thoughtful approach of the Grand Rapids Dominicans to methodically work to blend our gifts and talents to make a difference wherever we were sent.
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
~ Hebrews 12:1
Living in community has been a gift despite the challenges. Each of us has a purpose in God’s plan and left to our own selfish desires, we may lose our way. Dominican Life has helped me weather the storms of doubt, criticism, and pessimism. Dominican Life has helped me conquer discouragement and the temptation to adjust to the “reality” of the naysayers who would rather live in the darkness of the known rather than seek the light of the unknown. My deepest thanks to all have challenged and journeyed with me these past 60 years.
In 1937, I was warmly welcomed into the life of my parents Vivian (Tacey) Meyer and Theodore Meyer and named after my mother’s little sister, Nathalie, who died when she was three. Despite the fact that my parents were hoping for a large family, I have only one other sibling, my brother Ted.
My parents worked hard for the parish and school of St. John’s Essexville and did all they could for the Norbertine priests and the Dominican Sisters. Growing up in a small town with parents who believed that their life was to make a difference was such a gift.
The ministry of music was my first assignment and music continues to feed my spirit. The belief in Catholic Education was instilled in me by my parents and the Dominican Sisters and has been my passion for forty-eight years as teacher, principal and Diocesan Superintendent in Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Following those years, it was a joy to serve the community for six years in leadership. Currently I am an administrator of a start-up program to help frail seniors stay in their homes. Also, I teach a graduate course in “Ethical Leadership”. This is helping to keep my passion for education alive. As I reflect, my love of conducting choral music has been a part of all these years of administration and teaching, bringing disparate parts together, to make harmony in a world of so much disharmony.
