Sister Gertrude M. Gaudette

Sister Gertrude Gaudette, OP, 94, of Fall River, a native of Acushnet, died Thursday, November 3, 2016. A member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, now the Dominican Sisters of Hope for the past 71 years, she taught at Dominican Academy and St. Anne School, Fall River, St. Francis Xavier School, Acushnet and Bishop Stang High School, Dartmouth.

Sister Gertrude entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Fall River, on August 29, 1945, made her First Profession December 8, 1947, and Final Profession December 8, 1950. Sister Gertrude earned a BA in Art History and Social Studies from Regis College and an MFA from Catholic University. She also studied photography, ceramics, sculpture, and jewelry making at Plattsburgh State University.

Sister Gertrude started out as a teacher in the Diocese of Fall River where she has spent virtually all of her ministry years. Her first assignment was the Dominican Academy elementary school from 1947-48, from there she went to St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet from 1948-49, and then at St. Anne School from 1949-50. In 1950, she began teaching again at Dominican Academy first at the elementary level, then in 1962 at the secondary level.

She served Dominican Academy as moderator of the alumnae association, Dominilog (the DA yearbook), and the sodality. While teaching at the Dominican Academy and living in Fall River, she was often called upon by the diocesan newspaper (Anchor) to accompany journalists and take pictures of events around the diocese. Sister Gertrude served the Dominican Sisters as local treasurer, secretary general, and as a member of the general council.

From 1973 to 1983, Sister Gertrude taught art and photography at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth MA. In 1983, she opened the Creativity Center at the motherhouse on Park Street in Fall River and remained there until 2002, when the convent closed and she moved to the Landmark at Fall River. While there, she conducted art classes.
Sister Gertrude has been gifted with a multitude of talents, which she has used generously at the service of others throughout her religious life. She built shrines to the Blessed Mother, painted, renovated, and divided or built rooms in the convent and school, and remodeled the altar and sanctuary of the motherhouse chapel twice.

She was a photographer, and once had her own dark room at the motherhouse. She led a high school camera club for Dominican Academy. As a woodcarver she has carved a coat of arms for five diocesan bishops, and has won numerous awards for her carvings at several shows, earning her a number of ribbons and the "best of show" for at least of couple of her works. For many years Sister created Billboard-Sized Signs proclaiming the theme for that year's Christmas Display at LaSallette Shrine in Attleboro,MA.

She leaves nieces, nephews and cousins. She was the daughter of the late Louis and Augustine (Gauthier) Gaudette and the sister of the late Therese Charest, Pauline Croteau and Bernard and Rodolphe Gaudette.

Her funeral will be held Monday at 9:00 a.m. from the Auclair Funeral Home, 690 So. Main St., Fall River, with a Mass of Resurrection at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 10:00 a.m. Interment, Notre Dame Cemetery.

Visitation at the funeral home Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. with a service at 3:00 p.m. Donations may be made to Dominican Sisters of Hope, 299 North Highland Ave., Ossining, NY 10562.

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