Sister Rosemarie Kolmer, OSF, 76, a longtime healthcare advocate and administrator in the Diocese of Camden, died Oct. 2 at Saint Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany, N.Y.
“Sister Rosemarie had a profound concern for all people, which allowed her to serve with zeal every day,” said Father Nicholas Dudo, diocesan vicar for clergy. “Her faith and her love were the source of her motivation and helped to both console and inspire others. This is her legacy.”
The religious sister entered the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany on Sept. 8, 1966, was received into the congregation on July 1, 1967, and professed her final vows May 31, 1975.
In 1971, Sister Rosemarie began her ministry in the Diocese, working at Camden’s Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (now Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes) for 17 years. She started as a nurse and then moved into pastoral care, developing a pastoral care department at the hospital to minister to the spiritual needs of the patients and their families, as well as the staff.
She later served as the administrator and healthcare advocate for retired priests at Sacred Heart Residence in Cherry Hill, along with work at Our Lady of Lourdes Wellness. In 2020, she moved into part-time work in the Diocese of Camden; she officially retired in 2024 and moved to the Saint Elizabeth Motherhouse.
Father Dudo recalled working with Sister Rosemarie in his role as director of priest personnel when she was at Sacred Heart Residence. “Her work there was a ministry for her. With her nursing skills and experience of caring for others, she assisted our retired priests – encouraging them to be attentive to their self-care and also challenging them with a persistence that Bishop Sullivan referred to as ‘very sisterly’ to her ‘brothers’ at the residence.”
He continued, “During the COVID shutdown, when the wonderful staff at the residence were not able to work, Sister Rosemarie was there, attending to the needs of the priests, arranging for food deliveries and praying that none of our priests contracted the virus. During that time, none of them did, which Sister Rosemarie credited to the grace of God through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. She would say, ‘Mary, you have to take care of your priests.’”
Father Terry Odien, a retired priest of the Diocese and former diocesan director of priest personnel, recalled a very close friend rooted in love for her family, her community and for the people of Camden – “the poorest of the poor in our nation. She gave of herself endlessly so that people could experience God’s love in their lives.”
Father Odien celebrated Sister Rosemarie’s Mass of Christian Burial on Oct. 5 at the Chapel of Saint Elizabeth Motherhouse. “This has been, I think, the hardest homily I have ever prepared. … How do you give a homily about a woman who was immersed in the lives of thousands and thousands of people?” he preached. “I believe that there are a lot of broken hearts, not only in this chapel today – mine being just one of them – but many throughout the City of Camden and beyond.”
He went on to recount two memories from a visit with Sister Rosemarie in the weeks before her death. In one story, she was on the phone with a woman in Camden who could possibly need her car. In the second, Sister Rosemarie was sitting at her desk preparing bank envelopes as her energy waned. During bouts of rest, she wrote names on each of the envelopes with monies inside for the people of Camden.
“In her dying days, she was living out the beatitudes … blessed are the poor,” Father Odien said.
Sister Rosemarie was “the best advocate one could ask for in life,” he said of the woman who was also a caretaker for Msgr. Michael J. Doyle, former pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Camden.
Days after hearing of Sister Rosemarie’s death, Father Vincent Guest, current pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, also reflected on the religious sister’s impact.
“Sister Rosemarie, in many ways, was the heart of the parish. When I was appointed pastor, she was among the first to call and welcome me. She tirelessly cared for Father Michael Doyle in his last years, and she had the heart of a true Franciscan, in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare. Her heart and ministry were always with the poor and broken, for the sick and for those in the City of Camden.”
Father Guest added that a Memorial Mass will be celebrated for Sister Rosemarie at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 2 at Sacred Heart Church.
Educated at Saint Andrew Elementary School and Our Lady of Mercy High School, both in Rochester, N.Y., Sister Rosemarie attended Saint Clare Hospital School of Nursing in New York, N.Y., where she graduated as a registered nurse. She attended Saint Bonaventure University in Bonaventure, N.Y., and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in professional arts with a minor in health care.
Sister Rosemarie was predeceased by her parents, Ralph and Marion Voellinger Kolmer. She is survived by two brothers, Stephen and Mark Kolmer; three sisters: Karen Walsh, Annemarie Wegman and Sister Kathleen Marie Kolmer, a Sister of Mercy, and several nieces and nephews.
Burial followed the Oct. 5 Mass at Saint Bonaventure Cemetery, Allegany.
In memory of Sister Rosemarie, memorials can be made to: Student Sponsorship Program, Sacred Heart School, 1739 Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104.
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