Meet Sister Denise Williams

Sister Denise grew up in Holbrook, Massachusetts, a small town south of Boston. The only daughter, she has two brothers and her Dad was the Chief of Police in the town. Denise attended public schools and in her sophomore year, the Daughters of Charity opened an elementary school in St. Joseph’s Parish, Holbrook. She joined the Children of Mary, a group of young women who visited nursing homes, and the homes of those who were poor. Denise says, “I always thought about a religious vocation, but the only community I knew were the Medical Mission Sisters, and I knew I wasn’t the medical type”! Science, however, was always attractive; in fact, Sister Denise was accepted to the School of Pharmacy at Northeastern University but after a visit from Sister Oliva, a dynamic, charismatic Daughter of Charity, and a trip to Emmitsburg to visit the postulants, she decided to enter the Community to pursue this possible vocation.

Sister Denise has taught chemistry, physics, biology, and math in many different high schools as well as Laboure College in Boston. Her keen mind and quiet presence has accompanied many students over the years and she is always open to new adventures. She became the Registrar at Laboure, prior to her present ministry as the Provincial Secretary for the Daughters of Charity, Northeast Province, based in Albany, NY.

Sister Denise is a woman of many talents. She loves gardening, sewing, cooking, and the summer gardens at the Provincial House have benefited greatly from her Green Thumb. You can find her walking in the summer, snow-shoeing in the winter, and when you can’t figure something out, it’s Sister Denise to the rescue! She’s one of those people who can do most anything and has a wealth of practical information at her fingertips which serves her well as the Provincial Secretary.