Date of death: 2/1/2018
Saint Meinrad Class: SS 1975
Sr. Mary de Porres Polk, a member of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters of Holy Angels Convent for 49 years, died February 1, 2018. She was 74 years old.Barbara Lee Polk was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, to the late Henry and Dorothy Polk. She entered the convent in 1967 and, as Sister Mary de Porres, professed first vows in 1969. Sister de Porres earned her LPN and served at the convent infirmary and at St. Bernards Medical Center for over 20 years. For 12 years, Sr. de Porres served as the Assistant Liaison to the Diocesan Council for Black Catholics. She served as community Subprioress under Mother Lillian Marie Reiter.In 2016, Bishop Anthony Taylor presented Sr. de Porres with the Daniel Rudd Memorial Award for her many years of dedication and service to the Catholic church in Arkansas.She is survived by a sister, Judith Lightfoot, and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, Preston Richard Polk.