Remembering Sr. Mary Louise Balzarini, MMB

Some remember her for her compassionate firmness. Others remember how down to earth she was. And many remember her unmistakable smile, which she always noted were her original teeth, not dentures. Sr. Mary Louise Balzarini of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz was many things to many people, but above all she was an educator who had a positive impact on generations of students at Mount Carmel School, Sister Remedios Early Childhood Development Center, and doctrina classes throughout the island. And while she recently passed away, her legacy remains.

“Boy, I was your dad’s teacher, I’m your teacher, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be your children’s teacher one day.” Carlos R. “Sonny” Shoda, 1985 AlumKnight, recalled Sr. Mary Louise telling him this when he was in elementary school. “She knew all her students’ names, their siblings and their parents’ names, where they lived and where their parents worked.”

“She also spoke Chamorro very fluently, and I even recall her speaking Carolinian to a fellow classmate,” Shoda added.

1989 AlumKnight Charlotte Cepeda also remembers how Sr. Mary Louise knew everyone. “She knew everyone’s family and would remind you of this important piece of information when necessary.”

Cepeda, though, admits that she was not sure what to make of her. “In 1982, my family had just moved back from Oregon. On my first day of school, I see this frightening woman in white who walked down the Mt. Carmel corridor with purpose in each step. I was terrified!” That terror, however, quickly faded. “Then she smiled that piercing smile of hers (the one that reaches her eyes) and I thought to myself, I could love this woman if she gave me the chance. And she did… And I ended up loving her.”

Many former students remember how they too were initially scared of her. However, as they got to know Sr. Mary Louise, they soon realized that behind that firmness was a compassionate love for all her students.

One such former student was 1984 AlumKnight, Jason Tarkong.  He got to know Sr. Mary Louise under less flattering circumstances. “I was a frequent visitor to the Principal’s Office, both elementary and in high school.” Those frequent visits, however, were for the wrong reasons. “Unfortunately, I’m sure she will say she remembers me best for all the trouble my brother Kaleb and I always got into.”

Looking back, though, Tarkong is glad that she was a firm disciplinarian. “Sr. Mary Louise was a powerful woman—in voice, presence, and when she spoke, we listened.” He is also glad that she never gave up on him. “She always told me I was a smart kid and should be a better example to my younger siblings and use my talents to make a difference in the world instead of goofing off and making trouble.”

1987 AlumKnight Lucie Ada Shubert had a similar story.  “Sr. Mary Louise was without a doubt a disciplinarian, and I was at the other end of those conversations a couple of times, but I did not feel she handed down a disciplinary action so that one would be afraid or terrified.”  

“Her eyes said something different. They displayed encouragement, maybe even a message that said, hey, you are better than that.”

That faith in her students’ potential is something that many other former students remember, including a current teacher at Mount Carmel School, Connie Kiawol. As she remembers, “In 1995 I came to Saipan to join the MMB sister with very poor English.  The following year I was told that Sister Mary Louise would be my English teacher. I was excited yet worried and nervous. It was like walking barefoot on rocks.”

That fear and apprehension, however, soon gave way to hope and joy. “Not long after we began our class I realized that I enjoyed so much not only her class but mostly being around her and listening to her stories.” Kiawol added, “She loved what she was doing.”

As Carlos Shoda remembers, Sr. Mary Louise was also full of joy. “She had an addicting laugh, the kind of laugh that you couldn’t help but laugh along with her—loud and mighty, like her commanding presence, with the biggest of hearts I’ve ever known.”

Her joy and love of teaching were deeply rooted in a humble sense of service as part of her ministry. It was a ministry that she nurtured by daily prayer. As Shubert remembers, “One of my earliest memories of Sr. Mary Louise is leading us from our classroom to church to pray, celebrate and sing.” Shubert especially remembers how Sr. Mary Louise would pray. “She would rock back and forth on her Birkenstocks in her white habit, especially when she sings the church hymns.”

Kiawol put it best, “She was a woman of God.”

Devotion to God and service led Sr. Mary Louise to have an indelible impact on hundreds, if not thousands of students, which is evident in what her former students said about her.

For Cepeda, “she was mother who loved hard and cared deeply. A mother who only wanted the best for her children. A mother who would do anything for her children.”

As Tarkong put it, “God bless Sr. Mary Louise. She made a difference in my life by seeing the potential in me and giving me the words I needed to hear.”

Or as Shubert said, “Si yu’us maase Sr. Mary Louise. It isn’t possible to put into words the importance of the life lessons you shared and how much you meant to me.  You will be missed dearly.” (PR)