Sister Ardis Kremer
Current Ministry Location: Hawaii
Sister Ardis was born on October 12th, 1937 in Gulfport, MS to Ardis Prados and Alphonse Kremer; she had one brother and one sister. In 1955, she graduated from St. John’s High School in Gulfport..
After completing a year of college at St. Mary’s Dominican in New Orleans, Sister Ardis entered the Congregation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY on September 2nd, 1957. She pronounced First Vows June 24th, 1960 at the Sisters Center and Final Vows June 24th, 1966 in Chile.
Sister Ardis was first assigned to Chile in 1955 where she served as a pastoral agent and in catechetics until 1967. In addition, she was assigned to Hawaii in 1968. At that time, the Marshall Islands were part of the Maryknoll Sisters Hawaiian Region and Sister Ardis’s first experience was in Majuro, an atoll-island in Micronesia. As tourism became an island industry, Sister Ardis helped the Marshallese turn their cultural shell art and weaving toward items attractive to the tourists. She also taught Religious Education to children and adults, and learned the values of their culture.
In Honolulu, Sister Ardis continued to be involved in catechetical and pastoral work. After receiving her LPN from Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu, she worked as a nurse in Queen’s Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital.
Since 1975, Sister Ardis’s home has been on the island of Molokai where she has served in Molokai General Hospital and worked with the Dept. of Health of the state of Hawaii. She has worked with adults, teenagers and children in health services. Besides teaching fourth grade, Sister Ardis has taught Religious Education, elementary and high school for the past twenty years. At Our Lady of Sorrows, east end, Sister Ardis is a Presider at Communion Service when the pastor or deacon is not on the island.
Presently, she is President of the Molokai Humane Society and assists the veterinarian occasionally when the assistant is unavailable.