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A Joyful First: Ten Women Consecrated to Order of Widows in North Idaho
By Mary Stewart
For the ICR
“Lord God, source of all holiness, look with favor upon these widows whom you have called to follow Christ in this new state of life. In your loving providence you once joined them to their husbands in the covenant of Christian marriage. Through their promises of fidelity, you made their union a sign of the faithful love of Christ for his Church. Receive, O Lord, the offering each makes this day…”
With this blessing, Father Len MacMillan, pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene, welcomed 10 women into the ancient Order of Widows (Ordo Viduarum), marking a historic first for the Diocese of Boise.
Responding once again with the words, “I do,” first spoken on their wedding days, these women embraced a new commitment of fidelity to Christ and His Church.
“For these women, consecration is not a turning away from the love they shared with their husbands, but a continuation of that love and fidelity in a new way,” said Father Len. “Through their commitment to Christ, the sorrow of loss is transformed into hope as they enter into a renewed marriage bond with Christ.”
“This is not the end of my story; I felt God calling me to more. It is a calling of hope,” affirmed Lydia Sequeira, one of the newly consecrated widows.
An ancient vocation renewed
Rooted in the early Church and the teachings of St. Paul in 1 Timothy 5, the Order of Widows is an ancient form of consecrated life dedicated to prayer, chastity and service. Although the practice declined during the Middle Ages, Pope St. John Paul II highlighted this vocation in his 1996 apostolic exhortation, Vita consecrata, recognizing that widows may consecrate their lives through a vow of perpetual chastity, prayer and service to the Church (7).
Unlike women who enter religious communities, consecrated widows do not take up communal religious life. Instead, they remain in their own homes, support themselves financially and live out their consecration through prayer and service within their parishes and local communities.
The Diocese of Boise joins Columbus, Ohio, and Lafayette, Louisiana, where the Order was recently established in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Bringing the order to North Idaho
The establishment of the Order in our Diocese began through the efforts of Anita Loutsis Dahmen, whose husband, Joe, died in August 2020. After learning about the Order’s establishment in the Diocese of Columbus, Dahmen gathered information with help from her brother, who lived in that area.
She approached her pastor, Father Mariusz Majewski, of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, and Father Len MacMillan, of St. Pius X, who had long desired to establish the Order in the Diocese.
“With the Holy Spirit and Blessed Mother’s inspiration and guidance, it all came together,” Dahmen recalled.
On Aug. 21, 2025, Bishop Peter F. Christensen granted Father Len written permission to establish and oversee the Order. Together with Dahmen, Father Len developed a local inquiry and discernment process, inviting widows to explore the vocation and prayerfully consider God’s call.
“I love tradition from the early Church, so I was interested in learning more about the Order and discerning this state in life,” said Sequeira. The women embraced a way of life expressed through the acronym PACE, meaning “peace” in Italian: Prayer, Apostolic works of charity, Community representation, and Education. Their commitments include prayer for the Church, priests and bishops and participation in corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
“We are dedicated to the sacraments which bring us closer to Christ,” Dahmen explained.
Following their inquiry and discernment, the women made their initial promises on March 25, 2026 — the Solemnity of the Annunciation and exactly 30 years after Pope St. John Paul II’s renewed recognition of this ancient vocation in Vita consecrata. Under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom they honor as the first consecrated widow, the women followed in her footsteps, offering their own fiat — their wholehearted “yes” to God’s invitation.
A sacred and joyful consecration
The Oct. 3, 2026, Mass at St. PiusX brought the women’s journey of preparation to a beautiful culmination. As Deacon Chris Stewart called each woman by name, she responded, “Here I am, Lord,” and came forward to make her commitment before God and the Church.
During the Litany of the Saints, in a gesture traditionally marked by prostration, the women remained seated in consideration of their age, each covered with a pall placed by her sponsor. A pall is a cloth associated with Christian burial, and this gesture symbolized dying to self and embracing a new life of consecration and fidelity to Christ.
The blessing of their wedding rings was especially meaningful, honoring the enduring significance of their marriages even as they entered this new vocation.
“Our husbands are praying for us. I felt my husband touching my shoulder when we made our vows,” said Robin Mitzelfelt.
Jennie Courtemanche shared a similar experience: “I especially felt my husband’s presence after the blessing of the wedding rings.”
For Joanne Rosetti, the joy of consecration continued into the following morning.
“I woke up jubilant and said, ‘I am married to Jesus now!’” she recalled.
Remembering one who shared the journey
A poignant moment came with the remembrance of Cheri Franklin, who shared in the women’s preparation but died Sept. 6, just one month before the consecration.
“Today we also remember Cheri Franklin, who shared in this journey of preparation with these women but completed her earthly pilgrimage before this day,” said Deacon Chris Stewart, entrusting her to God’s mercy.
An 11th chair, draped with a pall, stood among the women in her honor. Her daughter, Hope, led the entrance procession and stood behind her mother’s chair during the ceremony, a touching reminder of the bonds of faith and love that endure beyond death.
A celebration of faith and community
Following Mass, family, friends and parishioners gathered for a joyful reception reminiscent of a wedding celebration, complete with music and a wedding cake.
Parishioners also offered a spiritual bouquet of prayers for the women as they begin their consecrated lives.
A new season of prayer and service
The women will continue meeting monthly following the first Saturday Mass at St. Pius X for prayer, formation, study and fellowship.
Already active in their communities, they continue their wealth of experience in ministries including food banks, pregnancy support, Catholic education, retreats, liturgical ministries and numerous other parish ministries.
Joan Neary, a parishioner of St. George’s in Post Falls who helped found a pregnancy support center, added, “God has given us purpose. We are here in this season of life to serve him. There is a feeling of joy.”
For Rosemary McGrath, the eldest of the women, the new vocation continues a lifetime of faithfulness and service.
“I was married 35 years to my husband and have now been widowed 35 years. Our family has been blessed with a nun and a priest in the family,” she reflected.
Their witness echoes the words of St. Paul: “She who is a widow indeed … has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day” (1 Timothy 5:5).
These 10 women, carrying the love of their marriages and the richness of their experiences, now offer their lives in renewed dedication to Christ and his Church.
As Dahmen reflected on the journey they share, she expressed what may be the most profound gift of their new vocation: “We now have an overwhelming sense of peace.”
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