Sister Lawrence Fischer

Sister Lawrence Fischer, 86, a member of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, entered eternal life on May 21, at Annunciation Monastery.  

Visitation at Annunciation Monastery will be Tuesday, May 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a vigil service at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of Annunciation Monastery.

The Mass of Christian Burial is Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Annunciation Monastery with visitation from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. The funeral will be livestreamed.  

 Sister Lawrence (Rita) was born December 9, 1937, in Rhame, ND, the second oldest of the fourteen children of Leonard C. and Clara (Domagala) Fischer.  Sister Lawrence was dedicated to her siblings and the successive generations that grew out of their faith-filled upbringing in their farm home and St. Mel’s church community in Rhame.  They, in turn, were dedicated to her and managed to carry off a surprise gathering for her 80^th birthday.  

Following a year at the College at St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota, Sister Lawrence entered Annunciation Monastery and made monastic profession in 1960. She would have celebrated her 64th anniversary of monastic profession this summer. 

Sister Lawrence graduated from Mary College with a double major in business education and math, and taught from 1961 to 1963 at Cathedral, St. Mary’s Central, and Priory High.  She served as Priory High bookkeeper and Mary College business manager during which she started the financial aid office and ran the bookstore.  Subsequent service for one year was at the Garrison Memorial Hospital’s business office.  Sister Lawrence earned her MBA from Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska in 1977.   

Gifted with business acumen, she wisely stewarded fiscal resources as the monastic community’s treasurer from 1978 to 2013.  Sister Lawrence continued to share her business experience and expertise as Monastery Investment Officer until 2021. Sister Lawrence also served on the board of directors at St. Alexius Medical Center for 27 years. Her service accompanied attentive care and devotion to monastic life and prayer

Sister Lawrence had an exceptional memory and was a wealth of information. She had a keen ability to recall where things were located in her office and in the monastery. Skilled and patient in her ability to repair rosaries and other items, she was the go-to when there were problems with office equipment. She shared family relationships through photos and accomplishments of nieces and nephews, as well as their children, which brought pride and care as they excelled in endeavors ranging from music to sports.  She willingly assisted others through careful listening and concern and often invited the monastic community to join her in prayers for her family. 

Sister Lawrence is survived by her siblings Eugene (Marilyn), Daniel (Joanne), Mary (Lonnie) Hass, Ellen (John Lee) Njos, Jerome (Theresa), Rose (Edward) Crotty, Teresa (Bruce) Bowman, Elizabeth Braus, Lawrence (Loreen), Leonard (Nancy), and Bernie (Annette), nieces and nephews and the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers and sisters-in-law, Donald and Nancy and Robert and Lavonne, brother-in-law, Steve Braus, and nieces and nephew, Johanna Njos, Stephanie Crotty, and Robbie Fischer. 

Memorials may be made to Annunciation Monastery.