Body of Christ

  • Mueller, a Marquette native, is married to Donald and has three stepchildren, Marilyn, Ken and Diana, and eight grandchildren.
  • Now retired, Mueller last worked as guidance counselor and campus minister at Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary. Her career also included serving as a parish pastoral associate, director of Christian formation and liturgist.
  • Mueller is a past conference president, spiritual advisor and council secretary for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and remains active as a member and visitor.
  • Mueller has a bachelor’s degree in theology, with a minor in education, from Marquette University, Milwaukee. She received cross-cultural training at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio and earned a master’s in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Mueller also received certification in guidance and counseling (bilingual K-12) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
  • Mueller is a lector and Eucharistic minister who also recruits and prepares lectors and Eucharistic ministers for St. Patrick’s 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass in English.

Tell us about your relationship with Jesus

Jesus is my friend with whom I converse often during the day and try to listen to in my heart. My parents were devout Catholics.

What does it mean to you to live your faith?

It means to live the Beatitudes. In elementary school, I learned to be conscious of the “little ones” and befriended classmates who others ignored. In high school, I lived this by tutoring and visiting nursing homes, and during college, I took care of an elderly woman who had no family. As a missionary in Nicaragua for five years, living my faith meant sharing the extremely simple life of the people among whom we lived.  As a teacher and parish minister, I was evangelized by those who were in need, spiritually and materially. Presently, as a person who speaks Spanish, I am available to those who call for help at the parish and through the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

How does being fluent in Spanish impact your ministries?

Spanish allows me into their world yet understanding a different culture demands making mistakes and being humble to ask their help to understand. Presently, I am the only person who speaks Spanish in our St. Vincent de Paul group. St. Patrick Parish in Racine is 95 percent Latino and Latina now. Our pastors contact my husband and me when people need help to connect with local resources. It is a gift that I have treasured and tried to find ways to continue speaking to not lose that ability. I find it even more important now that we have more people immigrating to our city.

You are one of the few women involved in prison ministry in the archdiocese, and you lead a bilingual Communion Service and Scripture reflection in Spanish at the Racine Correctional Institute, the prison at Sturtevant, every two weeks. How did that come about and why do you stick with it?

When we moved from Fond du Lac back to Racine in 2012, my husband Don was invited by Dcn. Greg Petro to help at RCI on Sunday evenings because there was a need for someone who spoke Spanish. In 2015, I was asked to lead the music and later to lead the bilingual Scripture service and the Spanish-speaking reflection group. The personal sharing of faith by the men inspires and energizes me.

You and your husband have been involved with the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Fond du Lac County and Racine County. Why is the St. Vincent de Paul Society a passion?

I did not become a leader in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul until we moved to Racine. In Fond du Lac, occasionally I went on visits to Spanish-speaking persons with Don. I find it a privilege to be invited into the homes of strangers who desire help to resolve financial or emotional difficulties. Their openness in sharing their struggles to provide housing, find employment and deal with family security touches my heart. At the end of each visit, we invite them to pray with us. Very rarely do they refuse. Their prayers and faith in the midst of grave insecurity inspire me. Those visited remain in my thoughts and prayers.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

Most people are surprised when I tell them that I was a religious sister for 25 years. When I was contacted about the number of invitations I wanted for my jubilee, I responded that I needed to talk to our superior. I was given a year of discernment, which through prayer, led me to leave religious life.  I was not planning to marry, but as it is said, God had other plans. Don and I are celebrating 33 years this year.

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy gardening, playing piano and being in nature and enjoying plants and animals. Time spent with grandchildren. At our homes, cell phones are set aside so that we can share and enjoy each other.