Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sister Jamesine Lamb, OSF


From a young age, I was drawn to helping the less fortunate and my parents nurtured the seeds of my vocation to religious life.

I first learned about the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis from my older sister, Sister Mary Evelyn Lamb, OSF, who became a postulant of the Hospital Sisters when I was a freshman in high school.

As the ninth child of twelve in Aud, Missouri, I was born on July 8, 1935 and named Martha Mary Elizabeth (Mattie Mae). I attended a one-room rural grade school through the sixth grade and then attended the Catholic school taught by Notre Dame Sisters along with my sister Hada Faye. We got to know these Sisters and were attracted to their commitment to God and way of life. After graduation, we went to the city to work and experience another way of life. Five years later, she (now Sister Jane Marie Lamb, OSF) decided to join Sister Mary Evelyn as a Hospital Sister. I was still undecided and had a boyfriend - I was attracted to both family life and religious life. However, a few months later I visited my sisters and realized that God was also calling me to religious life.

I entered the Community on February 11, 1955 and professed First Vows on September 8, 1957. I am a graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing and received a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from St. Louis University.     

In my nearly 60 years in Community, I have lived and ministered in the inner city (Peoria and Springfield, Illinois), served as a nurse with kidney dialysis patients at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (Belleville, Illinois), served as a nurse and LPN instructor at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) and held several positions at St. Francis Convent. Through these many years, I am grateful for the opportunities in reaching out to those who are less fortunate and having my life enriched by sharing with others.