Age 93
Sister Daphne Neri Lizama, a Sister of Mercy for 75 years, was born in Belize City, Belize, (British Honduras at that time) and graduated from St. Catherine Academy in 1945. She journeyed to Rhode Island to enter the Sisters of Mercy Novitiate, in Cumberland, Rhode Island on February 2, 1946. After profession in 1948, she taught for one year at St. Patrick’s School in Providence, Rhode Island. She returned to Belize in 1949 and started a lifelong career of teaching in the different Catholic schools in the country.
In 1959, she was assigned to the new mission of Maria Regina in La Ceiba, Honduras, where she spent 11 years teaching the little ones in kindergarten. Upon returning to Belize in 1971, she dedicated herself to pastoral ministry and the promotion of the credit union in the schools in the Corozal District. She also helped in the training of catechists and in the Lay Ministers Program in the villages until 1989. She then spent some time at St. Catherine Academy as counsellor until 1997.
Sister Daphne was a gentle, loving, grace-filled Mercy woman. When you came into her quiet presence, you were welcomed into a peaceful space. She appreciated all that was offered and done for her, and her gratitude came from her heart. She was a blessing to the Mercy Community and to those with whom and to whom she ministered. We thank God for the years she was present among us. May she rest in peace.