Sister Linda Hayes, OP, was born in 1946 in Richmond, Mich., and baptized Mary Linda at St. Augustine Church there. She joined the Dominican Sisters of Springfield in 1964 and made her first profession of vows in 1966.
She taught students in elementary grades at St. Malachy, Rantoul,1967-1969; St. Walter, Chicago, 1969-1971; St. Mary, New Berlin, 1971-1975; Sacred Heart, San Diego, Calif., 1975-1976; St. Bernadette, Evergreen Park, 1976-1977. She was named the principal at St. Isidore, Farmersville, 1977-1980, and at St. Malachy, Rantoul, 1980-1982.
Sister Linda was always good with numbers, so when the need arose, she accepted a role serving first as the congregation’s assistant treasurer and then general treasurer 1982-2009. In 1999 she pioneered the Dominican Sisters’ office for socially responsible investing, aligning the investment portfolio with the sisters’ values.
Sister Linda continues to provide service to the congregation. She was the administrator of Sacred Heart Convent 2009-2013 and for a time served as the purchaser and as a assistant in the Office of Mission Advancement through 2024. Now she spends her days knitting and sewing, often items that she donates to charities that serve a higher purpose.
Looking back on sixty years of religious profession, she considers all of it a blessing.
“My most cherished memories are of the wonderful people with whom I worked, prayed and played,” she said. “Every assignment had its unique blessings, whether it was a group of sisters with whom I lived, the children I taught, the parishioners with whom I interacted, staff members with whom I ministered, or the many and varied opportunities I experienced during my time as congregational treasurer and director of corporate social responsibility.”
She encourages those who are discerning a religious life to keep an open ear to God. “My advice to anyone considering a vocation to religious life is to be open to wherever God may be leading you. It has been my experience that God often works in mysterious and unexpected ways. Let yourself be surprised by the Spirit.”
