Sister Anne (Mary Terence) Locke

(Right now I call the sky and the earth to be witnesses that I am offering you this choice. Will you choose for the LORD to make you prosperous and give you a long life? Or will he put you under a curse and kill you?)

Choose life. Be completely faithful to the LORD your God, love him, and do whatever he tells you. The LORD is the only one who can give life, and he will let you live a long time in the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30: 19-20.

“First, I wanted to be a doctor to cure the world, then a nurse to help the world,” shares Sister Anne Locke. But after much prayer she found a different way to help people, and responded to God’s call to become a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.

As young Sister Mary Terence, she served in California elementary and secondary schools in San Jose, Chico, Santa Clara and San Francisco–filling in wherever she was needed. Later, when completing her degree in chemistry and biology at College of Notre Dame, Sister Anne had her most unusual job assignment: raising lab rats!

Sister Mary Terence takes on the Harlem Globetrotters at Notre Dame High School, San Jose.

Sister Anne taught high school level science during the challenging late '60's. While at Notre Dame High School, San Jose, she also served as Dean of Students. Though the times were turbulent, life had its lighter moments, as when she had the chance to shoot hoops with the famed Harlem Globetrotters when they performed at the school.

In 1982 she entered a new phase in her life when she began working at Catholic Charities in San Jose,

Calif. While she held many positions during her 20 years there, she particularly enjoyed helping young schizophrenic adults find employment. With a can-do spirit, she started a landscaping business to employ the men and later got a contract with Hewlett-Packard Company to have her crew handle a variety of on-campus tasks. Former manager and friend Eila Latif shares, “It was a daily pleasure to serve with Sister Anne. And to this day people still ask about her!”

Sister Anne worked at Cristo Rey Sacramento High School from 2006-10. The Cristo Rey model places students in paid jobs for one day a week to gain work experience and help defray tuition costs; once again, she was helping young people find work. She remembers taking a student to a job interview in a bank: “As we waited in wing-back chairs, he smiled at me and said, ‘Sister, I never thought I’d be here with this opportunity.’” That meant the world to Sister Anne.

Today, Sister volunteers at Maryhouse, a part of Loaves and Fishes Homeless Services in Sacramento, where she works at the dispensary and hosts a knitting group. Sister Anne’s brother, Bill Locke, says, “No matter where Anne’s assignments take her, her focuses on educating children and caring for the homeless or other marginalized individuals never changed.”

Sister Anne Locke with client Donna at Maryhouse in Sacramento, CA.

At the time of her 60th Jubilee in 2019, her brother Terry (Robert) Locke, said, "Anne has been the glue holding the family together. Extended family will be in the chapel at the Jubilee Celebration–a testament to the love she gives and receives. Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Sister Anne's Ministries

Educator

Notre Dame Elementary School, Chico, CA
St Joseph Elementary School, San Jose, CA
St. Clare School, Santa Clara, CA
Notre Dame High School, San Francisco, CA
Notre Dame High School, San Jose, CA
St. Lucy Elementary School, Campbell, CA
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, Alameda, CA
Cristo Rey Sacramento High School, Sacramento, CA

Social Services

Catholic Social Services, San Jose, CA

  • Vocational Learning & Treatment Center
  • Focus for Work

Casa de Clara, San Jose Catholic Worker, San Jose, CA
Maryhouse/Loaves & Fishes, Sacramento, CA

To make a gift to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in honor of Sr. Anne, please click here. And click here to learn how Sr. Anne's brother Jack inspired the Sisters' monthly giving program.

Sister Anne Locke, SNDdeN with three of her siblings at her 60th Jubilee celebration.