Community Mourns Loss of "Mother of Refugees," Sr. Pat Scherer

by Diocese of Des Moines | April 7, 2026

It is with reverent sadness that we announce that Sister Mary Patricia Scherer, 92, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2026, at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sr. Pat, as she is known in the community, will be remembered for her tireless work for the refugee communities in Des Moines, who she dedicated her life to serving, as many called her the “Mother of Refugees.” 

Born March 28, 1933, and raised in Aurora, Illinois, Sr. Pat graduated from Madonna All Girls Catholic High School, graduated from St. Mary’s College Notre Dame with her Bachelor’s, and De Paul University with her Master’s. Sr. Pat entered the Springfield Dominican Order in 1951. Seeking a community more aligned with the teachings of Vatican II, she and four other sisters left their order for Des Moines in June 1972. Sr. Pat found a home after the Des Moines Diocesan Bishop, Maurice John Dingman, welcomed the five sisters, naming them “Sisters of the Christian Ministry.”

From 1972-1978, Sr. Pat taught junior and senior religion at Dowling High School. She then received a mission from Bishop Dingman, who asked her to take over the refugee program for the Des Moines Diocese. From 1978-2013, first the Catholic Charities offices and then the offices in St. Ambrose Cathedral, Sr. Pat led the program, which served refugees by helping them find food, housing, and community within the Des Moines Diocese.

Sr. Sandy Rodemyer, who taught with Sr. Pat at Dowling High School, said Sr. Pat’s connection to the students and work with the refugee program served as a bridge between cultures. For that reason, Sr. Rodemyer welcomed Sr. Pat into her classroom regularly to speak to the students and answer their questions.   

“It was so important to have Sr. Pat there as a resource so that the students could understand what was happening in the community,” Sr. Rodemyer said. “I learned so much from Sr. Pat, and the students did too.”

Sr. Rodemyer also said that Sr. Pat invited her to encounter the communities personally. One day, Sr. Pat asked Sr. Rodemyer to accompany her to the airport to meet an incoming group of El Salvadorian refugees. Sr. Rodemyer agreed and greeted them at the airport, which began a lifelong relationship between Sr. Rodemyer and the El Salvadorian community in the Des Moines area. 

“This really is walking with the poor,’ I thought,” Sr. Rodemyer said. “I would never have done that without Sr. Pat. I did it because she asked me.”

Sr. Pat’s friend of 35 years and co-worker at St. Ambrose Cathedral, Dorothy Miller, said that this kind of tireless dedication to and advocacy for the refugees in the Diocese of Des Moines is what lead to Sr. Pat becoming known as the “Mother to Refugees.”

“Sr. Pat met many of the refugees as they arrived at the Des Moines Airport, welcoming them with handshakes and hugs and of course prayer,” Miller said. “She would continue to find them housing, food and a place to worship and sponsor people to assist them in their resettlement.” 

Communities Sr. Pat served included the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong, El Salvadorean, Lao, South Sudanese, Sira Lankan, Eritrean, Iraqi, and Myanmar peoples.

“Her work meant life to them as they sought life in a new land free from war,” Miller said. “She would travel the diocese taking some refugees with her to tell their stories and share prayer and music with those gathered.”

Sr. Pat retired in 2015, and moved to the Bishop Drumm Retirement Center in 2023, though she remained active in the communities she served.

Her visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2026, at St. Ambrose Cathedral, 607 High Street in Des Moines, followed by a closing Prayer Service at 7:30 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for her at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, at St. Ambrose Cathedral, followed by burial at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.

Contributions may be sent to St. Ambrose Cathedral Refugee Ministry, St. Ambrose Cathedral – Holy Family Tuition Fund, or Dowling Catholic High School Tuition Fund. Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.