Sr. Mary Janice Belen, RSM, a Sister of Mary for 73 years, died peacefully at McAuley Life Center on May 5. She was born to Louis and Amelia (Ott) Belen on Jan. 21, 1923, in Lansing, and was baptized Germaine. Her only brother later took her name, Fr. Germain Belen, OFM.

She came to know the Sisters of Mercy at Holy Cross School and later at St. Lawrence Hospital School of Nursing. She entered the Mercy community on Feb. 1, 1945, and received a new name, Sr. Mary Janice. On Aug. 16, 1950, she pronounced perpetual vows.

Sr. Belen served many years in various aspects of health care. She was a nurse, a clinical nursing supervisor, a teacher of nursing and a hospital administrator. She also worked for the Michigan State Department of Health and developed a health care consulting service.

She served on nursing units at Mercy Hospital, Bay City, and was in charge of a program to prepare new practitioners. After contracting and recovering from polio, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and became director of Mt. Carmel Mercy School of Nursing in Detroit. In 1962, she became superior, procurator and administrator of Mercy Hospital in Grayling, where she served for six years. She then served as administrator of St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing for 17 years, leading the construction of a new 200-bed hospital, establishment of an inpatient psychiatric care facility and acquisition of a 278-bed facility to house nursing home, mental health and alcoholism patients.

She served on the Lansing City Board of Water and Light for a decade, becoming the first woman chairperson in 1980. She was a member of city planning commission, state health advisory council, governor’s mental health advisory board and was the only woman to that date to have served on the board of directors of the Bank of Lansing.

In 1985, Sr. Belen took a position with the Michigan Department of Education–Special Education, developing a plan to assist school districts to become Medicaid providers for students with special needs.

A Mass of Resurrection was celebrated for Sr. Belen at McAuley Life Center in Farmington Hills on May 10. Interment is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield.