Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati / In Memoriam

In Memoriam

S. Redempta Wittberg

S. Redempta Wittberg died Feb. 2, 2010, at the age of 98 in Mother Margaret Hall. S. Redempta earned the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, in 1940. She received the master’s degree in education from Xavier University, Cincinnati, in 1964. S. Redempta entered the Congregation in 1941 and was a Sister of Charity for 68 years, serving in the dioceses of Detroit, Mich., Cincinnati, Ohio, Pueblo, Colo., and Denver, Colo.

   S. Redempta began her nursing ministry in 1943 at St. Joseph Hospital, Mount Clemens, Mich., where she served as a registered nurse in pediatrics. In 1953, she became a supervisor and instructor of pediatrics at the hospital. From 1953 until 1955, Sister served in the same capacity at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati.

   In 1955, S. Redempta joined St. Joseph Infant Home, Cincinnati, as a registered nurse as well as the director and supervisor of nurses at that facility. Nine years later, she returned to Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati to supervise and instruct nurses in pediatrics. Mount San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, Colo., called Sister to serve as the director of nursing services from 1965 until 1967. Returning to Cincinnati in 1967, S. Redempta assumed the role of director of nursing services in Mother Margaret Hall at Mount St. Joseph until 1969. At that time, Sister headed west once more to care for children as a registered nurse in pediatrics at Penrose Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo. Sister found herself back in Mount Clemens, Mich., in 1971, serving once more as a pediatric RN for the next eight years at St. Joseph Hospital.

   S. Redempta enjoyed an exciting new opportunity in 1979 when she was asked to develop a childcare center at the College of Mount St. Joseph. Sister established a nurturing place on campus for children of mothers seeking a college degree. After 10 years of caring for children at the childcare center, Sister continued to remain active. She volunteered her services at Bayley Place (doing business as Senior Care Services) just across the street from the Motherhouse. There she worked with the residents of the memory-impaired unit. With each visit, S. Redempta arrived with poems, stories, games, jokes and cartoons in successful efforts to engage the residents. Sister was active in her volunteer ministry at Bayley Place until the week of her death.

S. Mary Irenaea McGannon

S. Mary Irenaea McGannon died Jan. 20, 2010, at the age of 90 in Mother Margaret Hall at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse. S. Mary Irenaea studied business at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati for 67 years, ministering in the dioceses of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Denver, Colo.

Initially S. Mary Irenaea served as a hospital nurse aide in 1943 at Penrose Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo. From 1944 until 1946 Sister provided housekeeping services at the Julie Penrose Retreat Center, also in Colorado Springs.

   Sister moved to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Motherhouse in Mount St. Joseph, Ohio, in 1946 to work as a hospital nurse aid. From 1955 until 1970, she worked in the nutrition department at Mount St. Joseph, when the kitchen was responsible for the College of Mount St. Joseph students, the infirmary patients and the Motherhouse residents.

   S. Mary Irenaea served as Motherhouse sacristan in 1970. For the next eight years, Sister provided a variety of support services at the Motherhouse. In 1989, she retired to join the Ministry of Prayer.

S. Mary Veronica Rastocan

Mary Veronica Rastocan died Jan. 19, 2010, at the age of 92 at Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio.

A Sister of Charity for 75 years, S. Mary Veronica was a member of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity of Bedford, Ohio, from 1934 until 2004, when the Vincentian Sisters of Charity merged with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. S. Mary Veronica served the dioceses of Cleveland, Ohio, and Youngstown, Ohio, for more than seven decades as a cook and domestic.

   In an undated holiday letter from the Congregational home, Villa San Bernardo, in Bedford, Ohio, it is said S. Mary Veronica “served bishops, pastors, schools, an abbey and the staff of an entire seminary during her life as a Vincentian Sister. She cooked and served meals, cleaned and laundered enough for one hundred average households.”

   From 1958 until 1963 Sister cooked daily meals for the priests at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. She served as cook and domestic for bishops in Cleveland (1950-’52) and Lafayette, Ind., (1966-’67). S. Mary Veronica kept rectories going from Youngstown, Ohio, to Bedford, Ohio, and for 17 years served hot meals to students at Lumen Cordium High School in Bedford.

   In 1980, S. Mary Veronica ministered at St. Mary’s Rectory in Bedford until 1992 when she began serving in domestic capacities at the Villa San Bernardo. In addition to all of her duties, Sister cared for her developmentally disabled sister, Margie, until her sister’s death. In 2001, S. Mary Veronica retired to the Ministry of Prayer.

S. Helen Mary Flynn

S. Helen Mary Flynn died Nov. 25, 2009, at Mother Margaret Hall. Born Helen Honora Flynn on May 24, 1916, in Denver, Colo., S. Helen Mary earned the Bachelor of Science in education from the Athenaeum of Ohio (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1941, the Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from the College of Mount St. Joseph (Cincinnati) in 1943 and the Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati in 1947. S. Helen Mary was a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati for 75 years.

   In 1938, S. Helen Mary began teaching intermediate students at St. Anthony School in Madisonville (Cincinnati). In 1943, she transitioned to full-time student status at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati to study pharmacy. With her degree in hand in 1947, S. Helen Mary assumed head pharmacist duties at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where she served for the next seven years.

   Sister moved to Pueblo, Colo., in 1954 to minister as head pharmacist at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital until 1956. At that time, she assumed similar duties at St. Joseph Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M., where she served until 1961. S. Helen Mary returned to Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton in 1961 where she worked tirelessly as the director of pharmacy for the next 25 years.

   S. Helen Mary retired to St. Elizabeth Retirement Residence in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1986 where she served in providing transportation for other Sisters. She returned to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Motherhouse in 1995 to join the Ministry of Prayer.

S. Ann Reimund

S. Ann Reimund died Nov. 19, 2009, at the age of 60 in Mother Margaret Hall. She was born Ann Louise Reimund on June 19, 1949, in Lima, Ohio. S. Ann earned the Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, N.M., in 1972. In addition, she earned the Master of Arts degree in educational administration from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in 1982, and the Master of Science degree in psychology from New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, N.M., in 1996.

   S. Ann was a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati for 42 years and ministered exclusively in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M. S. Ann taught the primary grades at San Felipe (Old Town), Albuquerque, from 1972 until 1979 when she became elementary principal there. From 1982 until 1985, Sister taught junior high school students at St. Mary School in Albuquerque. She returned to San Felipe in 1985 as an elementary teacher.

   Sister served at Cottonwood Treatment Center in Los Lunas, N.M., from 1988 until 1991 in several capacities, including counselor. She returned to the ministry of teaching at Our Lady of the Assumption in Albuquerque for one year in 1991.

   As a licensed psychotherapist, S. Ann opened the west side office of the Samaritan Counseling Center in Rio Rancho in 1998. At that time, the Samaritan Counseling Center was the only nationally accredited interfaith, professional counseling center in New Mexico. Sister specialized in working with the issues of sexual abuse, trauma and depression in individuals of all ages. S. Ann also developed the Innerwork Psychotherapy and Counseling office, a small outpatient mental health private practice focusing on the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy, with Grand Rapids Dominican Sister Eva Silva.

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