Sister Therese St. Pierre

Sister Therese St. Pierre, formerly Sister Mary Clement, a Sister of St. Joseph for 68 years, passed away in Kansas on February 11, 2016 at age 84 at the Wichita Center of the Adorers of the Precious Blood. She was born in Lucy, LA to the late Albin J. and Leila Hymel St. Pierre. She was pre-deceased by her four brothers: Stanislaus, Wayne, Albin, Jr. and Bruce. She is survived by her niece Cindy (Mike) Summerville of Greenwell Springs, LA and her sister-in-law Dianne St. Pierre of Vacherie, LA. Sister Therese was educated in public schools in St. John the Baptist Civil Parish in Louisiana, graduated from St. Joseph Academy in New Orleans and entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in New Orleans in 1948. Sister Therese professed first vows in 1950 and perpetual vows in 1953. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 1962 with a B.S. in Elementary Education and did further study in New Orleans with the Archdiocese and at Xavier University, at St. Catherine's College in Minnesota and at the International Graduate School of Education in Colorado. Sister Therese was a devoted and beloved elementary school teacher for 51 years. From 1950 to 2006 Sister Therese taught in parochial Catholic schools in New Orleans at St. Rose, Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Pius X, Corpus Christi, and St. Alphonsus and in Harahan at St. Rita's. In Baton Rouge she taught at Sacred Heart and St. George and in 1999 received the Baton Rouge Diocesan Outstanding Elementary Teacher Award. She served from 1981 to 1987 as an adult education teacher at Hope House in the St. Thomas Project in New Orleans. She retired in 2007 in Baton Rouge and, because of failing health, moved to St. Mary's Convent in Wichita, Kansas. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on February 15th at 10:30 am at the Wichita Center of the Congregation of St. Joseph. Burial will follow immediately in the convent cemetery. A memorial mass will be held in Baton Rouge at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Dear Neighbor Ministries, Inc. at 3700 E. Lincoln St., Wichita KS 67218.