Sr. Mary Rost SSND: 60 years teaching, fostering community
“Go talk to your mother about it.”
That was Sister Mary Rost’s father’s first reaction to her wanting to enter religious life.
“So, I talked to her,” said Sr. Mary. “She had lots of questions. She went and talked to the sisters at my grade school and asked them about a lot of things.
“Then she came home and helped me do all the things I needed to do to prepare for the convent,” Sr. Mary recalled.
So began the first 60 years of Sr. Mary’s time as a School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND).
She will celebrate her jubilee with the people of Immaculate Conception Parish in Brookfield this weekend and with her fellow sisters in August.
She has spent the past 18 years in this diocese — first as a pastoral administrator at St. Anthony Parish in Rosati, seven years in that same role at St. Michael Parish in Russellville, and for the past 18 years and counting as pastoral associate in Brookfield.
“Every place I go feels like home,” she said. “I always grow to love the place and the people and the work I do.”
Sr. Mary grew up in a hard-working, devout Catholic family.
Her parents were proud of her and wanted her to succeed in answering God’s call. But, coming from Poplar Bluff in Southeastern Missouri, where Catholics were a distinct minority, “I don’t think they really understood what it meant to be a sister,” she said.
She admired her teachers at Sacred Heart School in Poplar Bluff, who were all SSNDS.
She was especially close to Sister Anatole, who taught her for three years.
That got her thinking about being a teacher.
When her younger brother got hit by a truck, causing serious injuries, the sisters came to the hospital.
“They sat with us and prayed with us and tried to keep us calm,” Sr. Mary recalled.
That care and concern got young Mary thinking about becoming a sister.
“I was so impressed with their kindness,” she said. “They had a wonderful sense of community and were always very kind.”
With her parents’ blessing, she went to Notre Dame High School in St. Louis on the grounds of the SSND Motherhouse.
After graduating, she entered the congregation as a postulant — a woman who was seriously considering religious life — in 1964.
Her parents would travel up to spend time with her on designated visiting days.
“I remember my Dad telling me how proud he was of me, but if I chose to leave (the convent), he’d be okay with that,” she said.
That unconditional reassurance meant a lot to Sr. Mary, although she never thought about leaving.
She received the religious name Sister Loretta Maureen, after one of her favorite aunts.
She began wearing the long black habit of a postulant with a softer veil than the professed sisters wore.
“It was special being able to wear that,” she recalled.
She moved on to the SSND novitiate, learning more about what religious life means and growing deeper in her relationship with God.
She discovered a lot about herself.
“Mainly that I care about people,” she said. “And that community is important and worth working for, and that a relationship with God is primary.”
She made her first vows of chastity, communal ownership of goods, and holy obedience in 1966.
She professed vows, making them permanent, in 1971.
She doesn’t remember much about her profession day except that she was very happy.
Shortly thereafter, she received a package from her family: a simple ring for her to wear as a symbol of her vows.
Born to teach
Most SSNDs when Sr. Mary entered were Catholic-school teachers.
So it would be for her, beginning at St. Raphael School in St. Louis.
“I loved it,” she said. “I taught first grade for many years. It’s exciting to watch the kids actually grasp something. And they’re excited about learning.”
From there, she went to teach at St. Francis Borgia School in Washington.
She then taught at St. Francis DeSales School in St. Louis.
One of the sisters in the SSND community there was close to 100 years old.
Sr. Mary wanted to be like her.
“There was something very gentle and sincere about her,” Sr. Mary recalled. “She was kind and never had a bad word about anything.”
Having completed a degree in American Studies from the former Notre Dame College at the SSND Motherhouse, she took classes in library science also started working on a master’s degree in reading.
She taught remedial reading to several students, including a boy named Kyle.
“He lacked confidence, and I think I encouraged him enough that he really blossomed and learned to read,” she recalled.
After she had moved on to another assignment, he got the lead role in the eighth-grade play.
He asked his Mom to call Sr. Mary and invite her to the play.
“That was very exciting,” she said.
Love gives everything
Sr. Mary draws strength to carry out her duties through prayer and the Sacraments.
God further fortifies her through the prayerful and material support of her fellow sisters throughout the world.
The SSNDs are an international religious congregation founded in 1833 in Germany. They now serve in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, with leadership headquartered in Rome.
Named for the Blessed Mother (“Our Lady”) they established a strong presence in the United States during waves of immigration in the late 19th century and have been influential in the Church here ever since.
Branching out
After 11 years at St. Francis DeSales, Sr. Mary accepted an unusual position at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Belleville, Illinois.
She would teach an array of subjects to students of all ages, in addition to filling in for other teachers, directing the parish religious education program, preparing for school Masses and editing the alumni newsletter.
She joined parish committees and took on additional roles in the parish. She learned much from the pastor.
“He was always involved in the activity of the parish,” she recalled. “He went to all the committee meetings and was always very friendly and encouraging to people.”
Sr. Mary served there for 22 years.
In 2008, Sister Kathleen Wegman SSND, who was at that time chancellor of the Jefferson City diocese, invited her to apply for the position of pastoral administrator in Rosati.
“In that role, I knew I wanted to be like my pastor in Belleville,” she said. “I wanted to be involved in everything. Not telling people what they had to do, but listening to their ideas.”
Communal witness
Sr. Mary loved her three years in Rosati.
“It’s a small place, and the people are great,” she said. “Very caring, very supportive.”
One night, she had a dream that she was serving in the same role at St. Michael Parish in Russellville.
“I have no clue why I had that dream, but I did wind up going there,” she said.
She found it to be a larger community with active parishioners.
“They were great to work with,” she said.
She joined the Tuesday quilting circle and still enjoys quilting.
Seven years later, Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who led this diocese from 2018-2025, asked her to consider taking up a similar role in Brookfield.
“I remember telling him that I didn’t want to move, but I had no good reason to say no,” she said.
Sr. Mary continued her ministry and bonded with the Brookfield parishioners and the people of the larger community.
Her array of activities includes taking Holy Communion to people who are homebound, leading people through the process of being initiated into the Church, helping people apply for annulments, and getting as involved with everything as she can.
“One thing I’ve learned is that people want to be recognized for who they are and what they do,” she said. “Also, there are a lot of people who try to live their faith and put their faith into action,” she said.
Grateful servant
In her free time, Sr. Mary enjoys quilting, knitting, working word-find puzzles, and assembling jigsaw puzzles.
She loves being an SSND.
“I’m fond of history of our congregation,” she said. “I feel the support of the sisters past and present. I like our group of sisters in this diocese. I like our emphasis on liturgy and on community and on teaching.”
She’s grateful for all the people God has sent into her path.
“And for all the places I’ve been — each one different but each one great,” she said. “I’m grateful for being an SSND, and for being able to work in Church ministry.”
For her jubilee, she asks people to join her in thanking God for all of the graces she’s received through the years.
If she could go back six decades and tell her newly professed self one thing, it would likely be: “Things will change for you, just as they change for everybody.
“Be sure to depend on your relationship with God and the support of your SSND community and your parish community.”
