Society of the Sacred Heart Sister Rosemary Statt died Oct. 31, 2009, at the convent of the Sacred Heart in Atherton, Calif., after a battle with cancer. She was 72.
A native of Rochester, Sister Statt graduated from the former Sacred Heart Academy in 1955 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Manhattanville College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. In 1962 she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in Albany and professed her final vows in 1969.
She taught at schools in Albany, Detroit, New York City and Manhattan, and also taught for a few months in a school in Uganda, Africa. She also spent 10 years teaching in Kenya from 1979-89.
She returned to the U.S. in 1989, obtained a master’s degree in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif., and began a career in social work. She worked for Catholic Charities in San Jose, Calif., until her final illness.
Sister Statt’s funeral liturgy was celebrated in California by her brother, Rochester diocesan priest Father Tom Statt, on Nov. 7, 2009. A memorial Mass was held on Nov. 14, 2009, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Brighton.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Society of the Sacred Heart for the benefit of the Oakwood Community, 4100 Forest Park Ave., St Louis, MO 63108.
