A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Cecilia Rose, D.C., was celebrated Jan. 25, 2014, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md. Burial followed at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg.
Sister Cecilia died Jan. 17, 2014, at 88 years of age at Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg. On Dec. 5, 2013, she celebrated 69 years of vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Born in Point Marion, Penn., on April 16, 1925, Sister Cecilia was the oldest of two children born to Frederick and Yvonne (Bellette) Rose. She was baptized Elaine Cecilia.
Sister Cecilia joined the Daughters of Charity in December 1944 in Emmitsburg. Her first mission began in 1945 at St. Joseph Provincial House in Emmitsburg where she served as a member of the Formation team. In 1948, she was asked to teach at Sacred Heart School in Norfolk, Va. After one year in teaching, she returned to St. Joseph Provincial House to begin her studies in nursing. In 1949, she was missioned to Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., and continued her education at Catholic University of America where she earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 1952. From 1952 to 1961, she served at Carney Hospital in Boston, Mass., teaching at St. Catherine Labouré School of Nursing. During this time, Sister Cecilia graduated from Boston College with a master’s degree in education.
For the next several years she was the director of various schools of nursing: 1961-62 at St. Mary Hospital, Troy, N.Y.; 1962-65 at Carney Hospital, Boston; 1965-69 at St. Vincent Hospital, Bridgeport, Conn.; and 1969-72 at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Jacksonville, Fla. In 1972, she opened the Mental Health Center at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville and served as its director until 1975. In 1975, Sister Cecilia was missioned to Sacred Heart Hospital in Cumberland, Md., as the assistant administrator and then assumed the role of president.
While serving in Cumberland, she received a certificate in health services administration from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. She continued in the role of president of Sacred Heart Hospital until 1987 when she became the vice president at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. In 1996, she was missioned to Emmitsburg as the director of the Seton Shrine where she served until returning to Sacred Heart Hospital in Cumberland as coordinator of the pastoral care office (2001–2002). From 2002-2007, Sister Cecilia served at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the archives and pastoral care departments. In 2007, she moved to Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg where she served in the Ministry of Prayer until her death.
Sister Cecilia was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Sister Margery Rose, M.H.S.H. She is survived by cousins and her Sisters in Community.