A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Clara Pedo, D.C., was celebrated April 7, 2018, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md. Burial followed at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg. Sister Clara died April 2, 2018, at Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg. She was 75 years of age and 55 years vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Born in Johnson City, N.Y., on March 2, 1943, Sister Clara (baptized Casmira Paulette) was the second of two daughters born to Paul P. and Clara (Mossakowski) Pedo.
A 1961 graduate of Seton Catholic High School in Endicott, N.Y., Sister Clara entered the Community of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul from Blessed Sacrament Parish in Johnson City in June 1962. Sister earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg in 1965, and her Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Detroit, Detroit, Mich., in 1978.
Following initial formation, Sister Clara taught at St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, Va., (1965 to 1969); St. Dominic School, Baltimore, (1969 to 1981); Mother Seton School, Emmitsburg, (1981 to 1985 and 1989 to 1990); St. Catherine Labouré School in Wheaton, Md., (1985 to 1989); Portsmouth Elementary School, Portsmouth, Va., (1990 to 1996); and St. Patrick School, Richmond, Va., (1996 to 1999; while here, Sister Clara also served as the Local Community Superior). Sister Clara next served as Mathematics Teacher and Tutor and Library Assistant at Elizabeth Seton High School, Bladensburg, Md., (1999 to 2018). Sister Clara joined the Ministry of Prayer at Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg in February 2018; she served there until the time of her death.
Sister Clara was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her sister, Loretta; nieces and nephews Theresa, James, Marie, Celeste, and Matthew; and her Sisters in Community.