A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mary Joseph Clarke, D.C., was celebrated Jan. 15, 2015, at Seton Residence Chapel in Evansville, Ind. Burial followed at St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville. Sister Mary Joseph died at 96 years of age Jan. 10 at Seton Residence.
Born Feb. 1, 1918, in Indianapolis, Ind., Sister Mary Joseph (baptized Bernice Lucille) was one of 11 children born to Michael F. Clarke and Mary Elizabeth (Rikhoff) Clarke. She was a 1936 graduate of Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis. In 1976, Sister earned a Pastoral Associate Health Care certificate from the U.S. Catholic Conference in Washington, D.C.
Sister Mary Joseph entered the Daughters of Charity in December 1942 in St. Louis, Mo. She celebrated 72 years of vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in December 2014.
Sister Mary Joseph served in the business offices at Hotel Dieu in New Orleans, La. (1944); St. Joseph Health Centers and Hospital in Chicago, Ill. (1944-1948); and St. Joseph Hospital in Alton, Ill. (1948-1955). She was then missioned to be the Director of Admissions at St. Mary Hospital in Milwaukee, Wis. (1955-1958). In 1958, Sister Mary Joseph spent several months in St. Louis serving at Guardian Angel Settlement.
Sister’s longtime work with the Ladies of Charity in Chicago then began at St. Vincent Infant Hospital (1958-1966), Marillac Social Center (1966-1969) and DePaul Settlement (1970-1971). Sister Mary Joseph returned to St. Louis to study at Marillac College in 1971. She then served as Pastoral Care Associate at Allen Memorial Home in Mobile, Ala. (1972-1977), and returned to St. Joseph Health Centers and Hospital in Chicago (1977-1985). Sister spent her longest time in ministry at Providence Hospital in Mobile, where she served as receptionist (1985-1990) and secretary (1990-2004). In 2004, Sister began her Ministry of Prayer at Seton Residence in Evansville, where she served until the time of her death.
Sister Mary Joseph is survived by her brother, Francis Edward (Virginia), and her sister Patricia (Paul) DeVault; many nieces and nephews; her Sisters in Community and many friends.