Obituaries

OBITUARIES | Sister Rose Mary Bira, OP

A memorial Mass for Sister Rose Mary Bira, OP, was celebrated July 13 at St. Catherine Laboure Church in Sappington. Sister Rose Mary died on May 27 in Siena Hall at the Dominican convent in Sparkill, New York. She was 90 years old.

Rose Mary was born Feb. 6, 1934 in St. Louis, the daughter of Robert and Catharine Bree Bira. She entered the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill on Sept. 8, 1952 and received the name Sister Loretta Rose. She professed her first vows in 1954 and final vows in 1959.

Sister Rose Mary received a bachelor’s degree in education from Webster College (now University) in St. Louis in 1969 and a master’s degree in religious education from St. Thomas University in Houston in 1977.

Sister Rose Mary taught at St. Mary School in Fulton, New York (1954-58), and at Epiphany (1958-59 and 1969-73), St. Thomas More (1959-68), St. Kevin (1968-69) and St. James the Greater (1973-78) schools in St. Louis. She served as religious education coordinator/director at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in St. Charles (1978-80), and St. Joseph (1980-88), St. David (1988-90) and Don Bosco (1990-99) parishes in St. Louis.

From 1999-2004, Sister Rose Mary was a telephone marketer at Catholic Extension Society, and she served from 2004-09 an assistant librarian at Nerinx High School in Webster Groves.

Sister Rose Mary was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Catharine Bree Bira, and her siblings Loretto (Harold) Naumann and Stephen (Virginia) Bira. She is survived by her sister Catharine Diekemper, many nieces and nephews and her Dominican sisters, associates and friends.