A memorial Mass for Sister Barbara Ann (formerly Sister Mary Bernard) Barbato, SL, will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Nerinx Hall High School, 530 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves. Sister Barbara Ann died peacefully Aug. 7 from pancreatic cancer at her home in Shrewsbury. A longtime history professor and staff member at Webster University who was often cited as a “favorite” by students and alumni, she was 92 and in the 72nd year of her Loretto commitment.
Sister Barbara Ann was born Feb. 4, 1932, in Denver. She was one of three children of parents Jenna Mae (Julian) and Lewis Barbato. She was received into the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross on Dec. 8, 1952. Sister Barbara Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1952 at Loretto Heights College in Denver, a doctorate in European history in 1964 at Saint Louis University and a master’s in management in 1981 at Webster University. An honorary doctoral degree was conferred on her by Webster in 2015 as part of the university’s centennial celebration.
Sister Barbara Ann taught history for more than 40 years at the college founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto. She first taught fourth grade students at St. Ann Grade School in Normandy from 1955-56. In Webster Groves, she taught students typing, history and English at Nerinx Hall High School from 1958-61. In 1963, she began her college faculty ministry at Webster University, retiring in 2001, becoming professor emerita from 2003 until her death. At the university’s main campus and its locations in Geneva and on the NATO Base in Iceland, she taught courses in history, international relations, teacher preparation, social sciences and business management. Among her many other university roles, Sister Barbara Ann served as education administrator; coordinator, mentor and adviser for the graduate program in international studies; and as interim dean of students.
She was a pioneer in education in the 1960s and 1970s, designing nontraditional learning experiences for students. One of her projects had students deciding their own content for 15 hours of credit. While she and her co-faculty members only ran the project for one semester, it resulted in Sister Barbara Ann becoming the director of the Center for Individualized Studies. She was also a pioneer in assessing students’ prior learning. She directed Webster’s Center for Individualized Studies from 1972-79, and many alumni today credit this program for their success in college and post-graduation. Elsewhere, Sister Barbara Ann taught at Bishop Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama, from 1956-58 and Loretto Academy in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1967-69.
Throughout her ministry of working for peace and justice, she stood up for issues she was passionate about, including protesting at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, organizing workshops on civil rights in the 1970s and being involved in Vietnam teach-ins in St. Louis. Achieving certification, Sister Barbara Ann regularly served as a first responder and dispatcher for the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team and on an as-needed basis with Disaster Service Human Relations in Mass Care sheltering and feeding from 2003-12. She was a longtime Shrewsbury resident and member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish.
Sister Barbara Ann said she knew from the time she was in second grade that she was going to be a nun. Reflecting on her many years as a Sister of Loretto, she said, “Loretto has been a wondrous experience. I really learned from people who took time to teach me. They taught me in such a wonderful way. I was very fortunate and always felt like a spoiled child of God.”
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Lewis Barbato Jr. She is survived by her sister, Mary Catherine Johnson of Denver; dear friend, Annie Stevens; and many nieces and nephews.
Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery.
