A memorial Mass for Sister Claire Slama, CPPS, was celebrated Jan. 10 at the St. Joseph Chapel at the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood motherhouse in O’Fallon. Sister Claire died Dec. 23 at the age of 92.
Marcella Slama was born in St. Louis on Sept. 13, 1930, the 13th of 15 children to William and Veronica (Kuntz) Slama. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood on July 25, 1949, and she received the name Sister Veronica Claire, later shortened to Claire. She professed first vows on Aug. 10, 1951. Sister Claire earned a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish at Saint Louis University and a master of arts in theology at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
Sister Claire began her teaching career at Sacred Heart School in Florissant with 63 third-grade students. In Missouri, she also taught at St. Joseph in Cottleville, Immaculate Conception in Conception, St. Mary’s in Glasgow, St. Peter in Fulton, St. Anthony of Padua in High Ridge and Holy Family, Holy Innocents, St. Nicholas, St. John the Baptist and St. Monica in St. Louis. She also taught in Nebraska and at Bishop DuBourg High School in St. Louis.
After 25 years of teaching, Sister Claire worked for a time in the community’s Ecclesiastical Art Department. She then served as a pastoral minister and director of religious education in California at Santa Rosa in San Fernando, St. Ignatius in Sacramento, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Los Angeles and La Purisima in Orange. She also ministered as a pastoral associate at St. Joseph in Springfield, Missouri. Upon returning to O’Fallon, she served as a driver, and she taught Spanish to home-schooled students.
Sister Claire was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, William, Joseph, John, Anthony, Aloysius, Bernard, Charles and Vincent; and her sisters, Veronica, Rita, Delores Lain, Loretta Korte, Rosemary Belcher and Sister Anita Rose, CPPS.
Sister Claire donated her body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
