A private burial for Sister Louise (DeSales) Roseman, DC, was held April 6 at the Daughters of Charity Marillac Cemetery in Normandy. Sister Louise died April 2. She was 96 years old and a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul for 74 years.
A memorial Mass will be held at a later date, because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Born June 20, 1923, in Ozora, she was one of three girls born to Mary (Caldwell) and Frank Roseman. She was a 1942 graduate of St. Mary’s High School in St. Mary, Missouri. Sister Louise entered the Daughters of Charity from Sacred Heart Parish in Ozora in January 1946. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Fontbonne College in 1951 and a master’s in education, focusing on guidance and counseling, from Saint Louis University in 1962.
After completing initial formation, Sister Louise began her ministry in education, serving for 27 years as a teacher, counselor and principal. She served as an elementary teacher at St. Malachy School in St. Louis (1947-49) and at St. Joseph Elementary School in New Orleans (1949-55); as secondary teacher and counselor at Laboure High School in St. Louis (1955-64), and as secondary principal at Providence School in St. Louis (1964-69). While there, Sister Louise served as the local community superior. In Perryville, she served as a secondary teacher and counselor (1969-74). While there, she served as the local community superior until 1972.
In 1974, Sister Louise transitioned to a new field of ministry when she was missioned to Poteau, Oklahoma, to serve the poor and marginalized as a social worker for the Oklahoma State Welfare Department (1974-76). While there, she was the local community superior for the Immaculate Conception Residence. She next served as the provincial secretary for the Daughters’ former West Central Province, Normandy (1976-81). She returned to Poteau to serve in parish ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish (1981-83). She served next as executive director of Seton Center in Kansas City, Missouri (1983-84).
Sister Louise also served in various administrative roles for the formation team at Marillac Provincial House in Normandy (1984); Guardian Angel Settlement Association in St. Louis (1984-87 and 1989-94); and Marillac Provincialate in St. Louis (1987-89). Sister Louise served as a pastoral associate at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in St. Louis (1989-95); parish minister at Ascension-St. Paul Parish in St. Louis (1994-2001). During this time she served as local community superior for the LeGras Community of the former Marillac Provincial House (1996-99). She also was a parish visitor at Ascension-St. Paul Parish in St. Louis (2001-14) and local community superior at the Nora Residence in Bridgeton (2006-09).
In 2014, Sister Louise joined the ministry of prayer at The Sarah Community where she also served for a time as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist to the homebound through Holy Spirit Parish in Maryland Heights.
