Sister M. Lizette Bathe, a Sister of Mercy of the Americas for 70 years, died Dec. 12 at Catherine’s Residence community, the retirement center for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, in Frontenac. She was 101 years old.
Mary Jane Bathe was born on Jan. 4, 1919. She was the daughter of Harry Charles Bathe and Lizette Bamert Bathe.
On Sept. 8, 1950, Mary Jane Bathe entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy and received the name Sister Mary Lizette. She professed her first vows in 1953, and her perpetual vow profession was held Aug. 16, 1956.
Sister Mary Lizette completed her high school studies at St. Mark High School in St. Louis and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Saint Louis University in 1955. She also earned a master’s degree in secondary education from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 1966.
Sister Lizette taught at Mercy High School from 1955 to 1968 and then served as principal from 1968 to 1973. In addition, she ministered as an educator at St. Joseph High School in Greenville, Mississippi, and at Sacred Heart in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In addition to education, Sister Lizette’s ministries included the positions of provincial secretary to the Sisters of Mercy, the sponsorship coordinator for Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, and assistant archivist for the Sisters of Mercy in St. Louis. Her volunteer ministries included Birthright Counseling of St. Louis and St. Augustine’s Wellston Center in St. Louis. She also chaired the Donation Committee at Catherine’s Residence.
A memorial Mass will be held for Sister Mary Lizette at a later date. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery.
