A funeral Mass for Sister Maureen Kottenstette, CSJ, was celebrated June 25 at Nazareth Living Center chapel in south St. Louis County. Sister Maureen died June 13 in St. Louis. She was 87 and a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 69 years.
Sister Maureen was born on June 15, 1937, in Denver, one of six children of Frank and Maurine (Kerrigan) Kottenstette. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on Sept. 15, 1955. She took the name Sister Maureen Francis and made her final profession of vows on Aug. 6, 1963.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Fontbonne College (now University) in 1960 and a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1969.
Sister Maureen served as a teacher and administrator for several schools in Missouri: St. Elizabeth School in Kansas City (1960-62); Ste. Genevieve School in Ste. Genevieve (1964-65); St. Gregory in St. Ann (1968-69); and St. Patrick in St. Joseph (1969-70). She also taught at schools and served in parishes in Chicago, Denver, California, Washington and Oklahoma.
From 1985-2009, she served in Denver in the areas of mental health care, resource development, advocacy, housing and senior support services. She retired in 2009. In 2018, she moved to Nazareth Living Center to carry out her mission of prayer and presence.
She is survived by her siblings, Sister Mary Kay Kottenstette, CSJ, Teresa Jensen, John, Michael and Jim.
Interment will be in Resurrection Cemetery.
