A funeral Mass for Sister Rita Louise Huebner, CSJ, was celebrated Nov. 13 at Nazareth Living Center Chapel in south St. Louis County. Sister Rita Louise died Nov. 4 at Nazareth Living Center. She was 87 years old and a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 68 years.
Sister Rita Louise, baptized Harriet Patrica, was born on March 17, 1937, in Indianapolis to parents Harry and Matilda (Gamstetter) Huebner. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1955 and was received into the novitiate in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Fontbonne College (now Fontbonne University) in St. Louis in 1960 and a master’s degree in English from Washington University in St. Louis in 1969.
In the 1960s, Sister Rita Louise taught at St. Mary Cathedral School in Peoria, Illinois; St. Pius X High School in Atlanta; Hannibal Catholic High School in Hannibal, Missouri; and Roncalli High School in Indianapolis.
She taught at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis from 1973-83, followed by three years as a teacher and librarian at St. Louis Cathedral School in St. Louis.
In the late 1980s, she was the director of applicants and associates for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province. She also taught at Corpus Christi School in Jennings for one year. In the early 1990s, she served as an office manager and reference librarian at Fontbonne College.
Sister Rita Louise dedicated the next 20 years to serving her CSJ community at both the province and congregational levels. She was the coordinator of publications and communication for the St. Louis Province from 1992-2003. After a brief sabbatical, she worked with the Community Life staff at Nazareth Living Center, assisting the sister residents. From 2005-14, she served as the archivist for the Congregational Center of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Sister Rita Louise retired in 2014 and continued to serve in volunteer ministry. In 2019, she became the part-time archivist liaison for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province. In the spring of 2024, she moved to Nazareth Living Center to carry out her ministry of prayer and presence.
Burial was in Resurrection Cemetery.
