A funeral Mass for Sister Ruth Marie Burkart, CSJ, was celebrated Jan. 10 at Nazareth Living Center Chapel. Sister Ruth died Dec. 22 at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton. She was 93 years old.
Sister Ruth was born on March 26, 1928, in New Franken, Wisconsin, to Killian and Marie C. (Schauer) Burkart. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on Sept. 15, 1945, and was received into the novitiate on March 19, 1946, as Sister Catherine Anton. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Fontbonne College (now University) in 1960 and a master’s in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1964.
Sister Ruth served in education for nearly 30 years. She began teaching in St. Louis at St. Roch School in 1948. In the 1950s, she taught at St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Gregory School, St. Edward School and Holy Name School. She also taught music and gave private lessons at Immacolata and St. Luke the Evangelist.
Outside of St. Louis, she was a junior high teacher at St. John School in Ishpeming, Michigan (1960-61); a teacher and assistant principal at St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City (1961-70); and a teacher at St. Joseph Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin (1970-77).
After completing training in spiritual direction, Sister Ruth served as a staff member at Carondelet House of Prayer in St. Louis (1978-80) and at Stillwater House of Prayer in Stillwater, Minnesota (1980-83). For the next 11 years, she was a spiritual director at Ministry and Life Center of St. Norbert Abbey in DePere, Wisconsin.
She returned to St. Louis in 1994, where she worked for her CSJ community in the St. Louis Province Development Office for eight years.
Sister Ruth retired in 2013. Since 2016, she had resided at Nazareth Living Center, where she continued to carry out her mission of prayer and presence.
Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery.
