A funeral Mass for Sister Loretta Sigler was celebrated March 9 in St. Joseph Chapel on the grounds of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in O’Fallon. Sister Loretta, 68, died March 3 after a battle with cancer.
Born in Bloomington, Ill., she received a bachelor’s degree in education from Illinois State University in 1971. She entered the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in 1976 and professed first vows in 1978.
Sister Loretta taught at St. Joseph School in Cottleville and then moved into service as a pastoral minister and director of religious education at three parishes in Illinois.
In 1983, Sister Loretta was missioned to Bolivia where she served at Cristo Rey Parish in LaPaz in catechesis and in ministry to the poor. She was a member of the Diocesan Catechetical Commission and adapted the manual for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) to the Bolivian culture and translated it to Spanish. That manual is still in use today.
Upon returning to the United States, Sister Loretta was appointed as directress of postulants and novices for her community. She also worked part-time as RCIA coordinator at Holy Rosary Parish in Warrenton. Following her time in formation ministry, she served as director of religious education for the South City Deanery. She then served as parish administrator at St. Mary Parish in Milan, Mo., and St. Patrick Parish in Jonesburg, Mo.
Survivors include two sisters, Mary Cable and Teresa Dickson, and four brothers, Francis, John, Anthony and Crispin Sigler.
