The funeral Mass for Sister Mary Judith Orf, CPPS, was held April 24 in St. Joseph Chapel at the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood motherhouse in O’Fallon. Sister Mary Judith died April 20 at Mount Carmel Senior Living in O’Fallon. She was 91.
Born on Sept. 7, 1925, in Flint Hill, Sister Mary Judith was the eighth of Alphonse and Elizabeth Orf’s eleven children. She entered the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in 1944 and professed vows in 1947. She was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of her profession on June 4.
Sister Mary Judith earned degrees in dietary management from Forest Park Community College and Fontbonne College, and also spent a semester studying culinary art in France, a nod to her mother’s French heritage.
A gourmet chef, her meals were as simple as hot dogs or as exquisite as a seven-course French banquet. A St. Louis Globe Democrat article in 1978 quoted her as saying: “In this work, no matter what the age of those you are serving, you are dealing with the feelings of people. You want to do a good job. It is a witness to what Jesus did in serving people.”
Sister Mary Judith ministered as a homemaker at St. James in Crete, Neb; St. Mary’s in Quincy, Ill.; St. Henry’s in Charleston and Sacred Heart in Florissant. She served as director of food services at the CPPS O’Fallon motherhouse, at Bishop DuBourg Convent and at St. Elizabeth Academy. After retiring from food service, she volunteered with CSJ Care Ministry and St. Elizabeth Adult Day Care Center. Since 2009, her ministry has been prayer and presence in St. Joseph Community in O’Fallon.
Sister Mary Judith was an avid sports fan who faithfully followed the St. Louis Blues and Cardinals. She regularly baked cookies for the Blues. An autographed, near-life-size poster of the Blues’ star Brett Hull adorned the door of the pantry at SEA. When Brett Hull’s Restaurant and Grill opened in 1991, Sister Mary Judith was on hand alongside many celebrities. Among numerous photos of Hull, her picture also graced the wall.
She is survived by sisters-in-law Catherine Orf and Matilda Hemmer, both of O’Fallon, and numerous nieces and nephews, including Sister Ellen Orf, CPPS.
