Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister of Saint Francis Marie Celine Wilhelm was celebrated on July 24 at her congregation’s motherhouse in Oldenburg, Ind. Sister Marie Celine, 93, died on July 21 at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville.

A native of Brookville, Ind., Sister Marie Celine entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community in 1932 and professed her final vows in 1938. Her ministry in elementary education spanned a period of 55 years, from 1935 to 1990. Sister Marie Celine served as a teacher and principal at St. Leo and Sacred Heart schools, both in the Cincinnati area; St. Mary in Middletown; Sacred Heart in Fairfield; St. Peter in Chains in Hamilton; and St. Louis in Owensville.

Sister Marie Celine entered semi-retirement in 1990 at the Oldenburg motherhouse, where she worked in the community’s communication office. In her later years she resided at St. Clare Hall, the health care facility for the Franciscan community.

Interment was in the motherhouse cemetery.