Obituary: Mary Foeckler, SCN, 93, Nazareth
Mary Foeckler, SCN, formerly Sister Paul Francis, 93, died Sunday, July 23, 2023, at Nazareth. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 67 years.
She was born Dec. 4, 1929, in Washington, D.C. She was one one of six children born to Elizabeth and Francis Henry Foeckler. She had a love of sports, especially basketball, and attended schools that had prominent basketball and other sports programs.
She first learned about religious vocation during her junior and senior years at Sacred Heart Academy under the guidance of Sister Marie Walter and later the Rev. Paul Repetti. She also had the opportunity to be a counselor at Camp Maria and was impressed by the prayer life, joy of spirit and close-knit hospitality of the Sisters.
At the age of 23, she responded to her calling and entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. On her entrance day, she was remembered to have said, “This is the happiest day of my life!” In 1959, she made her perpetual vows at Nazareth.
Throughout her life, she exemplified a deep love for learning and teaching. She pursued her academic endeavors with passion and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in English from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She later attained a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Spalding College in Louisville.
Her ministry in education took her to various schools in Kentucky, where she touched the lives of countless students. She especially emphasized the importance of fostering school sports activities among youth.
She began her journey as a secondary education teacher at Sacred Heart Academy in Helena, Ark., in 1956. Her teaching journey continued, and she took up positions at schools such as St. Cecilia School in Louisville, where she served as principal, Owensboro Catholic High School in Owensboro, St. Mary High School in Paducah, and St. Gregory School in Samuels.
In 1980, she began serving her community in a new way as Secretary General for the Congregation under the leadership of Sister Dorothy MacDougall.
Later on, her focus in ministry shifted toward pastoral ministry as she began at Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown. From 1991-2007, she served as coordinator of the Outreach Program at the hospital. Her job involved assisting underserved populations in the Nelson County area, and she gained the nickname “Mother Teresa of Nelson County.”
She also served as a dedicated volunteer for Federal Hill Nursing Home in Bardstown.
After her fruitful years of service, she retired to the Nazareth Motherhouse Campus in 2007. Even in her retirement, she continued to inspire and care for those around her and aways expressed thanks for the smallest gestures.
She considered her involvement in the mission and ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth a privilege and joy. “I have been honored to care for the poor, to supply their needs, to provide spiritual and intellectual growth for my students,” she shared in an interview in 2011. “I am thankful for my own personal, spiritual, and psychological growth. I have bonded with so many of my Sisters. I am totally grateful to God for everything; God has taken good care of me in every way!”
She is survived by one sister, Margaret Murphy of Cheverly, Md.; one brother, Eugene P Foeckler of Silver Spring, Md.; her extended family; and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
The Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 31, 2023, at St. Vincent de Paul Church at Nazareth with burial in the Nazareth Cemetery.
The wake is 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 30, 2023, at the church.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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