Sister Mary Clarita Sternitzke

“I chose you. And I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will remain, so that the Father may give you whatever you ask him in my name.”
John 15:16

Sister Mary Clarita Sternitzke, 95, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL) for 76 years, died on January 26, 2025. The youngest of the four children of Frank and Helen (née Eckhoff) Sternitzke, she was born December 27, 1929, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The family moved to Parsons, Kansas, when she was 10. She graduated from Parsons Junior College at the age of 18 and attended Saint Mary College in Leavenworth for one semester before entering religious life on February 11, 1948. Originally named Mary Margaret, after her two grandmothers, she took the name Sister Mary Clarita when she received her habit on August 15, 1948.

Sister Mary Clarita earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in elementary administration, both from Saint Mary College. Over the years, she served as a classroom teacher, principal, and religious educator in Catholic schools and parishes in the greater Kansas City area, Chicago, Denver, Leadville, and Topeka. During her 26 years in Leadville, Colorado, she served nine years at St. Mary School and 17 in religious education and pastoral ministry at Annunciation and St. Joseph’s parishes. At the parishes, she and her long-time friend, Sister J. Vianney Martinez, also a Sister of Charity, were involved in every aspect of parish life, from parish council to sacramental preparation to the training of catechists.

In 1990, Sister changed ministries and began working in Denver with Archdiocesan Housing. For 15 years, she served as the administrator for the archdiocesan program. She ministered to low-income families from 20 countries who lived in over 90 housing units across three properties owned by the Archdiocese. She officially retired from the housing ministry in 2005 but soon began volunteering as a pastoral minister at All Saints Parish in Denver and remained at All Saints until she returned to the Mother House in Leavenworth in 2023.

Sister Mary Clarita loved music and was gifted with a lovely singing voice, which she used to praise God and lead others to prayerful and joyful song. Throughout her school ministry, she directed children’s choirs and school programs. In her parish ministry, Sister often sang with or led the adult choirs. Over the years, many invited Sister Clarita to sing at weddings, funerals, and special gatherings and events.

Sister Mary Clarita viewed life as a gift and saw God in the people, places, and events of her life. Her loving heart and open-minded nature endeared people of all ages, and her beautiful soul drew many closer to God. She was kind, gracious, joy-filled, and wise, with a quick wit and a wonderful sense of humor. Many enjoyed simply being in her presence, saying she made them feel special and loved.

Sister Mary Clarita had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and prayed the rosary daily. She felt blessed to have made pilgrimages to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and to the village of Medjugorje in Yugoslavia. Having grown up on the plains of Kansas, she also enjoyed the beauty of Ouray, the Maroon Bells, and time spent in any of the mountains of Colorado. Cooking breakfast on the mountainside in the early morning filled her heart with gratitude and awe.

Sister Mary Clarita was preceded in death by her parents, brothers James and Robert, sister Helen Elizabeth “Betty” Bryant, and cousin, Sister Mary Denise Sternitzke, SCL. She is survived by many nieces, nephews; grand-nieces and -nephews; her dearest friend, Sister J. Vianney Martinez, SCL; and the SCL Community.

There will be a vigil service at 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 11, 2025, in Ross Chapel, SCL Mother House, Leavenworth. Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated in Ross Chapel at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Interment follows in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Mother House grounds. Memorial contributions can be made to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, KS 66048.