Father Angelo Caserta
A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Angelo Caserta was celebrated May 21 at St. Boniface Church in Piqua. Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr presided. Father Caserta, 100, died May 12. He was the oldest surviving priest in the archdiocese.

A native of Piqua, Father Caserta attended Piqua Catholic Schools and graduated from Piqua Catholic High School in May of 1936. Upon graduation, he entered St. Gregory Seminary and was ordained from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary on Feb. 24, 1945. His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Bridgetown, during which time he also served on the faculty at Elder High School. He was sent to Rome, where he received his doctorate in sacred theology from the Angelicum, and pursued other graduate studies at Xavier University where he received a master’s degree in education. He served as academic dean and vice-rector at St. Gregory Seminary, and later as treasurer and dean of student affairs at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.

On June 9, 1970, he became pastor of St. Lawrence Church and School in Cincinnati, where he served 14 years. Father Caserta was then assigned to serve as pastor of his beloved home parish of St. Boniface Church and School, Aug. 7, 1984, retiring Aug. 8, 1993, after nine years. He had continued to assist with pastoral duties at St. Boniface and St. Mary’s parishes since his retirement.

He is survived by a sister, Amelia Gillis, and two brothers, Father Charles Caserta and William Caserta. Interment was in Forest Hills Cemetery in Piqua.

Father Cyprian Berens
A Mass of Christian Burial for Franciscan Father Cyprian Berens was celebrated May 17 at St. Paul’s Archbishop Leibold Home. Father Berens, 95, died May 13, after 76 years as a Franciscan friar.

A Cincinnati native, Father Berens attended high school at Purcell, Roger Bacon and St. Francis Seminary and continued his education at Duns Scotus College in Southfield, Mich. After ordination in 1951, Father Berens was assistant pastor at parishes in Blooming-ton, Streator and Peoria, Ill. In 1957, he was called to Rome as assistant treasurer and secretary at the friars’ General Curia.

Returning to the United States in 1960, he then served as novice master at St. Anthony in Mt. Airy, and worked with brothers in formation at Duns Scotus. Again assigned to Rome, he was general treasurer at the Curia from 1963-1967. From there Father Berens was director of the printery at St. Bonaventure College in Florence, Italy, treasurer and teacher at St. Leonard College in Dayton, and director of communications for St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati. He returned to Rome once more in 1986 as a confessor for the Basilica of St. John Lateran. His last parish assignment, as pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, took him to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from 1992-2001. He moved to the Leibold Home in 2003, serving the community as chaplain until he retired in 2012.

Interment was in St. Mary Cemetery in St Bernard.

Sister Janet Gildea
A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Janet Gildea was celebrated May 10 at the motherhouse chapel. Sister Janet, 62, died April 4. She was a Sister of Charity for 36 years.

A native of Ft. Wayne, Sister Janet earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 1978, and graduated from Indiana University’s School of Medicine in 1982. Sister Janet’s ministries included 35 years of medical service to the poor in Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas and a colonia in Anapra, Mexico. She began her family practice residency in 1982 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Covington, Ky.

She joined the Sisters of Charity Vocation Team, and in 2007, she was instrumental in the development of a vocation video to expand outreach. She gave much of her energy to encouraging vocations, serving as director of initial formation for her congregation. She also served as the El Paso diocesan liaison for women religious.

Sister Janet is survived by her father, Eugene “Bud” Gildea, her brothers, Steve and John, and sisters, Jane Gildea, Ellen Douglas and Ann Van Fleteren. Interment was in the Sisters of of Charity Cemetery.

Sister Raphael (Rosemary) Grueter
A Memorial Mass for Ursuline Sister Raphael Grueter was celebrated April 27 at Sacred Heart Chapel in St. Martin. Sister Raphael, 92, died April 12. She was a member of the Ursulines of Brown County for 75 years.

Sister Raphael’s primary ministry was as the nurse for her community, as well as the students at the School of the Brown County Ursulines, where she also taught biology. She served in congregational leadership and was maintenance director for Ursuline Center for many years.

She is survived by her brother, Gerald Grueter. Sister Raphael donated her body to science.

Sister Louanna Orth
A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Louanna Orth Charity Cemetery. was celebrated April 17 in St. Julie Chapel at the Mount Notre Dame convent in Cincinnati. Sister Louanna, 91, died April 13. She was in her 71st year of religious life.

A native of Chicago, Sister Louanna attended Notre Dame High School for Girls, where she was educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She entered religious life at Mount Notre Dame and taught for 42 years in elementary and high schools in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Chicago. Her love of history and her interest in St. Julie, as well as the beginnings of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, prepared her to serve as the archivist for her congregation for the next 20 years. After health issues made it necessary for her to retire in 2013, Sister Louanna began her ministry of prayer and continued to work as a freelance archivist.

Sister Louanna is survived by her brother, Leroy. Interment was in the convent cemetery.

Sister Bernice Krieg
A Memorial Mass for Precious Blood Sister Bernice Krieg was celebrated May 8 at the Salem Heights Chapel in Dayton. Sister Bernice died at the Maria Joseph Center on May 5. She had been a Sister of the Precious Blood for 85 years.

A native of Fort Recovery, Sister Bernice was an educator for 43 years, having taught in elementary schools and high schools in Ohio at Columbus Grove, Miamisburg, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Celina, Maria Stein, Wapakoneta, Russia and the Dayton area. She also taught in Fort Wayne, Ind. In 1983, she retired and volunteered as postmistress for 13 years at the Maria-Joseph Center, and later did volunteer services at Precious Blood Parish.