Wednesday, March 11, 2009

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 10 for Precious Blood Sister Rosella Hess at Salem Heights in Dayton. Sister Rosella died March 7 at the age of 94. She had been a Sister of the Precious Blood for 77 years.

A native of Dayton, she entered religious life in 1931 and received the name Sister Mary Anthonita. She spent most of her religious life as a history teacher at Precious Blood School in Dayton. She also taught at St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Ind.

Sister Rosella was president of the congregation from 1966-1972. She was active on the national and local level in the Conference of Major Superiors of Women (now the Leadership Conference of Women Religious), the National Sisters Vocation Conference and the Sister Formation Movement.

From 1972-1982 she served on the retreat team at Maria Stein Retreat House in Maria Stein.  She was a pastoral care associate at Maria Joseph Living Center from 1982 until her retirement at Salem Heights in 1987. Declining health necessitated a move to Emma Hall at Maria Joseph Center in 2002.

Interment was in Salem Heights Cemetery.