BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Louise Wiesenforth passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, at Marian Center, Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont. She was 100.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Oct. 27, 2014, in Cardinal Gibbons Chapel at Sacred Heart Convent by Benedictine Father Christopher Kirchgessner. Interment followed at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.
Mary Ann Wiesenforth was born Dec. 17, 1913, in Troy, N.Y. She attended St. Vincent Elementary School and Catholic Central High School there. When she was 19, she professed vows as a Sister of Mercy and chose the name Mary Louise.
Sister Mary Louise graduated from Sacred Heart College and pursued graduate studies at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She devoted most of her 80 years of ministry to elementary education and administration. This ministry took her to Newton Grove and Wilmington, N.C.; Greenport, Long Island, N.Y.; New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; and Guam.
In 1946 Sister Mary Louise, along with two other sisters, established a community of the Sisters of Mercy in Guam. There they started Catholic education with the opening of Cathedral Grade School and the Academy of Our Lady of Guam in 1949. She ministered there for 19 years as a teacher and director of the formation program for postulants and novices, before returning to the U.S. in 1965 to continue teaching.
Sister Mary Louise retired to Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont in 1982. She continued to assist in the duties of the convent until her eyesight deteriorated and she moved to Marian Center. Although her ability to see was limited, she participated in arts and crafts projects and was quite creative.
Wherever Sister Mary Louise ministered, she was noted for her dedication and faithfulness to everything she undertook. She was quiet and unassuming, but ever ready to assist wherever she could.
In an interview for her 80th jubilee, Sister Mary Louise said the most memorable day of her life was Feb. 3, 1939, when she made her profession of vows as a Sister of Mercy: “The most profound moment of my life was on my profession day, when I consecrated my life to service to God and His people."
She is survived by nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont, NC 28012.