Sr. Mary Rita (Laura Kathleen Carey) Born February 27, 1926 in Cork, Alberta, died March 24, 2016 at the Victoria Hospice, Victoria, BC. Laura Kathleen was the seventh of twelve children and at about age three her family moved to BC where she attended public school. Laura Kathleen graduated from high school in Lumby, BC. She entered the Sisters of St. Ann on August 10, 1944 and pronounced her vows on August 15, 1946 in Victoria, BC.
A dedicated educator, Sr. Mary Rita taught in various Catholic elementary schools throughout British Columbia. Twenty-seven of her nearly 50 years of teaching were spent at St. James School in Vernon. For 8 of those years she also served as principal. The staff and children remember Sr. Mary Rita as the woman who loved children and who loved Jesus. While there, she also served the parish as a Eucharistic minister and teacher of Religious Education to children attending public schools.
Upon returning to Victoria, Sister resided at St. Ann’s Residence continuing to serve as she drove Sisters to appointments, assisted with seamstress skills and provided a listening ear. Sr. Mary Rita had a special devotion to Christ present in the Eucharist and she spent many hours preparing the chapel for prayer and liturgy. When the Residence closed she moved to The Cridge, continuing to be a kind and gracious presence among the residents as she has always been with her SSA community.
Sister Mary Rita is pre-deceased by: her parents Charles and Regina (Waters) Carey, brothers Tony Carey, Pat (Dorothy) Carey and Daniel (Violet) Carey; sisters Bertha (Peter) Dyck, Sr. Nora Carey, SSA, Margaret (Walter) Knight, brother in law Jim Brown.
Sister Mary Rita is survived by: Sr. Irene Carey, SSA, Florence (Nellie) Brown, Sophie (Pat) Mulholland, Lola (Harold) Major, Rita (Bob) Fairhurst, and numerous nieces and nephews along with her religious community of the Sisters of St. Ann.
The Sisters of St. Ann are very grateful for the compassionate care provided by the staff of the Victoria Hospice Society.
Prayers will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 5, 2016 at Sands Funeral Home, 1803 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC. The Mass of the Resurrection will take place at 10:30 a.m. on April 6, 2016 at Holy Cross Church, 4049 Gordon Head Road.
Interment at Hatley Memorial Gardens.