Mary Pat White, RSCJ

Religious of the Sacred Heart, Mary Patricia White, passed away on October 22, 2025, in Berkeley, California. She was 83 years old and a religious for 66 years. Mary Pat, as she was known throughout her life, was born on April 19, 1942, in Saint Charles, Missouri to Lee Ignatius White and Beatrice Frances Boler White. She was one of four children, with a sister and two brothers.

Mary Pat grew up surrounded by Religious of the Sacred Heart. She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles from her earliest days, and her family had strong connections to the Society of the Sacred Heart, going back generations. Growing up, she “kept watching the nuns,” attracted by their bright minds, excellence in teaching, the joy that seemed to fill their lives, as well as their care for her and their loving presence. The decision to enter the Society happened very naturally, with Mary Pat entering at Kenwood in September of 1959, after graduating from the Academy of the Sacred Heart earlier that year. She made her first vows at Kenwood in 1962. She then went on to teach for two years; first at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, followed by Grand Coteau. After graduating from Maryville College in 1966 with a BA in English, the next year, Sister White left for probation in Rome and made her final profession on July 20, 1967. She returned to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles and taught for six years (1967-1973). She was then Principal of Oak Hill School (1973-1980). During these years, she would earn an M.A. in Education from the National College of Education in Evanston, Illinois (1974), and an M.S. in Administration from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana (1979). 

Sister White then moved on to Duchesne Academy in Houston, Texas, where she was head of the Middle School until 1983, and then to Stuart Hall in San Francisco, where she taught religion until 1986. During her time in California, she earned an M.A. in Spirituality from the Center for Creation Centered Spirituality (1987). From 1987 to 1989, Sister White joined the Newman Center, in Sacramento, California as a campus minister. She was made a co-director of campus ministry at the Newman Catholic Center in Davis, California (1989-1997). Sister White then went on to serve as associate director at the Cal Poly University Newman Catholic Center in San Luis Obispo, California (1997-2004). After a one-year sabbatical, she served as a pastoral associate at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in San Francisco (2005-2007). In 2007, she helped to launch Duchesne House for Volunteers in New Orleans, which provided a service and immersion experience for volunteers who came to help with the rebuilding of the city. Her experience with university students strengthened her lifelong commitment to social justice, her deep care for all of creation, and the protection of people on the margins.

Seventeen years of campus ministry at the university level preceded Sister White’s appointment as the vocation director for the Society in 2012. She loved working with young people, just as she had found great joy in administration of Sacred Heart elementary schools. “I was humbled to be asked to do this work with vocation ministry,” Sister White said.

“It is a sacred responsibility, introducing people to the Society of the Sacred Heart and to how we are living our charism today, as well as walking with them through a discernment process.”

Sister White’s most recent ministry was with Sophie’s Well, where she was part of a core team with Sisters Ann Jablonski and Jane O’Shaughnessy. Sophie’s Well includes a collaborative group of about 40 spiritual companions, RSCJ, former RSCJ, and Associates of the Sacred Heart, who work with the core team on retreats and training in Sacred Heart schools, at the provincial office, and internationally. As a trained spiritual director, Sister White accompanied many retreatants over the years and will be remembered for her kindness and faithful witness.

Sister White was a loved member of the Sophia House Community in Berkeley, California. Days before her death, she participated in province meetings and in a peaceful demonstration with her community. While she was living with various illnesses, she remained active. Her death was unexpected, leaving her community heartbroken.

On the morning before her death, Sister White was taken to the emergency room due to exceptionally low blood pressure. There, she was diagnosed with sepsis. Despite medical intervention, her condition worsened throughout the afternoon and evening, and her body gradually began to shut down. Sister Mary Pat White passed away shortly after midnight on October 22, 2025.

Religious of the Sacred Heart describe their lives as being “wholly contemplative and wholly apostolic.” “That sums up the desire I have for my life,” Sister White said. “Like breathing in and breathing out; you need both and you can’t separate them. For us it’s a life-long inspiration and challenge.”

A Funeral Mass for Sister White will be held on Saturday, November 15^th, at 10:00 a.m. in the Oakwood Chapel in Atherton, California. The Mass will be live-streamed and recorded, followed by burial in the Oakwood Cemetery. A light lunch will be offered in the Gathering Room at Oakwood.

Memorial contributions in memory of Sister Mary Pat White, RSCJ, may be made to the Society of the Sacred Heart, P.O. Box 958047, St. Louis, MO 63195-8047, or online at https://rscj.org/donate.