Sister Barbara Ellen Fleury

Sister Barbara Ellen Fleury was born in Marquette, Michigan. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1955 and was received into the novitiate in 1956 as Sister Marian Arthur. She received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics/theology/philosophy from Fontbonne College in 1962 and master’s degrees in mathematics/mathematical statistics from Purdue University in 1969 and in theology from St. Thomas Seminary Denver in 1983.

Sister Barbara began teaching at St. Agnes Grade School in St. Louis (1960-62); McCooey High School in Hannibal, Missouri (1962-64); Sacred Heart Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana (1964-66); St. Paul High School in Negaunee, Michigan (1966-67); and St. Joseph Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin (1967-75).

She served as a pastoral minister/religious education for the Diocese of Tulsa in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1975. She then served as a provincial house staff member in 1976 at the St. Louis Provincial House.

For the next nine years, Sister Barbara served as the director of religious education/youth minister at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Denver, Colorado. She was the adult education coordinator at Tri Parish Center in Ishpeming, Michigan, the next year.

From 1986 to 1988, she was the pastoral coordinator/campus minister at the Newman Center of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.

Sister Barbara returned to St. Louis and was a participant at Emmaus House. From 1991 to 1992, she served as a volunteer for Carondelet Community Betterment Federation (CCBF) for the St. Joseph Provincial House, a participant at the Worker Re-entry Program, and an activities aide at Nazareth Living Center. She was also a student at Fontbonne University in the teacher certification program during that time.

From 1991 to 2003, she served as a freelance math tutor, particularly at Simply Mathematics (1993) and at St. Louis Community College at Meramec (1996-2003).

She served in CSJ sister care at Nazareth Living Center from 1992 to 2002. In 1993, she also served in home care as an overnight companion.

From 1993 until 2003, she was a math lab education assistant at St. Louis Community College at Meramec’s old south county campus and a library assistant at Fontbonne University.

In 2003, Sister Barbara returned to her hometown of Marquette to care for her family. Since 2016, Sister Barbara has resided at Nazareth Living Center, carrying out her ministry of prayer and presence.

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