Sister Helen Ryan, CSJ
August 18, 1936 - January 30, 2023
Hard worker, practical, sense of humor
Hard worker, practical, sense of humor August 18, 1936. Eventually, their family included two sons and another daughter. Margaret grew up in Blessed Sacrament Parish and graduated from Xavier High. She met the Sisters of St. Joseph at Fontbonne College. “What I liked about them was their friendliness, their willingness to come into the lounge and play cards and talk to the girls,” said Sister Helen. “You just felt right at home with them.”
Following her junior year of college in 1957, Margaret entered religious life. She received
the habit and the name Sister Helen Vincent in 1958. She loved the community and felt that it didn’t seem equipped to handle people who’d been in college. For her, the postulate, novitiate and juniorate “seemed to be an adolescent experience.”
S. Helen’s first assignment was teaching elementary classes at St. Luke in Richmond Heights, Missouri, in 1960. Two years later, she taught junior high at St. Francis de Sales in Denver, Colorado. She also earned her bachelor's degree in English from Fontbonne that year. Her next ministry was at Valle High in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri (1963). Returning to St. Louis, she taught in the boys’ school at St. Anthony High (1966). While there, she completed a master’s degree
in English for secondary schools at St. Louis University. In 1975, she was assistant principal at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Florissant, a school of 1,700 students. Sister Winifred Adelsberger, the principal, became a lifelong friend. S. Helen earned a master’s in administration for secondary education in 1976. She was then assistant principal at John F. Kennedy High in Manchester, Missouri, in 1983, becoming the associate principal in 1989.
In 1995, S. Helen returned to the classroom as a religion teacher at Chaminade College Prep in St. Louis, eventually becoming head of the department. She also enjoyed her time on the boards of St. Joseph’s Academy (SJA) and Fontbonne University. She loved reading, sports, gardening and travel. She and S. Winifred had the opportunity to travel to several countries in Europe and the British Isles.
Retiring in 2009, she spent her time as a volunteer. In 2012, she became a part-time volunteer at SJA in the Advancement Office. She moved to Nazareth Living Center in 2019.
Sister Sally Harper shares, “If I think of a word to describe Helen, it is ‘delightful.’ She had a great laugh and what I would call a droll sense of humor.”
Jane Garvin, a teacher at SJA who moderated Angel Outreach that provided and served food for those who were served at Sts. Peter and Paul Soup Kitchen and at the homeless shelter, remembers:
S. Helen and her wonderful buddy, S. Winnie, made pies for every time we went. Those pies were such a highlight of the meals, and the men loved them! … Both S. Helen and S. Winnie served as such role models to me and so many others — hearts of gold and humor to share with all of us!”
By Sister Helen Oates