Sister Marie de Montfort Deken, CSJ

A prayerful, loving, kind, patient woman

Alphonse and Adelheide (Fleischmann) Deken, of St. Louis, Missouri, welcomed their daughter on September 3, 1929. She was christened Patricia Annette. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on February 11, 1951, receiving the habit and the name Sister Marie de Montfort, when she entered into the novitiate on August 15, 1951. Her bachelor’s degree in science was from Fontbonne College (1962).

Sister Marie ministered in elementary education. She taught at St. Matthew the Apostle, St. Louis (1953); Nativity of Our Lord, Chicago, Illinois (1958); St. Mary’s, Littleton, Colorado (1960); Saints John & James, Ferguson, Missouri (1962); St. Louis, Englewood, Colorado (1966), and Immaculate Conception, Montgomery City, Missouri (1969). In 1970, Sister taught at Holy Angels Indianapolis, Indiana, until December when she returned to Saints John and James in Ferguson.

S. Marie’s next ministry was at Little Flower, Mobile, Alabama (1973) followed by Holy Guardian Angels, St. Louis (1976); St. Mary on the Hill, Augusta, Georgia (1977); St. Joseph’s Home for Boys, St. Louis (1978); and St. Viator, Chicago (1979-1980).

In 1980, S. Marie returned to St. Louis where she served as an administrative staff member at St. Joseph’s Academy Convent. She moved back into education in 1986, teaching at Holy Family and then at St. Luke the Evangelist (1988). Sister’s last year of active classroom teaching was spent as a substitute teacher.

Beginning in 1991, S. Marie became involved in pastoral ministry, serving at her home parish of St. Anthony of Padua as sacristan until she went on a sabbatical (1994). Following that, she continued in pastoral ministry as a volunteer at Resurrection Parish (1995). In 1997, S. Marie worked at Winkelmann’s Drug Store as a pharmacist assistant and as an assistant to the CSJ Care coordinator until she retired in 1998. In 2001, S. Marie asked to live at St. John the Baptist Parish, spending her time in prayer—praying especially for their evangelization efforts.

Since 2014, S. Marie had been living at Nazareth Living Center, carrying out her ministry of prayer and presence.

S. Joan Kaucher shares ...

The Tuesday before Sister died at the hospital, I asked her if she was ready to meet Jesus, and she looked at me and said, ‘I met Jesus a long time ago.’ I know that this is very true since her ‘free time’ was usually spent sitting devoutly in front of the Blessed Sacrament for hours in prayer. Sister was a quiet, gentle, prayerful woman.

S. Sandra Straub comments ...

She was a teacher who liked order and doing the right thing in and out of her classroom. She strove to know, love and serve God. The mystery of God drew her and this was evident most especially in her less active life. She lived simply and called others to live simply. She was faithful to the life she chose and loyal to her family and friends and the Catholic Church.

One last comment comes from Associates Marie and Roland Martir who mention, “Several years ago, we were gifted having S. Marie de Montfort be chosen to pray for us. A favorite saying Sister shared is FROG ... Firmly Rely On God.” Marie said she continues to say that prayer to herself when she is going on duty at her ministry.

By Sister Helen Oates