Sister Ruth Burkart

(S. Catherine Anton)

"Prayerful, kind and gentle." —S. Ann Albrecht

On March 26, 1928, Killian and Marie Schauer Burkart of New Franken, Wisconsin, welcomed their first daughter, the fifth child of their seven children. Ruth attended the local public school. By the time she reached sixth grade, there were only two non-Catholic students in the school, so the parish asked for sisters from Bay Settlement to teach in the public school. When Ruth was ready to attend the local public high, several things happened that changed her future. Parishes were asked to supplement the Catholic high school, reducing the tuition. Her dentist asked if Ruth could stay at their house and take care of their three children when they went out in the evening. So the tuition became affordable, and she didn’t need to worry about the cost of transportation to Green Bay. Ruth then attended St. Joseph Academy where she met the Sisters of St. Joseph. Ruth said, “After the first day, I was hooked. I knew that I was going to be a Sister of St. Joseph.”

On September 15, 1945, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She received the habit and the
name Sister Catherine Anton (her parents’ middle names) on March 19, 1946. Her bachelor’s degree in chemistry was from Fontbonne College (1960), and her master’s in chemistry was from the University of Notre Dame (1964).

Sister Ruth’s teaching career began in St. Louis with intermediate students at St. Roch School (1948). She
then went on to St. Joseph’s Academy (1951-52), while also teaching music at Immacolata (1951–55), and adding music at St. Luke the Evangelist in 1952. Next, she taught at St. Gregory in St. Ann, Missouri (1955), followed by St. Edward (1956) and Holy Name (1959). Then, S. Ruth was assigned to teach junior high students at St. John School in Ishpeming, Michigan (1960). In 1961, she went back to Kansas City, Missouri, where she was a teacher and assistant principal at St. Teresa’s Academy. She completed her teaching career at St. Joseph Academy in Green Bay
(1970-77).

S. Ruth was interested in a new career and studied at the Ministry Training Services, a Jesuit program in Denver, Colorado. After completing her training in spiritual direction, she ministered as a staff member at the Carondelet House of Prayer in St. Louis (1978-80) before moving to Stillwater House of Prayer in Stillwater, Minnesota (1980-83). Next, she became a spiritual director at the Ministry and Life Center of St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin (1983-94), until she returned to St. Louis where she ministered in the province's Development Office until 2002. She said:

I’ve been here at Trinity House since I moved [back] to St. Louis ... It’s a wonderful place to be. We have a wonderful community here. We really work at community ... I notice that my own health is gradually diminishing, and I think about that, and I’m becoming more comfortable with that. In fact, recently, I prepared my memorial. I just know that death will be okay now ... I was kind of afraid to think about it, but now I just trust that ... whatever you need when the time comes, you’ll have it.

Sister Bonnie Murray shares,

Ruth was my first spiritual director when she was in the House of Prayer at Carondelet ... In the last few years of her life, her favorite saying to me was, ‘I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it!’ ... I treasured her friendship and love, and will miss her earthly presence in my life.

Sister Fran Voivedich recalls how Ruth sent "thinking of you" notes to her when she was in Uganda.
Sister Virginia Ross, who took chemistry classes with S. Ruth, remembers her as “a very dedicated student, and I could always depend on her to answer any question that I may have [had].”

Sister Ruth was a community service volunteer until she moved to Nazareth Living Center in 2016.

By Sister Helen Oates