Sister Rosalie Marie Weller celebrates her 100th birthday

Sister Rosalie Marie Weller, a native of Earl Park, Ind,. a community south of Kentland in Benton County, celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Sister Rosalie Marie entered the Sisters of Providence July 15, 1934, from St. Peter Parish in Fort Wayne. She professed perpetual vows Jan. 23, 1942. She was born Rose Henrietta, a daughter William Weller and Matilda Gick Weller.

She began her years in ministry as an Infirmary cook at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She also was a cook at Immaculata School in Washington, D.C.; Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago; Priests’ House at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods; Marywood School in Evanston, Ill.; Marywood School in Anaheim, Calif.; Providence Convent in Chicago; Central Catholic High School in Fort Wayne; and Guerin College Preparatory School in River Grove, Ill. She worked in food service positions for more than 38 years.

She says her favorite food is corn. Her “specialty” as a cook was pies, particularly apple pie, which she continued to bake until about a year ago.
She also served in parish ministry and as a minister to senior citizens at St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Wayne, and in parish services and a parish visitor at St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis. She was a member of the Residential Services staff at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She retired to the motherhouse grounds in 1991 at age 80.

Her biological sister, Sister Marcellita, will celebrate her 90th birthday on Nov. 10. She recently celebrated her 70th year as a Franciscan Sister of the Sacred Heart. She spent most of her years at Mundelein hospital in Chicago. They had 12 other brothers and sisters. Sister Rosalie Marie was known to be a gourmet cook and also did craft work as a hobby. She took up the art of painting after her retirement.