Submitted by: Dan Rich

Sr. Helen Marie Auth

July 20, 1920 - Sept. 27, 2005

South Bend Tribune 9/28/2005

Sister Helen Marie (Helen Rose Auth), CSC, 85, was born in Washington, D.C., to the late Carl B. and Helen M. Dunn Auth. Sister is survived by her brother, George T. Auth of Forestville Md.; sisters-in-law, Katherine (Paul) of Florida and Patricia (Joseph) of Virginia; nieces, Beverly Ritchey, Helen McDonnell, Catherine Goshen, Faye Auth, Susan Glover and Carole Ann Pugliese, all of Maryland, and Christine Burr and Mary Mitchel of Vermont; nephews, George Jr., Warren, Francis, David, Gregory, Michael, Ronald and Phillip, all of Maryland, Carl of Virginia, Andre, Joseph Jr., Leslie, Richard and Gary, all of Florida, and James of Texas; and cousins, Sister Rita McQueeney, CSC, Sister Francis Rose (Ruppert), CSC, and Sister Mary Louise Wahler, CSC.

Sister Helen received her early education in the D.C. area. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1938 and attended Saint Mary's College. She then was sent to Mount Carmel School of Nursing, Columbus, Ohio, graduating in 1945 as a registered nurse. She did post-graduate work in operating room nursing at Yale School of Nursing in 1948. Sister received her bachelor of science degree from Saint Mary of the Springs in Ohio in 1952. Sister did extra college work at St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo., majoring in hospital administration, and was a member of the American College of Hospital Administrators.

Sister Helen began her ministry work as a teacher in elementary grades of the Academy of the Holy Cross, Washington, D.C., and St. Mary's Academy in Alexandria, Va. Following her training as a nurse and her work at Yale, she was a supervisor in the operating room, 1942-1960, in Columbus, Ohio. She was supervisor at Saint Mary's Convent, Notre Dame, Ind., Mount Carmel Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, and Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Springs, Md. Most of her nursing ministry was in administration at Saint Agnes Hospital, Fresno, Calif., and Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md., where she was involved in that hospital's construction.

Following her hospital experiences, Sister Helen was part of several public relations services in Mass., Catholic Relief Services in Thailand, research at Saint Mary's Convent, Notre Dame, Ind., and Kensington, Md. She did some supervision in Suitland, Md., nursing in Kensington, Md., and in 1999 became active in the Ministry of Prayer in Kensington and then, in 2001, at Saint Mary's Convent, Notre Dame.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Cross Ministry with the Poor Fund, Saint Mary's, Notre Dame, South Bend, IN 46556.

A reception and wake will be at 4 p.m. today, September 28, 2005, in Church of Our Lady of Loretto, Saint Mary's, Notre Dame, where a funeral service will be at 10 a.m. September 29, 2005. Kaniewski Funeral Home is handling arrangements.