Posted July 1, 2014

Sister Rose MacDermott, 82, of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Third Order Regular of St. Francis, died of natural causes Friday, June 27 at St. Joseph Villa, Mt. Alvernia, Reading, Pa., in her 63rd year of religious life. She had resided at the villa since early this year.

Born in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, she was a daughter of the late Charles and Helen (Ravenkamp) MacDermott.

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Sister Rose entered the Bernardine Order in 1951 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from College Misericordia in Dallas, Pa.; a Master of Arts in science education from Jersey City State College in Jersey City, N.J., and a Master of Arts in religious education from Villanova University.

She served in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as an elementary and secondary school teacher, science chairperson, coordinator of the Bernardine Food Center, director of justice, peace and earthcare, a spiritual director, director of the Bernardine Center and director of adult education and volunteers in the education program at the Bernardine Center.

Sister Rose is survived by her nephews Stephen Knopf and Charles Bingham.

The funeral Mass was celebrated June 30 at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Mt. Alvernia, Reading. Interment was in the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters’ cemetery, Mt. Alvernia.