Sister Maureen Becker age 75 of Clinton, died Thursday November 21, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center North. A Mass will be celebrated 10:00 A.M. on Monday November. 25th at The Canticle, with the Rev. Brian Miclot presiding. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 P.M. Sunday, November 24, 2013 at The Canticle, where a Rosary will be recited at 4:15 P.M. and the Scripture service at 6:30 P.M. Burial will be at St. Irenaeus Calvary Cemetery. The Pape Funeral Home is assisting her family. Online condolences may be left at www.papefh.com.
Sister Maureen Becker was born March 29, 1938, in Sublette, Illinois, the daughter of Harold and Mary Magdalena (Kelly) Becker. She was baptized Shirley Ann at St. Patrick’s Church, Maytown, Illinois, on April 17, 1938. She had a younger brother, Harold Becker, Jr. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis at Mount St. Clare Convent on September 8, 1956, and received the name Maureen at her reception June 17, 1957. She made her perpetual profession of vows on August 12, 1962.
She attended Mount St. Clare Academy, Clinton, graduating in 1956. She attended Mount St. Clare College and received a B. S. in Elementary Education from Viterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1968, an M. A. in Administration and Supervision in Elementary Education from University of Northern Iowa in 1972, and an M. A. in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois in 1986
Sister Maureen’s ministry included both education and pastoral care. She taught primary and intermediate grades at St. Gerald’s, Oak Lawn, Illinois; Holy Family, Lidderdale, Iowa; and Sacred Heart, Clinton, Iowa. She served as a principal for a total of 20 years at Sacred Heart and St. Patrick’s Schools in Clinton and at St. Paul’s School, Macomb, Illinois.
She served as Pastoral Associate at St. Joseph Parish, Rock Island, Illinois, and Associate Director of Pastoral Care at Franciscan Medical Center/Trinity Medical Center, Rock Island, Illinois. From 1997-2003, she was a chaplain at Trinity Regional Health Center, Moline, Illinois. She later served in pastoral ministry at St. Margaret’s Hospital, Spring Valley, Illinois, and as Director of Pastoral Care at Pine View Care Center, St. Charles, Illinois.
Sister Maureen was a member of the General Council for the Sisters of St. Francis from 1988-1992. A talented singer, she was a member of the Clinton Franciscan Singing Sisters who recorded the album Come Along in 1972. She also enjoyed serving as cantor for community liturgical celebrations. She retired at The Canticle in October 2011 and moved to the Alverno in March 2013.
She is survived by her brother, Harold (Junior), six nieces, one nephew, and the Sisters of St. Francis with whom she made her home for 57 years. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her sister-in-law, Mary Becker.
