Benedictine Sister Mary Frances (Ellen Marie) Schermerhorn, 91, died July 6.

Born in Chicago, she belonged to St. Timothy Parish and St. Francis Xavier Parish, Wilmette, before graduating from St. Scholastica High School in 1948. After one year at St. Teresa’s College in Winona, Minnesota, she entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1949. She professed first vows in 1951 and perpetual vows in 1954.

Sister Mary Frances taught in schools in the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado and in the Archdiocese of Chicago including Queen of All Saints; Mother of God, Waukegan; St. Hilary; St. Lambert, Skokie; and St. Scholastica High School. She was principal of St. John Nepomucene and St. Lambert, Skokie.

She supervised the food service at St. Scholastica Monastery and was treasurer and business manager for St. Scholastica monastery and high school. She had served as teacher and finance officer of the British Infant School, Skokie, since the 1990s.

Deacon Donald J. Wehling, 86, died June 25. He was ordained in 1987 and served at St. Hilary and then St. Padre Pio Parish.

He also served as a hospital chaplain at Holy Family Health Center, Holy Family Hospital, Condell Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital, and chaplain for the St. Jude Society. He was also a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Maryl; his children Virginia Stangeland, Lynne Wehling-Fester, Donna Pannke, Andrew Wehling, Barbara Lowery and Stephen Wehling; 16 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and his sister, Patricia Medley.

Adrian Dominican Sister Maureen (Marie Timothy) Fay, 87, died May 27 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Chicago, she graduated from Visitation High School. She was in the 68th year of her religious life.

She ministered elementary, secondary and college education in Illinois and Michigan.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was director of evaluations at DePaul University (1974-1975) and dean of continuing education (1975-1979) and dean of graduate studies (1979-1983) at Saint Xavier College.

Precious Blood Father Robert Schreiter, 73, a member of the faculty of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago since 1974, died June 1 at his home in Chicago.

“The CTU community grieves profoundly the loss of our longtime colleague,” said Dominican Sister Barbara Reid, president of CTU. “His outstanding contributions are too numerous to list. His work on reconciliation, in particular, was unparalleled, both in his international accompaniment of church leaders in peace building and in teaching standing-room-only crowds of students every year.”

During his years at Catholic Theological Union, he spent nine years as vice president and academic dean (1977-1986) and was instrumental in founding its doctor of ministry program, Reid said. He was also the founding director of CTU’s Bernardin Center, which focuses on reconciliation and peacemaking, interreligious dialogue, leadership development for the Catholic Church, the consistent ethic of life and the search for common ground in the church and the world.

Born in Nebraska, he entered the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 1961. He earned his doctorate in theology from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands  and was ordained a priest in 1975.

Immediately after his ordination, he joined the faculty at Catholic Theological Union. He remained on the faculty until May of this year, when he retired and was named professor emeritus.

Father Schreiter also was active in the leadership of his religious congregation, serving on its senate, as its vice provincial director and on the general council of the worldwide congregation. He also served as formation director, guiding candidates toward ordination as a priest or profession as a religious brother.

He is survived by two sisters, Mary Liesemeyer and Jean Taylor, and three brothers, Thomas, James and John Schreiter.

Divine Word Missionary Father Lawrence Nemer, 88, an early instructor at Catholic Theological Union, died June 9 in Australia.

A missionary in Australia for 25 years, Father Nemer was lector emeritus at Yarra Theological Union in Box Hill, Melbourne, Australia.

Born in Chicago, he entered the Society of the Divine Word high school seminary at East Troy, Wisconsin. He professed religious vows in 1952 and was ordained in 1960.

Father Nemer began his teaching career as a seminarian, teaching English literature at the Brother Candidates’ High School at Techny, Illinois, in 1958. After earning a licentiate in missiology at the Gregorian University in Rome in 1962, he returned to Techny and taught missiology, church history and liturgy at Divine Word Seminary.

In 1970, Father Nemer became a leader in transitioning students from St. Mary’s Seminary at Techny to CTU. For the next two decades, he taught church history at CTU and was named a full professor in 1985.

In 1991, he became a lecturer in church history and mission studies at Yarra Theological Union. Apart from six years as president of the Missionary Institute London in England, he devoted the rest of his career to Yarra Theological Union.

During the summers, he taught courses in Vietnam, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the United States.

He is survived by one sister, Grace Dossing.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Germaine Scholl, 98, died June 15 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Iowa, she made her first religious profession in 1941 and her perpetual profession in 1944. She served her Dominican Congregation as a culinary artist for 58 years and helped make Mass breads for one year. She served in Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Germaine served in the culinary arts at Immaculate Conception Convent (1949-1951); St. Thomas the Apostle Convent, (1969-1970); St. Vincent Ferrer Convent, River Forest (1970); Visitation Convent (1974-1977); and St. Basil Convent (1977).

She is survived by a sister, Dominican Sister Eldena Scholl.

Franciscan Sister of Chicago Mary Dorothea (Frances) Micek, 96, died June 18.

Sister M. Dorothea entered the congregation from Omaha, Nebraska, in 1939, made her first vows in 1943 and made her final vows in 1948.

She ministered in Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota as a nurse, anesthetist and administrator.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Joseph Home (1942-1943); Guardian Angel Day Care Center (1944-1946); St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr (1946-1947); Palos Community Hospital (1978-1982, 1987-1995), Palos Heights; Mother Theresa Home, Lemont (1983-1987); the congregation motherhouse, Lemont (1995-1996, 1999-2021).

She retired in 2012 and continued to reside at the motherhouse.

Mercy Sister Elizabeth “Betty” (Mary Eugenius) Burns, 96, died June 21.

Born in Chicago, she attended Catholic schools and graduated from Mercy High School/St. Patrick Academy in 1943. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Des Plaines two years later.

Sister Betty served at several Illinois and Wisconsin parochial schools for more than 50 years. She was principal of St. Joan of Arc School, Skokie; St. Catherine of Siena, Oak Park; and St. Stephen Protomartyr, Des Plaines. She also served at Resurrection, St. Finbarr, St. Malachy, Little Flower and Mother McAuley High School in Chicago; St. Mary, Evanston; and St. Mary, Riverside.

In 2002, Sister Betty left teaching and began volunteering in music ministry with people living in assisted living and Alzheimer’s facilities.

Adrian Dominican Sister Jean Irene McAllister, 92, died June 25 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Detroit, she was in the 74th year of her religious profession.

Sister Jean Irene ministered in Illinois, Ohio, Florida and Michigan.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Mary Mount Carmel (1948-1951) and St. James, Maywood (1951-1953).

She is survived by a sister, Catherine Brown.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Loretta (Marie Simeon) McIlvenna, 94, died June 4 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in South Dakota, she made her first religious profession in 1948 and her perpetual profession in 1951. She was a teacher and principal, a religious education consultant, manager at the Dominican motherhouse and a volunteer parish minister in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Loretta taught at St. Cajetan (1956-1959), St. Thomas More (1965-1971) and Visitation (1976-1984), where she was also principal.

She is survived by her sister, Marie Nash.