Sinsinawa Sister Rita Rae (Raffaello) Burger, 85, died Dec. 24 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she made her first religious profession in 1956 and her perpetual profession in 1959. She ministered in Illinois, Montana, Wyoming, California, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Rita Rae taught at St. Sabina (1956-1959), Epiphany (1967-1970), and St. Thomas the Apostle (1987-1996), where she also served in the media center (1996-2000). Sister Rita Rae also served in the library at St. Basil School (1996-2000).

Sister of St. Casimir Mary Balkus, 93, died Dec. 26.

A Chicago native, Sister Mary entered the Sisters of St. Casimir in 1946 from All Saints Parish (Roseland) and made her final vows in 1953.

She taught in schools in Illinois and Maryland.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Sts. Peter and Paul (1948-1952), Our Lady of Vilna (1953-1954), St. George (1959-1960), and Maria High School for 35 years (1960-1967, 1976-2004). She moved to Franciscan Village, Lemont, in 2014, where she served in the ministry of prayer and presence. 

Sister of St. Joseph Mary Ricardo DiSanto, 93, died Dec. 27.

She had been a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 74 years.

She taught at St. Barbara, Brookfield; St. Francis Xavier, LaGrange and Our Lady of Bethlehem, LaGrange Park. She was a music teacher at Nazareth Academy, and taught the Suzuki method at the C.S.J. School of Music.

Divine Word Father Walter Bunofsky, 87, who served as a chaplain, pastor and seminary formator, died Dec. 29 in Techny.

Born in Ohio, he professed religious vows in 1952 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1960.

For the first nine years of his priesthood, he served as a vocation director. In 1969, he asked for an opportunity to work in African-American ministry and was assigned to St. Anselm Parish in Chicago. He later served in St. Louis.

In 1994, he began a 21-year tenure at Divine Word College at Epworth, Iowa.

In 2015, he moved to Techny in retirement but continued to write poetry.

He is survived by two sisters, Florence Garcher and Elaine Mureko.

Adrian Dominican Sister Catherine (James Anita) McKillop, 87, died Dec. 30 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Scotland, she was in the 69th year of her religious profession.

Sister Catherine ministered in Illinois, Florida, Alabama, Puerto Rico and Michigan. She became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2017.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Columbanus (1951-1952) and was coordinator of volunteer services at St. Leonard’s House, which provides temporary housing for formerly incarcerated men (1998-2007).

Sister Catherine is survived by sisters Patricia Young and Marguerite DeJaeghere and a brother, Joseph McKillop.