+Sister Elizabeth (Sylvester) Coffey, O.S.B.
February 17, 1917 - March 7, 2011

Sister Elizabeth (Sylvester) Coffey, OSB, 94, a Benedictine Sister of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, Kans., died at the monastery Tuesday, March 8, 2011. The vigil service will be in the monastery chapel Thursday, March 10, 2011, at 7 pm, and the Mass of Resurrection will be offered there Friday, March 11, 2011, at 10:30am, followed by burial in the monastery cemetery.

Born Feb. 17, 1917, to James Patrick and Julia Ellen McQuinn Coffey, Sister Elizabeth grew up in Wymore, Nebr. Her mother died when she was eleven and her father sent her to Mount St. Scholastica Academy from which she graduated in 1934. She entered the Mount Community in 1936 and made monastic profession in 1938. She graduated from Mount St. Scholastica College in 1939, taught in community schools, notably the Mount Academy; Lillis High School, Kansas City, Mo.; and Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kans. For brief periods she taught at St. Mary’s High School, Walsenburg, Colo., and at Benedictine College, Atchison, where she also later served on their Board of Directors.

Sister Elizabeth earned the Master of Arts in speech with a minor in speech pathology from Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. She also did extensive graduate work in counseling and drama. Her interest in the elderly and in rural life led her to study at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Nebr., where she certified in their program for Advanced Pastoral Education. She served as a pastoral associate at Christ the King Parish, Kansas City, Kans., and presented training sessions for Eucharistic ministers and lectors for the Kansas City, Kansas Archdiocesan Liturgy Office. For ten years she represented Catholic Community Services in the Nemaha-Marshall Region. Throughout her life, Sister Elizabeth served her religious community in many capacities, including the monastic council and the senate; and her professional activities included the core committee of the Kansas City, Kans. Chapter of Kansans for the Improvement of Nursing Homes,membership in the Foster Grandparent Program Advisory Board, and active membership in many professional organizations and seminars.

Sister Elizabeth was predeceased by her parents and her brothers Donald and Robert. She is survived by her sister, Rita Krim, Atchison; by her nephew Robert Michael Coffey, Greensboro, NC; niece Patricia Coffey Swanzy, Lakewood, Colo.; cousin, Frances Coffey Smith, Tampa, Fla.; and by her monastic community.

Let us remember her gratefully in our prayers.

S. Elizabeth's memorial card:

“With a heart full of thanks,
I proclaim your wonders, God.”
Psalm 9:2

Joyful, witty, and compassionate, Sister Elizabeth Coffey fulfilled in her vocation what her mother had told her when she was a child: Sisters “helped people who need to be loved or helped.” The daughter of James Patrick and Julia Ellen McQuinn Coffey of Wymore, Nebr., Elizabeth lost her mother when she was 11, and relied on her father’s understanding love when she was deciding about being a Sister. He sent her to Mount St. Scholastica Academy from which she graduated in 1934. She entered the Mount community in 1936 and made monastic profession in 1938. She graduated from Mount St. Scholastica College and earned the MA in speech from Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. Sister Elizabeth taught at Lillis High School, Benedictine College, and Donnelly College where she directed student services. She became interested in the elderly, the poor, and in rural life concerns and was certified in Advanced Pastoral Education at Bryan Memorial Hospital, Lincoln, Nebr. She represented Catholic Community Services in the Nemaha-Marshall Pastoral Region for ten years. Sister Elizabeth found strength and inspiration in the Liturgy of the Hours, in centering prayer, and Scripture reading. She found Vatican II changes liberating. She reclaimed her baptismal name and was happy to pray in English. She was a loyal Nebraska fan all her life. Let us remember her gratefully in our prayer.

Reflection at the Vigil Service for S. Elizabeth (Sylvester) Coffey, OSB