Rita Duncan

The death of Sister Rita Maud Duncan (Sr. Stella Marie) of Ruth Ross Residence occurred at the Saint John Regional Hospital on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 following a period of failing health.

Sister Rita was born in Salisbury, New Brunswick, a daughter of the late George and Margaret (Monahan) Duncan. She was the youngest in a family of 11 children. Rita received her teaching license and taught at Melrose, N.B. from 1945 to 1946. Then she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception in 1947. She taught at Assumption School and St. Patrick's School in Saint John, N.B. After several more years of teaching in Farrellton, Quebec, Sister Rita taught and served as principal in Wetaskiwin, Alberta 1965-75.

Retiring from teaching, Rita prepared herself for work in the field of mental health by taking Clinical Pastoral Education courses in Washington, D.C., and enrolling in a course of studies for supervised pastoral care at St. Paul's University, Ottawa. She received her Chaplain Certificate from the Canadian Council of Churches, Toronto, ON. Academically, Sr. Rita received a Bachelor of Arts at Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Bachelor of Education at University of New Brunswick. She also went on to acquire a Masters Degree in Religious Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington and a Masters Degree in Sacred Theology from Regis College, Toronto, ON.

Sister Rita Duncan served in Pastoral Care in Edmonton, Alberta from 1984 to 1988 and then as Director of Pastoral Care at St. Vincent's Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. from 1988 to 1993. She continued her studies and received a certificate in Spirituality and Worship from Berkeley, California.

Sister Rita returned to Saint John, N.B. in 1994 where she resided at Glenburn Court, and served on the Vocation and Associates Committees and as a board member for the Diocesan Council. She gave many Pastoral Care Workshops at the Villa Madonna Retreat House in St. John. She then moved to St. Joseph's Convent West where she served as the Local Leader and was involved in Hospice, Pastoral Ministry and prayer groups until her retirement.

In 2005 Rita moved to Ruth Ross Residence where she continued in prayer ministry with prayer groups. Sister Rita died at age 81 after living with cancer for several years. She was predeceased by three brother, George, Donald, and Francis Duncan; and five sisters, Sr. Helen Duncan, SCIC, Bernice O'Sullivan, Edith Herrington, Catherine King, and Blanch Frenzel. She is survived by two sisters, Sister Teresa Duncan, S.C.I.C., and Ethel Roy, both of Saint John; 12 nieces; 20

nephews; 65 grandnieces; and 57 grandnephews.
Information Sources: www.fitzpatrickfh.com and Western Catholic Report (August 24, 2009)

Comments from CAPPE/ACPEP Colleagues:

Debbie Everett: “She was a chaplain at the Edmonton General when I first met her in 1987 for a lay pastoral care giving program. And then, through her, I discovered CPE. She moved to Vancouver not too long after the lay pastoral care giving course in Edmonton, and I didn’t think I would see her again, but was so touched that it was she who organized my Specialist interview in 1992 in Vancouver. The day after my Specialist interview, she was attacked in her parkade.  I saw on the national news the next day that she fought her attacker off. He had a hatchet and said, ‘I am going to kill you.’ She came back strongly, ‘You are not!’ He pushed her down and stole her car but she was not seriously injured. They called it on the news program ‘verbal judo’. She was in her 60’s at least at that time. She was on a U.S. talk show about unusual things nuns have done or have had happen to them. I just happened upon the program one Tuesday morning (I worked 4 days a week back in the 90’s), a year or so after the incident.

“I roomed with Sr. Rita one night at the Grey Nuns mother house in Old Montreal after the CAPPE convention in 1995. I have seen her at a couple of CAPPE conventions since. I heard she had cancer about the time I arrived at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital (2009). I had a message relayed to her that I was in Fredericton in this position and I heard back she was very happy to hear of this. It was an emotionally hard after hearing of her death, since she was so central to my becoming a chaplain and, more importantly, showed me a very different kind of spirituality than I had known before. I guess as time goes by, very significant people in our journeys will be passing away, and I know that Rita is a big one for me.” 

Margaret Clark: [after reading the Homily from Sr. Rita Duncan’s Funeral] “What a wonderful testament to Rita's life! My own experiences with her were connected with ARCAPPE gatherings here in Alberta over a number of years, and also when I was in St. John, NB for my Teaching Supervisor interview. Rita was the candidates' chaplain. This struck me so powerfully since I remember she had a very touch time within CAPE in her own supervisory endeavours. Yet, there she was offering supportive presence to others going for supervisor. It forever touched my heart in relation to her strength of character and deep goodness.”

Comments from the Homily given at Sr. Rita Duncan’s Funeral (Msgr. Brian G. Sheehan, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, July 25th, 2009)

“Rita was a real woman, a determined woman.... and a woman of great faith and courage.... Rita could stand up to anybody.... confront anybody.... remind anybody of their role, their position, their responsibilities....In a way, she was fearless.... she was a country girl.... brought up on a farm in Salisbury, the last child in a family of eleven.... a Catholic girl, with a Baptist father, and raised very much in the minority of a Protestant village.... all this didn’t bother her.... all this, for her, were advantages....

“Her life reads like a tapestry of preparing herself, educating herself, training herself – to be.... and to serve others.... Sr. Rita was a great believer in professional training... and she confronted herself about that, and challenged herself before anyone else....In this, she was a pioneer in pastoral care, especially.... she saw the absolute necessity for pastoral training.... in ecumenical settings, with recognized certification and equal team participation of clergy and pastoral workers in health institutions....She was an early proponent of CPE training, involving herself as an instructor.... and left a legacy to so many who have benefited from her knowledge and wisdom. Sr. Rita died a grateful woman.... she died a happy woman.... a joyful woman.”