SR. ROSE ANNETTE LIDDELL, S.L. Sister Rose Annette Liddell, S.L.,passed away at the Loretto Motherhouse on April 31. When the Sisters at the Loretto Center in Littleton, Colo., planned her memorial service, they knew their chapel would be too small to hold the crowd that would come to say farewell to Rose Annette. At the Mass, concelebrated by Father Roland Freeman and Father Martin Lally, Sister Rose Annette was honored for being a wonderful friend, a wise spiritual advisor, a musician, an artist, an ecumenist, a peace and justice activist, and the head of the Merton Center, succeeding Sister Mary Luke Tobin. Her Kentucky eulogy referred to her as "a virtuoso when it came to venturing through open doors, and inviting others through those same open doors." Although few people know of it, Sister Rose Annette also has a connection with Regis University through the Spirit of Loretto Committee. Its members feel that they owe Sister Rose Annette a debt of gratitude. I first became acquainted with Sister Rose Annette when she lived in a tiny house in a poor neighborhood in West Denver. Later I knew her at the house on Vrain Street where she led discussions and meditations on Merton’s work, and from which she organized Merton retreats at the Loretto Center. During that period, I received a lovely Christmas card from the Sisters of Loretto which Rose Annette had created with her beautiful calligraphy. I was so impressed with its beauty that I have displayed it every Christmas since. On a couple of occasions, I told Rose Annette that the Sisters should sell it as a fundraiser, but she just smiled at me and shook her head. In 2004, the Spirit of Loretto Committee wished to create an award which would be given at reunions and would recognize persons who had rendered outstanding service to Loretto Heights. I showed the committee the card and they immediately agreed that Sister Rose Annette should be commissioned to make the award for us. Although she was very busy at the time, she graciously acceded to our request, and produced the striking “Lumen Christi Award,” which consists of the opening bars of Max Di Julio’s original composition, “Lumen Christi,” with the Latin words rendered in Sister’s wonderful calligraphy. I might add that it was only at the committee’s insistence that Rose Annette accepted the very modest stipend we offered for her work. As 2011 began, bringing Rose Annette’s 82nd birthday, both she and her friends realized that her time on earth was nearing an end. She asked that she might return to the Motherhouse to say goodbye to the community there and be buried in the community’s cemetery. She made the exhausting journey on April 31. The community there emailed her Denver community that they had lovingly “tucked her in” for the night and looked forward to having her with them the next day. But that was not to be. Sister Sue Rogers stated in her eulogy for Rose Annette: “In the early hours of the next morning, in the quiet of the dark Kentucky night, in the peace of sleep, the final door opened – and Rose Annette gently walked through. And into God.” Through the Lumen Christi Award, Sister Rose Annette’s gracious generosity and artistic talent reached the Loretto-Regis community. It continues into the future each time the Lumen Christi Award is presented at Loretto Heights reunions. by Joan Kidnay, LHC ’60
IN MEMORY Elizabeth C. (Zehnder) Bachman, LHC ’53 Joseph Berberick, RC ’53 Dorothy M. (Smith) Berger, LHC ’55 Daniel E. Berrett, CPS ’09 Philip F. Boberschmidt, RC ’62 Cathi J. (Roberson) Borchard, CPS ’99 Kathleen (Conway) Brennan, LHC ’69 Jack O. Burns, RC ’58 Anthony F. Cambria, RC ’52 Lewis A. Caricato, RC ’60 Karen (Shafer) Chacon, CPS ’99 Thomas G. Conway, RC ’73 Jacquelyn C. Dadmun, LHC ’74 Lawrence K. Danahey, RC ’40 Randy Daniel, CPS ’02 Betty (Phillippi) Day, RC ’81 Charles A. Dean, Jr., RC ’51 Patrick H. Doman, Sr., RC ’66 Edgar O. Eastman, RC ’56 Mark F. Fitzpatrick, RC ’65 Carla L. (Terragno) Golob, LHC ’57 Sandia L. Hayes, RC ’01 Patrick L. Hughes, RC ’63 Luanna Rae (Bauman) Illing, RC ’75 Dawn F. Keefler, CPS ’92 James A. Keelan, RC ’51 Vincent M. Kelly, RC ’54 Sr. Maureen Kennedy, O.P., CPS ’87 Lucille A. (Edwards) Kirk, LHC ’37 Joseph E. Lampert, RC ’54 William Loughrey, Jr., RC ’77 George Luchetta, RC ’61 Albert P. Marranzino, RC ’49 Herbert J. Mortland, RC ’66 John W. Mudd, RC ’60 Felix J. Muldoon, RC ’50 R. Walker Nickless, RC ’50 Aldo G. Notarianni, RC ’45 Gordon A. O’Steen, RC ’62 Sharon K. (Horace) Palermo, LHC ’56 Gerald A. Peters, RC ’57 James W. Roach, RC ’64 LeRoy W. Smith, CPS ’92 Richard P. Swalde, RC ’64 Kimberly A. Test, CPS ’04 Christopher B. Torres, RC ’92 Philip D. VanOort, CPS ’04 James W. Warner, Jr., RC ’63 Margaret M. Whelan, LHC ’50 Gregory B. Young, CPS ’97
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE FOR STUDENTS The Annual Fund at Regis University has been making a difference for students for more than 100 years. Today, it continues to support financial aid, student services and innovative programs. When you receive a call from a student on behalf of Regis University, please take a moment to reconnect, update your contact information and make a gift to the college, school or area you are most passionate about. Regis University
| 47