Sr. Nolan A funeral Mass for Sister Phyllis Nolan was celebrated Oct. 12 at the Seton Residence Chapel in Evansville, Ind. Sister Phyllis died Oct. 9 at Seton Residence. She was 83 years old and a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul for 64 years.
Born in Chicago, Sister Phyllis earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Marillac College in St. Louis in 1961 and a master’s degree in religious education from Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y., in 1974. She entered the Daughters of Charity in 1953.
Sister Phyllis taught at St. Catherine Labouré School in Sappington from 1955-57 and at St. Vincent Grade School from 1958-61 and St. Vincent High School from 1961-63 and 1971-73, both in Perryville. She also taught in Nevada and Puerto Rico and was a religious education coordinator in Texas.
From 1979 to 2000, Sister Phyllis served as a foreign missionary in Bolivia. There, she ministered in catechetical and pastoral ministry in many locations including Trinidad, La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Cochabamba. Upon her return to the U.S., she served in parish work in Texas and Arkansas. Sister Phyllis served in El Paso as a legal assistant, English as a Second Language teacher and advocate for unaccompanied minors at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. She moved to Seton Residence in 2014.
Earlier, when asked about her vocation, Sister Phyllis said, “I love what life calls me to; to be totally given to God for the service of Christ in the person of those who are poor. … If God speaks to your heart, calls you to such a life, say ‘yes’ with all your being. You will never regret it.”
Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville.