Dominican Sister of Peace, Sister Louella Petry (91) died at Mount Carmel East Hospital, Columbus, OH on August 30, 2021.
She was born in 1930 in Gueydan, LA, to Sylvania Vincent and Reno Petry. At just 14, she began thinking about sharing her life “more fully and deeply with others.” She made that plan real when she entered the Congregation in 1947, made First Profession in 1950, and took her final vows in 1953.
Sr. Louella earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Marygrove College and her MA in Early Childhood Education from Xavier University in Louisiana She also earned Montessori Certification from Xavier University, Catechist Certification from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education from St. Mary’s Hospital, and Theology Certification from St. Mary’s Dominican College.
Her desire to share her life with others was fulfilled through her varied ministries. She served as a Montessori teacher at a Child Development Center, a grief counselor, a home visitor, a hospital chaplain and in the Office of Religious Education for both the Diocese of Lafayette and the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Sister Louella also served the congregation as Archivist.
Sister Louella ministered at St. Maria Goretti Parish for more than 20 years. After the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she and several Adrian Dominicans visited every home and connected the residents with local agencies that could meet their needs.
Sister Louella retired from active ministry in 2008, ministering as a volunteer with the elderly in Metairie, LA. She entered a ministry of prayer and presence in the Columbus Motherhouse in 2010, where one of her most cherished traditions was ministering in song to those making their final passage home to God. She moved to the Mohun Care Center in Columbus, OH, in 2019, offering prayer and companionship to her Sisters until her own death.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Reno and Sylvania Vincent Petry, her brothers, Melvin, Milton, Erwin, and Paul, and her sisters, Velma Lemaire and Evelyn Goller. She is survived by nieces and nephews.
A private Funeral Service was held on September 17, 2021, at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse Chapel. Burial will take place later at Gueydan Cemetery, Gueydan, LA by Egan-Ryan and Vincent Funeral Homes.
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