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Dominican Sister of Peace Barbara Ann Fava, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Barbara Ann Fava, OP (87), passed away at the Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, KY, on February 8, 2024.

Born to Zemeta Ferretti and Dominic Fava in Greenville, MS, Sr. Barbara Ann heard her call to religious life while studying at Siena College in Memphis, TN. She entered the Congregation in 1958 and took her final vows in 1965. She lived a faithful Dominican life for 64 years.

Sr. Barbara Ann’s Dominican love of study led her to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science, English and Education from Siena College, her Master of Arts in Theology from Catherine Spalding College, and her Master of Arts in History from Memphis State. She also completed a three-year cycle of programs focusing on Theological reflection and a homiletic practicum from the Aquinas Institute, enriching her knowledge and her preaching.

She began her ministry as a teacher serving in Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia before becoming an instructor at Saint Catharine College in Kentucky. She served young adult Catholics as Campus Minister at the Memphis State University Catholic Center, Rhodes College, and University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, offering counseling at this formative time of their lives. She related to their concerns and their lives, and their concerns about justice, relationships and their futures.

Sr. Barbara Ann shared her love of study as an adult educator in Marks, MS, ministering there for nearly a decade. But she fed more than minds – her large garden at that ministry filled bellies, and her kindness created hope.

Sr. Barbara Ann felt the sufferings of others deeply, whether it was a town victimized by the politics of the wealthy, or hunger in another country. She marched, made phone calls, and wrote letters to influence lawmakers toward justice,

In 2002, she returned to Kentucky to serve as Coordinator, and later as Mission Group Coordinator, at our Sansbury Care Center. She ministered to our elderly Sisters at Sansbury for more than ten years before taking a sabbatical at the Springbank Retreat Center in South Carolina. This time allowed her to develop and deepen her interest in Eco-spirituality and the arts, and she served as a staff member at the Center until she entered her final ministry of prayer and presence at the Sansbury Care Center early this year.

Sr. Barbara is survived by two sisters, Annette Willis (Lynn, MA) and Paula Fava (Brandon, MS), and several nieces and nephews.

A wake and sharing of memories took place on February 19, 2024, at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel in St. Catharine, KY. The funeral mass was conducted on February 20, 2024, at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel. Sr. Barbara Ann was interred in the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.

To make a donation in Sr. Barbara Ann Fava's memory, please click here.

To download a PDF of Sr. Barbara Ann Fava's memorial, click here.

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