Sister Clare Inez Karp, 88, a resident of St. Ann Convent at Tacoma, Wash., and a former longtime Baker City resident, died Aug. 12, 2007.
Father Julian Cassar will offer a Memorial Mass at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center Chapel. A rosary will be said at 8:45 a.m.
Sister Clare Inez had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 69 years. She was born in Baker City. Although she left Baker City for about 20 years, she returned to the community for ministry and was a Baker City resident for 50 years.
Sister Clare described her life as a Sister of St. Francis in three ministries. The first 20 years were in elementary education, the second 20 years in religious education and the third 20 years in health care.
She taught in California, Oregon and Washington. Sister Clare even taught at St. Francis Academy in Baker City — the same school she attended as a child. In religious education, she traveled throughout the parishes of the Baker Diocese to instruct those who could not attend a Catholic School.
She was known to have a heavy foot when traveling from one Eastern Oregon town to the next. Her third ministry was at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
She described herself as a receptionist, but she was much more. She truly ministered to the residents, their families and the staff of St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. Each one was special in her eyes and she offered hope and encouragement to those she served.
Sister Clare loved learning. She held a degree in education from Holy Name College at Spokane and a master’s degree in theology from St. Mary College at South Bend, Ind.
In 2002, she moved to St. Ann Convent to enter into a special ministry of prayer. She faithfully continued this ministry with the same dedication she had shown in all the other three ministries.
The Sisters of St. Francis express special thanks to the St. Ann staff for their loving care of Sister Clare Inez.
Survivors include her nieces and nephews, who live in Oregon and Washington, including Terry Karp and his wife, Dorothy, of Baker City.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis at St. Ann Convent, 6602 S. Alaska St., Tacoma, WA 98408.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, August 23, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor