Sister Patricia Stark, 77 of the Springfield Dominican Sisters died Monday, July 8, 2024, at Sacred Heart Convent, during the 59th year of her religious profession.
A funeral mass was held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel with Father Robert Kelly, OP, as celebrant. Burial was held at Roselawn Memorial Park. Butler Funeral Home and Cremation Tribute Center in Springfield is assisting the family and sisters.
Sister Stark was born in 1945 in Chicago to George and Marie (Watt) Stark and baptized Patricia Anne at St. Christina Parish. She made her profession of vows as Sister George Marie in 1965 at Sacred Heart Convent.
Sister Stark began her ministerial life teaching first grade at parochial schools in Aurora and Granite City, before serving in Lima and LaOroya, Peru, from 1974 to 1981. She received dispensation from her vows as a Dominican Sister in order to follow her heart into the Little Sisters of the Gospel, then returned, renewing her vows as a Dominican Sister in 1987.
Sister Stark taught at St. Frances Cabrini School in Springfield and at the Hillsboro Religious Education Center, before returning to Peru. When she returned to the United States, she began outreach ministry to the Spanish-speaking community in Rogers, AR, completed a dual degree in pastoral counseling and pastoral studies, and for 18 years worked as a counselor and pastoral minister in the Spanish-speaking community in Chicago. She returned to Springfield in 2018, providing support for the community at Sacred Heart Convent and serving briefly at St. Malachy Parish in Rantoul.
Sister Patricia was preceded in death by her brother, Joe who died in childhood; her parents; and her brother, Larry (Pilar).
She is survived by her brother, George Stark of Chicago; her sister, Mary (Rich) Flammini of Aurora, CO; her beloved nieces and their families; and her Dominican Sisters.
Memorials to honor the memory of Sister Patricia may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL, 62704.
