Sr. Dennison

Sister Mary Dennison, a Cenacle Sister for 69 years, died peacefully on November 27, 2020 in Houston; she was 92 years of wise age.  Raised in Alton, IL, Sr. Mary was the daughter of John and Emilia (nee Gschwend) Dennison. She is pre-deceased by her parents and her elder brother, John Thomas. She is survived by her beloved sister Patricia de Kay, and numerous nieces and nephews.  Here family were heavily involved members of St. Mary’s Church, Alton IL. 

Sr. Mary served the Cenacle in communities in Sacramento, St Louis, Warrenville (IL) and Chicago.  She received a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston, a master’s degree in Religious Education from Loyola of Chicago and held a Texas Certification in Gerontology.  Once she arrived at the Cenacle in Rosharon, Texas in 1965, she remained in the Houston area serving in a variety of capacities. In addition to her ministry at the Cenacle over the years, Sr. Mary also served in the Diocesan Religious Education Office, held the role of Director of Religious Education at St. John Vianney Parish, and worked with the Master of Religious Education program at the University of St. Thomas for 24 years (part of that time as its Director). She was also the Founder and Director of the Cenacle Spiritual Direction Institute (SDI), a training program for persons interested in becoming spiritual directors. She served as Director of SDI for 24 years.

Many people have said that when they walked into the foyer at the Cenacle, it was Sr. Mary’s warm smile and graciousness that welcomed them. She is remembered for her listening heart, her inner strength, her loving support, deep wisdom, prayer, and her great kindness.

A private Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 1:30 p.m., with Fr. John Rooney presiding, accompanied by Fr. Troy Gately, pastor.Live streaming of the Mass will be provided by Dettling Funeral Home and can be viewed for two weeks after the service. Please visit https://youtu.be/Pr2eaEIF38Qto find the live streaming link.

Sr. Mary will be interred with the Cenacle Sisters at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois at a later date.In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donations in Sr. Mary’s honor may be made to the Cenacle Sisters, 6505 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX 77021.