Sister Rose Ann Blair, CDP
January 18, 1937 – May 31, 2025
Sister Rose Ann Blair, (formerly Sister Mary Francetta), CDP, entered eternal life on May 31, 2025, at the age of 88. She was one of seven children born to Frank and Maybell (Goodale) Blair. Sister Rose Ann and her twin brother were born January 18, 1937, in Burlington, Vermont. She loved to refer to herself as a Yankee. Sister Rose Ann dedicated her life to serving people from different cultures in Texas and Louisiana.
She always envisioned herself as a missionary. As a young woman, she worked as a nanny for a military family. When this family was transferred to Lawton, Oklahoma, she did not hesitate to join them. It was during a Sunday Mass that she answered the invitation by the parish priest to teach summer catechism to the Native Americans. She had taken a course that used a book written by Sister Berenice Trachta, CDP, a Sister of Divine Providence in San Antonio. The grace of Providence started connecting the dots toward the Congregation of Divine Providence (CDP). It was not long after that two-week summer experience that Rose Ann was invited to visit Our Lady of the Lake Convent in San Antonio.
She answered God’s call to become a Sister of Divine Providence on September 8, 1959, and professed first vows on June 22, 1961.
Her first 11 years of mission involved teaching first grade in five different schools throughout Texas (St. Mary’s School and St. Martin Hall in San Antonio; Sts. Peter and Paul in New Braunfels; St. Anne School in Houston; and St. Mary School in West) and at Our Lady of Prompt Succor School in Alexandria, Louisiana. Her pastoral work began in 1980 in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, where she served as the pastoral associate to three churches: one located in Sebastian, Texas, Prince of Peace, and St. Monica. The community consisted predominantly of Spanish speakers. Yet the language barrier was dissolved when she spoke to them from the heart. She received help and support with translation, impromptu Spanish lessons. The most treasured lesson she received was how to live simply. Her time with various families, sitting on their porches or grapefruit crates, was rich in experience because they taught her to live and be happy with what she had. They witnessed to her who God was and that our Provident God takes care of us. She was supported spiritually with deep conversations over the simplest of meals: a tortilla and beans. When she left the Rio Grande Valley, she left a community that recognized its worth and value to the church.
Sister Rose Ann’s pastoral work extended over 27 years in Texas, Missouri and Louisiana. Her experiences and communities varied in culture, economically and socially, yet all contributed to filling her missionary heart. She did not hesitate to defend the rights of the innocent, point out unfairness, and encourage those affected to use their voice. After 44 years of active outside ministry, Sister Rose Ann returned to live at the convent. She continued to use her voice to encourage fairness and practiced being a contemplative in action for her CDP community and the world. Her wit, positive energy, and example of faithfulness to her provident God will be missed!
Sister Rose Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Maybell (Goodale) Blair, siblings Robert, Thomas, Mary Taylor, and Ruth Blair. She is survived by her twin brother, Alexander (Sandi) Blair, Art Blair, and various nieces and nephews, and her Sisters of Divine Providence.
The Rosary is Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.; Wake, at 6:00 p.m. Mass of Resurrection is Monday, June 9, at 11:00 a.m. All services will be in Annunciation Chapel at Our Lady of the Lake Convent Center.
Sister Rose Ann’s family and fellow Sisters of Divine Providence cherish her memory. In lieu of flowers, you may wish to make a memorial contribution to the Sisters of Divine Providence, 603 S.W. 24th Street, San Antonio, Texas 78207-4619.