Obituary of Sister Patricia Mitchell, OSF
Joliet Franciscan Sister Patricia (M. René) Mitchell passed into eternal life July 18, 2023, at Ascension Villa Franciscan Place, a devoted and cherished member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate for 69 years.
Sister Patricia was born on January 11, 1933, to the late Frances M. (High) and James J. Mitchell, the older of two girls. Her brother-in-law, Joseph DiSabato, preceded her in death. Sister Pat is survived by her younger sister, Jane (Mitchell) DiSabato, her nieces, grandnieces and nephews, many colleagues and friends. She will be fondly remembered and missed by all, especially those clients whose lives were touched by her wisdom and healing grace.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Sister Pat attended elementary school at Immaculate Conception and high school at St. Mary of the Springs Academy. She received her BA in Education from the College of St. Francis (1961) Joliet, Illinois, and her MA in Education from the Ohio State University (1969), Columbus, Ohio. Sister Pat held an MS (1986)) and a CAS in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola College Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. She was a National Certified Clinical Pastoral Counselor, a member of the American Counseling Association ACA, the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and a member of the 1-800 Therapy Network.
Sister Pat began her ministry as an elementary school teacher in Ohio, Illinois and Florida; she then taught French in high schools both in Illinois and Ohio. She was Area Coordinator (1976-1984) for the Sisters at Our Lady of the Angels Retirement Home. Sister Pat knew that she had the gift of compassion to extend to others in presence, conversation and prayer; knowledge of the medical/psychiatric field especially as applicable to elders; and the ability to companion the grief process with the aging, dying and bereaved.
Sister Patricia served in the ACPE Unit in Clinical Pastoral Education at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio (1971), as LCPC in private practice at Emmaus Counseling Center, Silver Spring, Maryland (1996 -2005), at Marian Home of Prayer, Washington, DC, and OASIS, where she taught conversational French to Senior Citizens and presented workshops on change and grief. Sister presented multiple workshops and training sessions. She also was (1996-1999) a Pastoral Associate at St. Jerome Parish Hyattsville, Maryland, and (1972-1976) at St. Peter Parish, Mansfield, Ohio. During these years, she provided pastoral visits to the hospitalized, home-bound and bereaved.
Visitation for Sister Patricia Mitchell will be held at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 404 North Hickory Street, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, followed by the Mass for Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. Remembrances and Committal will take place approximately 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel at Resurrection Cemetery, 200 W. Romeo Rd. Romeoville, IL 60446. All are invited to attend.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of Sister Patricia Mitchell or another Joliet Franciscan Sister, please send your memorial to the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, 1433 Essington Road, Joliet, IL, 60435.
