Busch, Mary Loretta RSCJ
ALBANY — Religious of the Sacred Heart, Mary Loretta Busch died June 2, 2022, in Albany, N.Y.
Mary Loretta Busch, affectionately known as “Bushie,” was born on April 30, 1938, in St. Louis, Mo., to Frank William Busch and Ruth Barry Busch. She was one of 11 children. She remembers her home life as a happy one, with her parents’ strong faith in God. The early seeds of her vocation were planted there.
Buschie attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Mo. By the time she was in seventh grade, she was convinced of her vocation to belong in a special way to God. She believed she was called to a contemplative life and held this belief for a number of years. By the time she was in high school at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, she shared with one of the nuns her desire for the contemplative life. As time went on, Mary enjoyed school and made many friends. During her third year she attended a ceremony of religious profession of a Religious of the Sacred Heart in the chapel at St. Charles with all the students present. This experience affected her deeply, with its simple beauty and what she saw as a simple life given to God. This is what she desired. The first person she shared this with was her RSCJ friend, whose comment was, “I was waiting for you to say that.”
Following her high school graduation in June of 1956, Mary entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, and pronounced her first vows there in 1957. Since she had not gone to college or received a teaching certificate, Mary spent her first years (1959-1969) serving the community and school in domestic tasks that allowed her to live a quiet, contemplative life in several Sacred Heart Convents in Missouri and Louisiana. In 1964, decisions were made by the Society’s General Council that radically changed the lives of those who, like Sr. Busch, had entered the convent without college degrees. For Mary it was disappointing, for it meant attending college and earning a degree to prepare her for teaching. She experienced quite a bit of fear and anxiety about this new way of life. However, with enormous trust in God she made her final profession at the Sacred Heart Convent, Villa Duchesne in St. Louis, Mo. on December 29, 1964.
From that day on, Sister Busch’s life changed. She went back to school to learn to type and in August of 1965, she was sent to Grand Coteau, La. where she was given jobs in the boarding school. In 1969, Sister Busch enrolled in Xavier University in New Orleans where she completed her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education in 1972. She also completed an MA in Counseling at Tulane University in 1977. at Tulane University in 1977.
After graduating from Xavier University, Sister Busch began teaching at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans and served as librarian and community treasurer until 1980. She returned to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles Mo., and taught for the next 26 years. After she retired from teaching in 2006, Sister Busch remained in St. Charles for a number of years. She continued her close relationship with the Academy where she was dearly loved. In 2010, she won the Outstanding Coach/ Mentor Award at a statewide robotics competition. By saying “yes,” the day of her final profession and every day since, she grew in ways she could not have imagined.
In 2013, Sister Busch officially retired to the Abba Community in Albany, N.Y. where she continued to be active in the life of the community. As she needed more care, she moved in 2018, to the Teresian House Community in Albany, where she was dearly loved. She participated in multiple activities where her creative talents were evident and impressed staff and residents alike with her kindness and simplicity.
Soon after a visit from her brother, on June 2, 2022, Mary Loretta "Buschie" Busch, RSCJ died peacefully in her sleep.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated for Sister Busch on July 1, at 11:30 a.m. at St Francis of Assisi Parish, 93 Fourth Avenue (At Franklin Street) Albany, N.Y. 12202.
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