Sister Mary Rose Bernard Groth, SNDMarch 8, 1931 – November 13, 2025Professed August 16, 1951
Few people can influence a nation, yet Sister Mary Rose Bernard Groth did and could. Born March 8, 1931, in Toledo, Ohio, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1951 and was in her 75th year of religious profession before her death on November 13, 2025, at age 94.
Sister started her ministry in education, teaching and serving as principal in several Toledo schools. In 1964, she followed God’s call to Papua New Guinea where spent the next 47 years teaching, building programs and becoming a trusted leader in every community she served.
During the 1980s, Sister’s ministry in Papua New Guinea turned from teaching when she learned about the growing HIV/AIDS crisis worldwide. Even though she wasn’t a nurse, she learned everything she could, created tools and workshops to educate, and often traveled long distances to support families and patients.
She then became a leader in AIDS education and care, training counselors, founding Shalom Care Center and offering a home for those rejected by others.
Her tireless work led to Sister receiving the Logohu Medal, approved by Queen Elizabeth II and awarded by the PNG government in 2010.
Returning to the United States in 2011, Sister continued serving as a pastoral volunteer in the Norwalk, OH area offering friendship and care to the homebound.
Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched in Papua New Guinea and at home in Ohio.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at the Sisters of Notre Dame Center, 5900 Davis Road, Whitehouse, OH. Sharing of memories and the eulogy will be read at 3:45 p.m. before the funeral Mass.
Funeral Mass live stream: https://boxcast.tv/view/mass-of-christian-burial-sr-mary-rose-bernard-groth-nij2ysp0ss5pypxtmk8z
Donate in Memory of Sister Mary Rose Bernard
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