Mary Virginia Blair, SCN, 95 (formerly James Maureen) was born in New Hope, Ky., on May 10, 1929, to Catherine Bowling and James Joseph Blair. She died June 19, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 73 years.

For eleven years, she attended school in New Hope, Kentucky, staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. The high school closed when she was a junior. For her senior year, she went to St. Catherine Academy in Springfield and was a boarder. She graduated from St. Catherine Academy in 1947. She then worked for the Bardstown Transfer Company before coming to the SCN Community.

Sister Virginia’s first ministries were in education. She served as a grade school teacher at St. Cecilia’s and lived at St. Ann’s Convent in Louisville. She also taught at St. Agnes in Uniontown, Ky., St. Andrew in London, Ky., and St. Mildred in Somerset, Ky. She was the principal of St. Philip Neri School and St. Raphael, both in Louisville.

In 1971, she earned her master’s degree in education from Spalding College.

She served in social service ministries at Catholic Charities in Louisville. Sister Virginia was a part of the beginning days of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, where she served as pastoral associate from 1975-1981. She was a pastoral associate at St. Joseph Parish in Bardstown, Ky. She served Holy Name Parish in Louisville as a parish visitor.

Over the years, Sister Virginia served her SCN Community in many ways, as Nazareth campus service director, media center assistant, secretary to the Motherhouse Coordinator, and file clerk at the Louisville Regional Office.

Upon her retirement, Sister Virginia volunteered for many years with Candy for Caring at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville. She often volunteered at parishes, hospitals, and nursing homes.

She is survived by her sisters Marguerite Bowling of New Haven, KY, and Grace Thompson of Lexington, Ky., her brother Gene Blair of Round Rock, Tex., and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Funeral and burial arrangements are as follows:

• The Wake will be held Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at 9 a.m. in St. Vincent de Paul Church.
• The Funeral Mass will immediately follow the Wake, at 10:30 a.m., in St. Vincent de Paul Church, followed by burial in the Nazareth Cemetery.
• The Funeral will be webcast at https://nazareth.org/live

Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Ratterman Funeral Home, 3800 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Ky. Memorials may be made to Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 9, Nazareth, Kentucky. 40048.