On June 26, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth gathered in St. Vincent de Paul Church to celebrate the life of Jane Yen and accompany her to her final resting place in Nazareth Cemetery, fulfilling a wish she had carried for many years.
Jane often described her connection to Nazareth with a simple phrase: “I grew up at Nazareth.” Those words reflected a relationship that began when she arrived from Peking, China, at age 15 to attend Nazareth Academy. She graduated in 1952, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Nazareth College in 1956, and had been baptized at St. Gregory Catholic Church, embracing the Catholic faith that guided her throughout her life.
During the prayer service, Sisters reflected on the care Jane received while she was far from home. They described Jane as “a quiet person, one whom you could depend on.” Among those joining the service were SCNs Trudy Foster and Carmelita Dunn, and Associate Mary Martin, each of whom shared a personal connection with Jane through her years at Nazareth or her ministry in Louisville. Throughout her life, Jane remained closely connected to the Sisters through friendships, reunions, visits, correspondence, and prayer.
After graduating, Jane taught at St. Pius X and St. Thomas Moore schools in Louisville, sharing her love of music and helping shape generations of students through Catholic education. She later became a member of the Nazareth Legacy Society, ensuring her support for the Sisters’ ministries would continue beyond her lifetime.
Those who knew Jane remember her as independent, curious, and eager to experience the world. She traveled extensively, including a memorable journey through Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Cape Town, and continued planning new adventures well into her later years.
As her health declined, the Sisters remained by her side with prayers, cards, visits, and friendship. The relationship that began when she first arrived at Nazareth as a teenager endured for more than seven decades.
In 2012, Jane asked for permission to be buried at Nazareth, an honor reserved for only a few laypeople. This month, the Sisters fulfilled that request, welcoming her home one final time.
At the cemetery, they prayed, “We place Jane now in your loving care… We believe all who have been reverently placed here shall rise in the splendor of your glory.”
Jane’s burial at Nazareth was more than the fulfillment of a final wish. It was the homecoming of a woman whose life was shaped by faith, lifelong friendships, and a deep connection to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
May she rest in the peace of Christ.
Learn more about the Legacy Society and how you can support the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth
As an academic at the time, I knew Janie & was in the orchestra with her. I too am to be buried at Nazareth. Such a great privilege.
My life has been spent carrying out what I learned there, as a women’s prison chaplain, a public school teacher and serving my community. Strength that never dies.
May her memory be a blessing.
Dona Dickson