SINSINAWA — Sister Kathleen “Kaye” Ashe, OP, died Feb. 15, 2014, at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, La Grange, Ill. Her religious name was Sister Keverne. The funeral Mass will be held in Queen of the Rosary Chapel at Sinsinawa Saturday, March 1, at 11 a.m., followed by burial of the cremains in the Motherhouse Cemetery. Friends may call after 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Motherhouse, Sinsinawa, Wis., where a wake and remembering service will be held at 6:30 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. in Rosary Chapel, Dominican University, River Forest, Ill.
Sister Kaye made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican Aug. 5, 1950, and her final profession Aug. 5, 1953. She taught elementary school for seven years, ministered in various higher education positions for 28 years, served the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation as prioress for eight years and in development for four years, worked in copy editing for three years, and ministered as a spiritual director for four years.
She has lectured widely and is the author of Today’s Woman, Tomorrow’s Church plus many individual chapters in other books, articles, and book reviews. Sister Kaye served in Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, and California as well as Fribourg, Switzerland; London, England; and Florence, Italy.
Sister Kaye was a leader in justice activities and organizations, such as Mary’s Pence, a fund providing money to grassroots women’s projects, where she served as the first board president. Sister Kaye spoke out forcefully and frequently about injustice, especially about issues of sexism and racism, and was at the forefront of those working for structural and societal change.
She challenged those in the Congregation and beyond to stretch past differences, to dialogue openly and respectfully as members and persons of faith striving for common ground. She wrote, “The search — for self, for wisdom, for love, for truth, for justice, for God — is strenuous and unending. We need good companions in order to persevere in it. In good company, in a community of conviction, the quest never loses its relevance, its urgency, or its savor.”
In the Diocese of Madison, Sister Kaye served as the prioress of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, Sinsinawa, for two terms, 1986-1994.
Sister Kaye was born Jan. 29, 1930, in Chicago, the daughter of Henry and Julia (Fitzgerald) Ashe. Her parents; two sisters, Mary Ellen Waldron and Marcella Savant; and three brothers, Thomas Ashe, Gerald Ashe, and Harold Ashe, preceded her in death. She is survived by nieces, nephews, and her Dominican Sisters with whom she shared life for 63 years.
Memorials may be made to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI, 53824-9701 or online at www.sinsinawa.org by clicking on “Donate Now,” then “Honor and Memorial Gift.”
Repeat broadcasts of the wake and funeral for Sister Helen are available online at www.Sinsinawa.org/live. Click on the “on demand” tab.