Obituaries | Sr. Mary Philip Bieg, CSJ

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Sr. Bieg

A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 31 at Nazareth Living Center in South County for Sister Mary Philip Bieg, a retired teacher and medical records librarian.

Sister Mary Philip, 91, died Jan. 25 at Nazareth of myelodysplasia.

Born Loretta Johanna Bieg in a family that attended St. Anthony Parish in South St. Louis, she became interested in the Sisters of St. Joseph and a vocation there but did not enter the convent until she was almost 23 in the fall of 1942. The following March 19, she received the habit and name Sister Mary Philip. After completing the novitiate she began her ministry of teaching.

Sister Mary Philip taught in the mid-1940s at St. Leo School in St. Louis and in 1953 at St. Luke School in Richmond Heights. She taught from 1965-68 at Sts. John and James School in Ferguson, from 1969-73 at St. Anthony High School in St. Louis and from 1973-75 at St. Luke again. She also served in schools in Denver and Peoria, Ill.

In 1956 Sister Mary Philip completed her studies at St. Louis University, graduating with a degree in medical records library science. In 1970 she received a master's degree in education from St. Louis University. She worked in the medical records department at St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood, and at a hospital in Kansas City, Mo. While there, she helped many young women who studied at Avila College to get their degrees in medical records, supporting them as they did laboratory work at the hospital.

From 1976 until 1990 she was secretary for the LaSalette Provincial House in South St. Louis.

The last 13 years of her active ministry were at the motherhouse in South St. Louis where she served as the health care claims coordinator. Sister Mary Fran Johnson said, "She met the challenge of organizing the office and then proceeded to take care of the health care claims for over 300 sisters. Her efforts saved the province hundreds of thousands of dollars."

She retired in 2005 at the age of 86. She enjoyed keeping up with family members. Survivors include five brothers, August of Lemay, Francis of Cherokee Village, Ark., Robert and Anthony of Affton and James of DeSoto; and five sisters, Geraldine Kunz of South County, Jackie McGlinchey of Columbia, Mo., and Elizabeth Harre, Virginia Bieg and Carol J. Camilleri of St. Louis.